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Me and you and everyone we know: An empirical analysis of local network effects in mobile communications

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  • Corrocher, Nicoletta
  • Zirulia, Lorenzo

Abstract

This paper investigates the importance that consumers assign to local network effects, i.e. the extent to which they take account of their contacts' mobile operators when choosing a provider for themselves. The authors identify individual characteristics that affect the importance consumers attach to local network effects. The study relies on a survey of 193 Italian students. The results show that consumers are highly heterogeneous with respect to the importance they give to the operators chosen by their friends/family members in choosing which provider to use. This heterogeneity is associated with individual innovativeness and patterns of mobile phone usage. For instance, consumers who are more interested in local network effects are typically more-aware users, who use voice services quite intensively. These consumers, who pay attention to local network effects, spend comparatively little proportional to the intensity of their mobile usage.

Suggested Citation

  • Corrocher, Nicoletta & Zirulia, Lorenzo, 0. "Me and you and everyone we know: An empirical analysis of local network effects in mobile communications," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(1-2), pages 68-79, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:telpol:v:33:y::i:1-2:p:68-79
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    Cited by:

    1. Uner, M.Mithat & Guven, Faruk & Cavusgil, S.Tamer, 2020. "Churn and loyalty behavior of Turkish digital natives: Empirical insights and managerial implications," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(4).
    2. Muck, Johannes, 2012. "The effect of on-net / off-net differentiation and heterogeneuous consumers on network size in mobile telecommunications : an agent-based aporoach," 23rd European Regional ITS Conference, Vienna 2012 60355, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    3. Aguilar, Diego & Agüero, Aileen & Barrantes, Roxana, 2020. "Network effects in mobile telecommunications markets: A comparative analysis of consumers' preferences in five Latin American countries," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(5).
    4. Usero Sánchez, Belén & Asimakopoulos, Grigorios, 2012. "Regulation and competition in the European mobile communications industry: An examination of the implementation of mobile number portability," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 187-196.
    5. Guven, Faruk, 2018. "Churn and loyalty behaviour of Turkish digital natives," 29th European Regional ITS Conference, Trento 2018 184943, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    6. Lucio Fuentelsaz & Juan Pablo Maicas & Yolanda Polo, 2012. "Switching Costs, Network Effects, and Competition in the European Mobile Telecommunications Industry," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 23(1), pages 93-108, March.
    7. Andreas Deckert & Robert Klein, 2014. "Simulation-based optimization of an agent-based simulation," Netnomics, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 33-56, July.
    8. Anshul Yadav & Mahim Sagar, 2021. "Modified Total Interpretive Structural Modeling of Marketing Flexibility Factors for Indian Telecommunications Service Providers," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 22(4), pages 307-330, December.
    9. Sobolewski, Maciej & Czajkowski, Mikołaj, 2018. "Receiver benefits and strategic use of call externalities in mobile telephony markets," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 16-27.
    10. Srinuan, Chalita & Srinuan, Pratompong & Bohlin, Erik, 2012. "Exploring mobile pricing strategies and innovations in the Thai mobile communications market," 19th ITS Biennial Conference, Bangkok 2012: Moving Forward with Future Technologies - Opening a Platform for All 72522, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    11. repec:lmu:msmdpa:12688 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Basaran, Alparslan A. & Cetinkaya, Murat & Bagdadioglu, Necmiddin, 2014. "Operator choice in the mobile telecommunications market: Evidence from Turkish urban population," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 1-13.
    13. Capponi, Giovanna & Corrocher, Nicoletta & Zirulia, Lorenzo, 2021. "Personalized pricing for customer retention: Theory and evidence from mobile communication," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(1).
    14. Asimakopoulos, Grigorios & Whalley, Jason, 2017. "Market leadership, technological progress and relative performance in the mobile telecommunications industry," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 57-67.
    15. Liangjie Zhao & Wenqi Duan, 2014. "Simulating the Evolution of Market Shares: The Effects of Customer Learning and Local Network Externalities," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 43(1), pages 53-70, January.
    16. Czajkowski, Mikołaj & Sobolewski, Maciej, 2016. "How much do switching costs and local network effects contribute to consumer lock-in in mobile telephony?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(9), pages 855-869.
    17. Karacuka, Mehmet & Çatık, A. Nazif & Haucap, Justus, 2013. "Consumer choice and local network effects in mobile telecommunications in Turkey," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 334-344.
    18. Confraria, João & Ribeiro, Tiago & Vasconcelos, Helder, 2017. "Analysis of consumer preferences for mobile telecom plans using a discrete choice experiment," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 157-169.
    19. Zucchini, Leon & Claussen, Jörg & Trüg, Moritz, 2013. "Tariff-mediated network effects versus strategic discounting: Evidence from German mobile telecommunications," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 751-759.
    20. Yong Joon Hyoung & Arum Park & Kyoung Jun Lee, 2020. "Why Are the Largest Social Networking Services Sometimes Unable to Sustain Themselves?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-23, January.
    21. Corrocher, Nicoletta & Zirulia, Lorenzo, 2010. "Demand and innovation in services: The case of mobile communications," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(7), pages 945-955, September.
    22. Rebeca Escobar Briones, 2018. "Impacto de las modificaciones en el proceso de portabilidad numérica sobre los servicios de telecomunicación móvil/The impact on telecommunications services of modifications to mobile number portab," Estudios Económicos, El Colegio de México, Centro de Estudios Económicos, vol. 33(1), pages 3-28.
    23. Moen, Espen R. & Riis, Christian & Fjeldstad, Øystein, 2010. "Competition with Local Network Externalities," CEPR Discussion Papers 7778, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    24. repec:lmu:msmdpa:13764 is not listed on IDEAS

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