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Pricing Internet Traffic: Exclusion, Signalling and Screening

Author

Listed:
  • Bruno Jullien
  • Wilfried Sand-Zantman
Abstract
We consider a network that intermediates traffic between free content providers and consumers. While consumers do not know the traffic cost when deciding on consumption, a content provider knows his cost but may not control the consumption. We study how pricing consumers’ and content providers’ sides allows both profit extraction from the network and efficient information transmission. In the case of uniform tariff, we argue that a positive price-cap on the charge to content is optimal (with no constrain on the consumer side). Proposing menus helps signaling useful information to consumers and therefore adjusting consumption to traffic cost. In the case of menus, we show that optimal mechanisms consist in letting the content producers choose between different categories associated with different prices for content and consumers. Our results are robust to competition between ISPs and to competition between contents. We also show that when (competitive) content providers choose at small cost between a pay and a free business model, a price-cap at cost on the price for content improves efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Bruno Jullien & Wilfried Sand-Zantman, 2014. "Pricing Internet Traffic: Exclusion, Signalling and Screening," CESifo Working Paper Series 4709, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_4709
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Bauner, Christoph & Espin, Augusto, 2023. "Do subscribers of mobile networks care about Data Throttling?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(10).
    2. Peitz, Martin & Schuett, Florian, 2016. "Net neutrality and inflation of traffic," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 16-62.
    3. Choi, Jay Pil & Jeon, Doh-Shin & Kim, Byung-Cheol, 2014. "Net neutrality, Network capacity and Innovation at the Edges," TSE Working Papers 14-521, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Jul 2017.
    4. Jay Pil Choi & Doh†Shin Jeon & Byung†Cheol Kim, 2018. "Net Neutrality, Network Capacity, and Innovation at the Edges," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(1), pages 172-204, March.
    5. Jay Pil Choi & Doh-Shin Jeon & Byung-Cheol Kim, 2013. "Asymmetric Neutrality Regulation and Innovation at the Edges: Fixed vs. Mobile Networks," Working Papers 13-24, NET Institute.
    6. Broos, Sébastien & Gautier, Axel, 2014. "Competing one-way essential complements: the forgotten side of net neutrality," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2014064, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).

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    JEL classification:

    • D00 - Microeconomics - - General - - - General

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