Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/162840 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Series/Report no.: 
DICE Discussion Paper No. 262
Publisher: 
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE), Düsseldorf
Abstract: 
While second-degree price discrimination is standard in commercial practice in many industries, consumer advocates and public interest groups have reacted with skepticism against tendencies to move away from flat rates and introduce greater tariff diversity. This paper provides an empirical analysis how the differentiation of broadband tariffs with respect to retail prices affects fixed broadband subscription using time-series data. The empirical analysis is based on a unique dataset of 10,200 retail broadband offers spanning the 2003-2011 period and including 23 EU member states. Results show that an increase in tariff diversity provides a significant impetus to broadband adoption, wherefore demands by some public interest groups to limit price discrimination in broadband markets should be viewed with some caution as reduced price discrimination may come at the cost of lower penetration rates.
Subjects: 
Broadband demand
Tariff diversity
Price discrimination
Dynamic panel data analysis
JEL: 
L86
L96
ISBN: 
978-3-86304-261-5
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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