A study on antecedents of customer switching behavior in mobile services

Recently, mobile telecommunication businesses contend with each other to expand their customer base by using aggressive marketing strategies. In order to determine if there strategies are effective, customer's switching behavior needs to be studied. This study identifies and analyzes direct, indirect factors that may customer switching behavior-attractiveness of alternatives, network externality, and switching cost. Results reveals that attractiveness of alternatives, network externalities have a direct impact on customer switching behavior. These two factors also have moderating effects on customer switching behavior but the switching cost does not In short, network externalities and alternatives strategically determine the success of 3.5G service. In this regard, mobile business should improve their own attractiveness of alternatives by developing specialized service in 3.5G service.