This paper considers the collusive stability of downstream competition in a vertical market with network externalities and cost asymmetry. A dynamic collusion game is constructed, and backward induction is employed to solve the subgame perfect Nash equilibrium. We show that larger network...

As a case study of an ex-post evaluation of regulations, in this paper I evaluate the ‘uniform settlement rate requirement’, a regulation that was introduced in 1986 and that was applied to the international telephone market in the U.S. for more than 20 years. In a bilateral market between...

The common aim of legislation in the field of competition and consumer protection is to ensure the consumers’ sovereignty and well-being. Based on the analysis of literature in this field we have established, as the main focus of our research, a study of the correlation between the degree of...

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...

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,...

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,...

Mit der zum 1. Dezember 2021 in Kraft getretenen Novelle des Telekommunikationsgesetzes (TKG) ist der Vorrang der Versteigerung als Regelvergabeverfahren für Frequenzen bei Knappheit aufgehoben worden. Das TKG sieht zwei mögliche Vergabeverfahren für Frequenzen bei Knappheit vor: die...

Standard analysis of mergers in oligopolies along the lines of the popular Farrell-Shapiro Framework (FSF) relies, regarding its policy conclusions, on the assumption that rational agents will only propose privately profitable mergers. If this assumption were held, a positive external effect of...

Using the coefficient of cooperation, we analyse the effect of cost asymmetries on collusive agreements when firms are able to coordinate on distinct output levels than the unrestricted joint profit maximization outcome. In this context, we first investigate the extent to which collusive...