How to charge for network services – flat-rate or usage-based?

How to charge for network services - flat-rate or usage-based?

Currently, the Internet service provider market offers two different types of pricing plans. In the USA, the predominant pricing plan is a flat-rate plan. In Europe and Asia, the predominant one is a per-minute pricing plan. Enrolled in such a pricing plan, users have to pay for the connect time to the Internet. Although Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have competed heavily for users in these...

How surgery departments charge for OR time.

Comparison of Broadband Internet Pricing System: flat rate tariff vs. usage-based tariff

This paper examines the properties of two Internet pricing systems – a flat rate and a usage-based pricing system – in terms of the social welfare, by generalizing the theory advocated by the scholars. This study contributes not only to the systematic generalization of the theory but also to the examination of the waste of resource innate in the flat rate tariff. We found that the superiority b...

ACO-Based Neighborhoods for Fixed-charge Capacitated Multi-commodity Network Design Problem

The fixed-charge Capacitated Multi-commodity Network Design (CMND) is a well-known problem of both practical and theoretical significance. Network design models represent a wide variety of planning and operation management issues in transportation telecommunication, logistics, production and distribution. In this paper, Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) based neighborhoods are proposed for CMND pro...

How to Continue Essential Orthopedic Services during COVID-19 Crisis?

The first pandemic of the coronavirus family was caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) in late 2019. As a result of the pandemic critical condition, specialized orthopedic services were obviouslyaffected. To respond properly, we initiated a series of strategic measures, aiming at the safety of staff, minimizing theexposure, and prevention of pos...