Wettbewerb und Kooperation auf dem deutschen DSL-Markt

Remco van der Velden describes the economic, technological and regulatory characteristics of the German DSL market in order to do a comprehensive analysis of the competition in the areas of infrastructure and service within the framework of two oligopolistic models from the game theory. He demonstrates why certain model business projects, such as for example offers for symmetrical DSL connections for business customers, are doomed to failure. He also shows which strategic measures promise to be more successful. The author sees the strategic cooperation between Internet service providers and alternative DSL infrastructure operators as a primary solution. The fixed costs for infrastructure and advertising which are incurred upon the entry into the market are high, and this is the only long-term solution to recoup these through proceeds.