Regulating prices of unbundled access to the local loop: a German case study

The paper reviews the performance of the German regulatory framework as regards unbundled access to local loop (ULL). The argumentation is based on the assumption that the goal of regulatory interference into telecom markets is to promote sustainable competition in order to maximise social welfare. For Germany, it is demonstrated that - due to a comprehensive regulatory framework - a considerable degree of competition has evolved since the local telecom market has been opended in 1998. Thereby it also becomes evident that pricing is the most controversial issue to be resolved when regulating ULL access

Killer applications for fiber to the home networks: market potential, time horizons and user groups

Telecom operators in cooperation with utility companies and public institutions are deploying fiber to the home infrastructure. The roll-out of these networks is justified by the supposed increasing user demand for high-bandwidth applications. Starting from a user-oriented perspective, this paper considers the utility of these networks for future users and explores those killer applications that could convince end-users to migrate to high-bandwidth connections. B y means of an international expert survey, the paper identifies value-added services that benefit from fiber's network potential in terms of high speed, symmetry and low delay