Assessing the USO Impact on the Network Density Using Spatial Analysis Techniques

Bruno Basalisco (), Mindaugas Cerpickis (), Lionel Gendebien () and Jacob Østermann ()
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Bruno Basalisco: Copenhagen Economics
Mindaugas Cerpickis: Copenhagen Economics
Lionel Gendebien: Copenhagen Economics
Jacob Østermann: Copenhagen Economics

A chapter in Postal Strategies in a Digital and Green Transition, 2026, pp 313-325 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract As part of the European Postal Service Directive (PSD), Member States must guarantee that the density of access points to the universal postal service fulfills users’ needs. To this end, Member States typically impose density requirements which constrain the Universal Service Provider (USP) to design its postal network in a way that ensures that postal services are accessible to all citizens, regardless of where they reside. These requirements impose significant costs on USPs who identify them as a primary driver of the net cost of the Universal Service Obligation (USO), (Copenhagen Economics, Main developments in the postal sector (2017-2021). Study for the European Commission, Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship, and SMEs, 2022). In this paper, we develop an economic approach to assess the size of the gap between the network design that would have prevailed absent the USO density requirement and any USO density requirement.

Keywords: Network density requirements; Spatial analysis; USO net cost; Postal network design; Postal access points (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-00502-1_21

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