Telecommunications and Post

In the telecommunications and postal industries, established providers are faced with tremendous challenges and opportunities because of the emergence of new technologies. We support you with our proven industry and methodological knowledge in mastering challenges and help you to adapt to changing competitive and regulatory conditions in order to succeed in the market.

Assistance in procedures. Our services range from comprehensive economic consulting, including expert reports and studies, to the informal assessment of antitrust issues.

Access and pricing regulation. We assist you in complying with price and access regulation. We calculate key regulatory figures, such as access prices, price caps and WACC.

Market design. Based on established economic concepts and quantitative methods, we conduct regulatory impact assessment (RIA), describe incentives and effects on the relevant market players, and demonstrate how innovative market design can be employed to design efficient communication markets.

Universal Service Obligations (USO). We evaluate different financing options and compute the net costs of the USO. To this end, we have sophisticated GIS-modelling tools and algorithms at hand to evaluate the cost of accessibility and nationwide coverage. In the topic we contribute regularily to postal economics research.

Strategy and pricing in multi-sided markets. Digital communication technologies represent major challenges for traditional telecom, postal and media operators. We help you to find the optimal pricing strategy in highly complex, often multi-sided markets with strong network effects, especially if regulatory requirements have to be met.

Contact

Urs Trinkner

Dr. Urs Trinkner

Urs Trinkner is the Managing Director of Swiss Economics and Lecturer at the University of Zurich.

Dr. Michael Funk

Michael Funk is a Principal with Swiss Economics.

Dr. Eva Zuberbühler

Eva Zuberbühler is a Senior Economist with Swiss Economics.

Selected Projects

  • Support in antitrust procedures in the telecommunications, media and postal industry
  • Support of postal and telecomunication operators in the legisaltive process
  • Calculation of net costs of the universal service of a postal operator
  • Regulatory impact assessment

Publications

Study for Swiss4net

Book chapter on the economies of scope between letters and parcels in times of significant volume changes.

Postman in snow

Presentation at the 33nd Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics in Limassol

Radar

Report commissioned by the Swiss Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC)

Package on the treadmill

Book chapter on the microeconomic foundation of different business strategies in parcel markets

Book chapter in Postal Strategies (2023). Parcu P., Brennan T., Glass V. (eds). Springer, Cham.

Postfiliale in Simplon

Book chapter in The Postal and Delivery Contribution in Hard Times (2023). Parcu P., Brennan T., Glass V. (eds). Springer, Cham.

Postfiliale in Simplon

Book chapter in "The Economics of the Postal and Delivery Sector" (2022). Parcu P., Brennan T., Glass V. (eds). Springer, Cham.

Connected dots

Baseline study on universal services and public service provision for the Liechtestein Think Tank "Zukunft.li"

Postman in snow

Book chapter in "The Changing Postal Environment. Topics in Regulatory Economics and Policy." Parcu P., Brennan T., Glass V. (eds). Springer, Cham.

Hydropower plant

Study on the significance of climate change for infrastructures in Switzerland commissioned by the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (UVEK)

Package on the treadmill

Presentation by Christian Jaag

Mails

An article in Neue Zürcher Zeitung

empty letter

In: The Changing Postal and Delivery Sector. Edited by M. Crew, P.L. Parcu and T. Brennan, Springer, pp 271-28

Postfiliale in Simplon

In: The Future of the Postal Sector in a Digital World. Edited by M. Crew and T. Brennan, Springer, Chapter 8

Study for Schweizerische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für die Berggebiete (SAB) and Schweizerischer Gemeindeverband (SGV)

post box england

In: Postal and Delivery Innovation in the Digital Economy. Edited by M. Crew and T. Brennan, Springer, pp. 301-312

empty letter

In: Postal and Delivery Innovation in the Digital Economy. Edited by M. Crew and T. Brennan, Springer, pp. 155-168

