Research Article
A cost-based pricing analysis
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.4108/icst.5gu.2014.258049, author={Michail Katsigiannis}, title={A cost-based pricing analysis}, proceedings={1st International Conference on 5G for Ubiquitous Connectivity}, publisher={IEEE}, proceedings_a={5GU}, year={2014}, month={12}, keywords={cost-based pricing; flat rate pricing; usage-based pricing; mobile broadband}, doi={10.4108/icst.5gu.2014.258049} }
- Michail Katsigiannis
Year: 2014
A cost-based pricing analysis
5GU
IEEE
DOI: 10.4108/icst.5gu.2014.258049
Abstract
The high anticipated mobile data growth pushes mobile operators to rethink about the way they charge for mobile broadband. The purpose of this study is to analyze the cost-based pricing which provides fundamental information to mobile operators to form a pricing strategy. Assuming that the total network cost has to be recovered at a specific traffic level (price-determinant traffic level), the analysis shows that for real traffic level which is more than this price-determinant traffic level, the usage-based pricing is always preferable than the flat rate pricing. Whereas for real traffic level which is less than this price-determinant traffic level, the flat rate pricing is always preferable than the usage-based pricing. Also, the flat rate pricing level has to increase while the traffic level increases, unless more users join the network to share the cost or the total cost declines. On the contrary, adopting the usage-based pricing, the operator is able to decrease the unit price level while the traffic level increases.