Mobile Carrier Selection In A Post-Conflict Environment - The Primacy Of Ethnicity Over Conventional Network Effects

Abstract

In this paper we analyze determinants which affect the selection of mobile carriers in a post-conflict environment - Bosnia and Herzegovina. We apply relevant probability modelling to test perceptions of individual respondents on different network effects obtained through a targeted representative survey. Furthermore, we explore whether some non-traditional influences might affect costumers, focusing on the role of demographic characteristics. Our results confirm that conventional network effects have a role in carrier selection, although they are different across carriers. However, we identify that the ethnicity of respondents overwhelms the traditional network effects by having the highest magnitude in the model. Our findings show that the "ethnic affiliation" of mobile carriers, attributed by the users, remains a persistent factor in attracting and keeping telecommunication costumers in Bosnia and Herzegovina.