Fueled by its recent success in provisioning on-site wireless Internet access, Wi-Fi is currently perceived as the best positioned technology for pervasive mobile macro network offloading. However, the broad transitions of multiple collocated operators towards this new paradigm may result in fierce competition for the common unlicensed spectrum at hand. In this light, our paper game-theoretically dissects market convergence scenarios by assessing the competition between providers in terms of network performance, capacity constraints, cost reductions, and revenue prospects. We will closely compare the prospects and strategic positioning of fixed line operators offering Wi-Fi services with respect to competing mobile network operators utilizing unlicensed spectrum. Our results highlight important dependencies upon inter-operator collaboration models, and more importantly, upon the ratio between backhaul and Wi-Fi access bit-rates. Furthermore, our investigation of medium-to long-term convergence scenarios indicates that a rethinking of control measures targeting the large-scale monetization of unlicensed spectrum may be required, as otherwise the used free bands may become subject to tragedy-of-commons type of problems.
@cite_4: Mobile networks are increasingly becoming capacity limited such that more base stations and smaller cells or more spectrum are required to serve the subscribers' increasing data usage. Among several challenges, the establishment of new base station sites becomes challenging and expensive. This study proposes and analyzes critical aspects of a business case where a mobile operator offloads its mobile LTE network by deploying cognitive femtocells. When aided by a sensor network the cognitive femtocell will be able to use frequencies other than the mobile network and hence increase its power to cover outdoor areas and neighbour buildings. This cognitive femtocell strategy will be compared with an alternative strategy where an operator deploys conventional femtocells and has to build additional base stations to meet the traffic demands. The business case analysis illustrates that there is a potential for cost savings when offloading the mobile network with cognitive femtocells when compared to the alternative strategy. It must be emphasized that the studied concept is innovative and that the business case period starts in 2017, hence, parameter assumptions are uncertain. Therefore, as the most important message of this work, sensitivity analysis is used to reveal the most critical aspects of the cognitive femtocell business case. It is found that the most critical parameters regarding the cognitive femtocell are the price for backhauling, the number of users supported and the coverage. Furthermore, an optimal coverage radius for the cognitive femtocell for lowest possible costs is found. Costs related to the fixed sensor network are found to be less critical since sensors are embedded in the cognitive femtocells. Sensitivity analysis is also presented for spectral efficiency, cognitive and conventional femtocell offloading gain, sensor density and price, customer density and price for base station site establishment.
@cite_1: Rapidly growing demand for ubiquitous wireless access is presenting significant challenges to the scalability of the existing mobile wide area (WA) network infrastructure. This is increasing the importance of wireless local area (LA) access points (AP) and base stations (BS) residing in indoor locations. Uncertainty exists over who will control this, potentially very valuable part of the mobile service delivery infrastructure and there are many interested actors in position of coupling local area access to their existing platform. In this paper we conduct an analysis of possible Value Network Configurations (VNC) that could emerge around wireless local area access. We construct seven alternative Value Network Configurations by identifying important roles related to wireless local area access provisioning, the corresponding drivers and actors in position of taking on these roles. The identification and description of these configurations clarifies the different possible evolution paths for wireless local area access provisioning and acts as a basis for the design of corresponding future technologies and regulatory policies.
@cite_3: Abstract This article aims to analyze the strategic management of two-sided platforms from the view point of a mobile communications platform manager and elaborate on the dynamics that result in either platform success or failure. A framework is created to model the endogenous formation and diffusion process of a two-sided platform, describing the interplay of strategy levers that platform managers have at their disposal and factors affecting user willingness to create platform affiliation. The framework is applied to the diffusion of public wireless local area access services and configured with extensive data reflecting a large European city and platform deployment costs. The results show the effect of subsidization, revenue sharing, and alliance strategies and highlight the importance of understanding feedback structure and dynamic complexity around two-sided platforms. The results also point out how strategy opportunities vary for different types of platform managers, for example mobile operators extending their mobile infrastructure or large internet companies managing adjacent service platforms and striving for disruptive platform envelopment.
Differentiated by the following list of driving actors, @cite_1 have compiled a set of Wi-Fi Femto offload Value Network Configurations (VNCs): mobile operators, broadband access operators (fixed line), combined fixed and mobile operators, the access aggregator role (e.g., FON http: www.fon.com , last accessed: June 14, 2013 ), service providers and device manufacturers, as well as site venue owners. Investigating market convergence effects, the present paper will concentrate on the fixed mobile operator and access aggregator cases. These VNCs have been elaborated by @cite_3 in order to illustrate two-sided market issues towards a successful market evolution, e.g., w.r.t. required platform subsidies. Cost aspects for offloading base station traffic to femto cells have specifically been targeted by @cite_4 . However, to the best of our knowledge, the conflict of business interests and market challenges involved in offloading traffic from mobile networks to unlicensed spectrum Wi-Fi solutions has not yet been targeted in literature.