A Fallacy of Dominant Price Vectors in Network Industries

Abstract

In German mobile phone contracts, calls in the provider's home net are usually less expensive than external calls (to the network of a competitor). Thus customers have to compare vectors of prices, and such a comparison can be the source of a fallacy in the presence of network externalities. Even if a provider with a lower market share requires lower prices for calls in the home as well as to other networks, his average price may be higher than that of a larger provider. Not being aware of this fact is called "a fallacy of dominant price vectors". Based on a questionnaire study this fallacy turns out to be a real phenomenon.