Die Bundesnetzagentur hat im Rahmen der Frequenzvergabe 2019 für den Mobilfunk die Netzanbieter verpflichtet, einen bestimmten Versorgungsgrad der Bevölkerung zu erreichen. Erstmals wurden dabei auch Kooperationen zwischen verschiedenen Netzanbietern erlaubt. Es wurde jedoch offengelassen,...

The paper deals with the competitive effects of price guarantees in a spatial duopoly where consumers can search for lower prices but have to incur hassle costs if they want to claim a price guarantee. It is shown that symmetric equilibria with and without price guarantees exist but price...

We analyze pricing and competition under paid prioritization within a model of interconnected internet service providers (ISPs), heterogeneous content providers (CPs) and heterogeneous consumers. We show that prioritization is welfare superior to a regime without prioritization (network...

We analyze a vertical structure with an upstream monopoly and two downstream retailers. Demand is uncertain but each retailer receives an informative private signal about the state of the demand. We construct an incentive compatible and ex ante balanced mechanism which induces the retailers to...

We analyze competition between Internet Service Providers (ISPs) where consumers demand heterogeneous content within two Quality-of-Service (QoS) regimes, Net Neutrality and Paid Prioritization, and show that paid prioritization increases the static efficiency compared to a neutral network. We...

The principle of net neutrality was adopted by the European Union as a regulation promoting equality among all data packets in the Internet. Considering net neutrality from a purely economic viewpoint, however, the general possibility to prioritize data packets would likely lead to a more...

Das Prinzip der Netzneutralität wurde im November 2015 von der Europäischen Union als Verordnung zur Gleichbehandlung aller Datenpakete im Netz verabschiedet. Betrachtet man die Netzneutralität nach rein ökonomischen Gesichtspunkten, zeigt sich, dass die generelle Möglichkeit zur...

We analyze pricing and competition under paid prioritization within a model of interconnected internet service providers (ISPs), heterogeneous content providers (CPs) and heterogeneous consumers. We show that prioritization is welfare superior to a regime without prioritization (network...

As part of the 2019 frequency allocation process for mobile communications, the Federal Network Agency required network providers to achieve a certain level of mobile network coverage for the population. Cooperation between different network providers was also permitted for the first time,...

Preisgarantien im Einzelhandel scheinen auf den ersten Blick Ergebnis eines intensiven Wettbewerbs zu sein. Theoretische Analysen und empirische Studien zeigen jedoch, dass dies in der Regel nicht der Fall ist. Preisgarantien und hier vor allem Garantien, bei denen mehr als die Differenz zu...