A multiobjective Internet pricing model

Abstract

The proliferation of the Internet has attracted many researchers, network engineers and economists, to investigate issues related to the pricing of network access. Not only that Internet pricing is an important business concern, it also represents a feasible solution to many managerial problems in network operations, such as resource allocation, congestion control, and quality of service guarantee. We have surveyed prominent Internet pricing schemes and the lessons learned have enabled us to develop a pricing model that satisfies multiple design objectives: network efficiency, economic efficiency, user utility and practicality. An illustrative example scheme is devised using the model. Quantitative analysis and qualitative evaluation have shown that the proposed scheme indeed meets the design criteria and expectations.