3 ms·
The same could be said about mobile phones and electricity though, they're not compulsory to use but pretty universal (and regulated). Certainly Whatsapp and Go
by WJW 10y ago
The same could be said about mobile phones and electricity though, they're not compulsory to use but pretty universal (and regulated). Certainly Whatsapp and Google Search have so much marketshare in my country (Netherlands) that they might as well be utilities.
Something like a common carrier model might be better for society, where the bundling of some services is deemed to be too monopolistic in combination but not as separate entities. Sort of like Rockefeller owning both oil production and (almost) all the transportation facilities and used the transportation to squeeze out fellow producers.
- hueving 10y agoThe Google search mention is ridiculous. The switching costs are negligible (type a different URL) and there are no network effects forcing you to use it. Utilities are regulated the way they are because switching costs are enormous (pay for powerlines to some other generation source or pipes to a new water supply).