Title: Tariff-type suitability's impact on satisfaction of Mobile Internet customers in Germany

Authors: Torsten J. Gerpott

Addresses: Chair of Strategic Management, Focus Telecommunications Management, Mercator School of Management, University of Duisburg- Essen, Lotharstr 65, D-47057 Duisburg, Germany

Abstract: Prior literature argues that the choice of a mobile voice service tariff, which is financially non-optimal for an individual, has detrimental impacts on customer loyalty and satisfaction. Unfortunately, extant work has not yet examined the extent to which effects of tariff-type suitability on customer satisfaction hold for Mobile Internet (MI) access services. This study addresses the gap by analysing |system-captured| tariff type and MI usage intensity data in a sample of 399 MI subscribers in Germany. For MI adopters in a use-dependent (flat) tariff scheme usage intensity was significantly negatively (positively) related to MI satisfaction. This indicates that satisfaction with MI access services is decreasing if customers overpay for their MI access because they have selected unsuitable rate plans.

Keywords: customer choice; Germany; mobile internet; mobile communications; mobile telecommunications; data services; pricing; rate plan suitability; customer loyalty; customer satisfaction; tariff types; usage intensity; mobile web.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMC.2011.040605

International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2011 Vol.9 No.3, pp.243 - 260

Published online: 07 Jun 2011 *

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