Resumen
This article focuses on the vertical disintegration of proprietary content provision into content and access services by specialized companies. According to the author, changes in the telecommunication industry is one of the major technological and economic factors that underlie this trend of vertical disintegration. These changes, combined with deregulation, have resulted in reduced telecommunication costs at the wholesale level. Telecommunication companies have a cost advantage because they have large modem pools, concentrators and dedicated networks. They can offer reliable connectivity at a lower cost. These changes in the telecommunications industry and the attractiveness of the Internet as a distribution channel for proprietary content have resulted in an unbundling of services provided by content providers. The article analyzes the impact of changes in technology and regulation, by considering a simplified model of the Internet economy which comprises of customer, access providers and content providers.