Competition in telecommunications
Competition in telecommunications
Estimating scale economies of the wireless telecommunications industry using EVA data
Telecommunications Policy
Universal service and targeted support in a competitive telecommunications environment
Telecommunications Policy
Provision of universal service and access over IP networks in Japan
Telecommunications Policy
Economic welfare and universal service
Telecommunications Policy
Universal service: A new definition?
Telecommunications Policy
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This study uses contingent valuation to measure Japanese customers' willingness-to-pay to maintain combinations of five telecommunication services that are considered substitutes if universal service is defined on the basis of functionality. The analysis revealed the following results. First, consumers are more willing to pay to retain voice communication services than data transmission services. Second, customers accept Internet Protocol telephony as a substitute for plain old telephone service (POTS) as a universal service, and they are willing to pay much more than Japan's current Universal Service Fund charge. Third, even when mobile phone service (MOB) is available, consumers will pay to retain fixed-line voice services. Finally, consumers have an equal desire to keep fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and fixed-line voice services, but it is less than the demand for MOB. Thus, under the present definition of POTS as a universal service, FTTH could be considered as a basic telecommunication service.