Envelopes

Network Industries Quarterly, vol. 17(3), pp. 10-13

empty letter

Utilities Policy 31, pp. 266-277

Postman in snow

Study for the U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission

empty letter

In: The Role Of The Postal And Delivery Sector In A Digital Age. Edited by M. Crew and T. Brennan, Edward Elgar, pp. 227-239

empty letter

In: The Role Of The Postal And Delivery Sector In A Digital Age. Edited by M. Crew and T. Brennan, Edward Elgar, pp. 204-213

Review of Law and Economics 9(1), pp. 125-150

Envelopes

In: Reforming the Postal Sector in the Face of Electronic Competition. Edited by M. Crew and P.R. Kleindorfer, Edward Elgar, pp. 241-26

Package on the treadmill

In: Reforming the Postal Sector in the Face of Electronic Competition. Edited by M. Crew and P.R. Kleindorfer, Edward Elgar, pp. 277-293

Mails

In: Reforming the Postal Sector in the Face of Electronic Competition. Edited by M. Crew and P.R. Kleindorfer, Edward Elgar, pp. 294-305

Mails

Study on behalf of German Federal Parliament

Wirtschaftsdienst - Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik, 92(1), 4-5

empty letter

In: Multi-Modal Competition And The Future Of Mail. Edited by M. Crew and P.R. Kleindorfer, Edward Elgar, pp. 236-246

post box england

Study for the European Commission

lots of parcels

Study for the Universal Postal Union

post box england

Journal of Regulatory Economics 39(1), 89-110

In: Reinventing the Postal Sector in an Electronic Age. Edited by M. Crew and P.R. Kleindorfer, Edward Elgar, 267-280

Envelopes

Die Volkswirtschaft 04-2011, 43-46

Mails

In: Heightening Competition in the Postal and Delivery Sector, edited by M.A. Crew and P.R. Kleindorfer. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar

empty letter

In: Heightening Competition in the Postal and Delivery Sector, edited by M.A. Crew and P.R. Kleindorfer. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar

Bookshelf with books

Postal Technology International: 2011 Annual Showcase, 41-43

post box england

Journal for Competition and Regulation in Network Industries, Vol. 4, 382-397

Envelopes

Research into the development of competition in the letter market

Cables

Study for Sunrise

empty letter

Südwestdeutscher Verlag für Hochschulschriften, ISBN 3838107888

Cables

Die Volkswirtschaft 11-2009, 46-50

Arbitration Hammer

Study for Swisscom

Mails

In: Fallstudien zur Netzökonomie, G. Knieps und H.-J. Weiss (Hrsg.), Wiesbaden: Gabler, 87-110

Arbitration Hammer

In: Aktuelle Entwicklungen des Europäischen und Internationalen Wirtschaftsrechts, Band XI, C. Baudenbacher (Hrsg.), Helbing und Lichtenhahn, 337-424

Arbitration Hammer

Network Industries Quarterly 11(3), 3-6

Network Industries Quarterly 11(4), 6-18

Revue d'économie industrielle 127(3)

Package on the treadmill

Study for Swiss Post

In: Competition and Regulation in the Postal and Delivery Sector, Michael A. Crew und Paul R. Kleindorfer (Hrsg.), Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar, 136-149

Envelopes

Network Industries Quarterly 10(1), 18-19

empty letter

In: Handbook of Worldwide Postal Reform, M. A. Crew, P. R. Kleindorfer und J. I. Campbell Jr. (Hrsg.), Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar, 80-97

empty letter

Die Volkswirtschaft 5-2007, 10-13

post box england

Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics 143(3), 261-282

Package on the treadmill

In: Progress toward Liberalization of the Postal and Delivery Sector, M. A. Crew and P. R. Kleindorfer (Hrsg.), Springer, 267-280

lots of parcels

In: Liberalization of the Postal and Delivery Sector, edited by M. A. Crew and P. R. Kleindorfer, Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar, 91-101

In: Regulatory and Economic Challenges in the Postal and Delivery Sector, M. A. Crew and P. R. Kleindorfer (Hrsg.), Boston, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 53-72