Network Competition with Income Effects

I generalize the workhorse model of network competition to include income effects in call demand. Empirical work has shown call demand to increase significantly with income. For any positive income effect, network operators prefer a termination rate above marginal cost if networks are sufficiently differentiated. This holds with or without call price discrimination. Under price discrimination, the networks charge a lower price for calls within the own network (on-net) than to other networks (off-net). Income effects thus deliver theoretical results consistent with stylized facts about call prices and in line with regulatory concern about excessive termination rates

Telecommunications Demand and Pricing Structure: An Econometric Analysis

International audienceThe main objective of this paper is to analyse residential demand by traffic destination, using a translogarithmic indirect utility function. We focus on five traffic directions, in order to construct a model adapted to evaluate the characteristics of telecommunications demand in a competitive market. The resulting price elasticities express high reactivity to own price changes for the main traffic directions, as well as little interactions between the different types of traffic. Moreover, the high values of income elasticities confirm the importance of income effects when analysing residential telecommunications demand. This model shows useful for welfare analysis. The computation of customers' income equivalent variation shows, on average, a higher willingness to pay for some traffic directions than the bill actually paid. Finally, we show that the optimal prices for the operator, in a cost minimisation point of view, are higher than the observed prices for local and national traffic directions. This emphasises the existence of important cross-subsidies among the different segments of customers

Right ventricular outflow tract prestenting with AndraStent XXL before percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation

BACKGROUND: The indications for percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI) have been extended to include large dysfunctional right ventricular outflow tracts (RVOTs). Prestenting of the RVOT is commonly performed before PPVI in order to ensure a stable landing zone. The AndraStent XXL (AndraMed GmbH, Reutlingen, Germany), a cobalt-chromium stent with semi-open cell design, has unique mechanical properties in this indication but is no longer available in France. AIMS: To assess the efficiency of AndraStent XXL before PPVI. METHODS: In this retrospective multicentre cohort study, 86 AndraStents XXL were implanted in 77 patients in 6 centres. RESULTS: PPVI was indicated mainly for pulmonary regurgitation (75.3%) in native or patched RVOT (88.3%). The stents were manually mounted on balloon catheters and delivered through sheaths using a conventional femoral approach. PPVI was performed successfully in 97.4% of patients after successful prestenting, generally during the same procedure (77.9%). There were no deaths associated with stent implantation, and four patients experienced five complications, mainly stent embolization, including one requiring surgery. Neither stent fracture nor dysfunction were observed in any patient during a mean follow-up of 19.2±8.7months. Stent analysis showed an excellent maximal stent expansion (97.1%) regardless of balloon size. A 22.3%±3.4 stent shortening with a 30mm balloon was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Implantation of large cobalt-chromium AndraStent XXL stents is efficient for prestenting before PPVI.status: publishe

High Radiation Exposure of the Imaging Specialist During Structural Heart Interventions With Echocardiographic Guidance

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Percutaneous Rescue of an Embolized Valve After Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement

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Early Endocarditis and Delayed Left Ventricular Pseudoaneurysm Complicating a Transapical Transcatheter Mitral Valve-in-Valve Implantation Percutaneous Closure Under Local Anesthesia and Echocardiographic Guidance

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