Slice allocation and pricing framework for virtualized millimeter wave cellular networks

Traditionally, the cellular spectrum is allocated to operators (OPs) through auctions, as ideal mechanisms to discover market prices and allocate scarce resources. Even though spectrum is indeed scarce in sub-6 GHz bands, it becomes abundant in millimeter-wave (mmWave) bands. Interestingly, in that context, it is base station (BS) density which is limiting, and thus a critical factor, due to the outage phenomena in urban environments. Facing BS scarcity is one of the main reasons to foster virtualization techniques aimed at improving utilization and lowering costs. We consider a scenario with an infrastructure provider (InP) owner of a number of BSs and a set of OPs with their users (UEs). We propose a three-phase framework to price network infrastructure slices (NISs) and allocate them to OPs and to efficiently associate UEs with those NISs. The framework stages are: 1) an initial association, 2) a distributed auction mechanism across the BSs to allocate resources to Ops, and 3) a re-association process where the OPs can optimize the NISs they are awarded. The auction incentivizes OPs to bid truthfully and the outcome yields both socially optimal NISs and Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) prices. For the re-association phase, we propose deterministic and stochastic exchange-matching algorithms and demonstrate their convergence to stable matching and stable-optimal matching, respectively.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad | Ref. TEC2016-76465-C2-2-RXunta de Galicia | Ref. GRC 2018/5

The Potential Short- and Long-Term Disruptions and Transformative Impacts of 5G and Beyond Wireless Networks: Lessons Learnt from the Development of a 5G Testbed Environment

The capacity and coverage requirements for 5 th generation (5G) and beyond wireless connectivity will be significantly different from the predecessor networks. To meet these requirements, the anticipated deployment cost in the United Kingdom (UK) is predicted to be between £30bn and £50bn, whereas the current annual capital expenditure (CapEX) of the mobile network operators (MNOs) is £2.5bn. This prospect has vastly impacted and has become one of the major delaying factors for building the 5G physical infrastructure, whereas other areas of 5G are progressing at their speed. Due to the expensive and complicated nature of the network infrastructure and spectrum, the second-tier operators, widely known as mobile virtual network operators (MVNO), are entirely dependent on the MNOs. In this paper, an extensive study is conducted to explore the possibilities of reducing the 5G deployment cost and developing viable business models. In this regard, the potential of infrastructure, data, and spectrum sharing is thoroughly investigated. It is established that the use of existing public infrastructure (e.g., streetlights, telephone poles, etc.) has a potential to reduce the anticipated cost by about 40% to 60%. This paper also reviews the recent Ofcom initiatives to release location-based licenses of the 5G-compatible radio spectrum. Our study suggests that simplification of infrastructure and spectrum will encourage the exponential growth of scenario-specific cellular networks (e.g., private networks, community networks, micro-operators) and will potentially disrupt the current business models of telecommunication business stakeholders - specifically MNOs and TowerCos. Furthermore, the anticipated dense device connectivity in 5G will increase the resolution of traditional and non-traditional data availability significantly. This will encourage extensive data harvesting as a business opportunity and function within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as large social networks. Consequently, the rise of new infrastructures and spectrum stakeholders is anticipated. This will fuel the development of a 5G data exchange ecosystem where data transactions are deemed to be high-value business commodities. The privacy and security of such data, as well as definitions of the associated revenue models and ownership, are challenging areas - and these have yet to emerge and mature fully. In this direction, this paper proposes the development of a unified data hub with layered structured privacy and security along with blockchain and encrypted off-chain based ownership/royalty tracking. Also, a data economy-oriented business model is proposed. The study found that with the potential commodification of data and data transactions along with the low-cost physical infrastructure and spectrum, the 5G network will introduce significant disruption in the Telco business ecosystem

The Case for Liberal Spectrum Licenses: A Technical and Economic Perspective

The traditional system of radio spectrum allocation has inefficiently restricted wireless services. Alternatively, liberal licenses ceding de facto spectrum ownership rights yield incentives for operators to maximize airwave value. These authorizations have been widely used for mobile services in the U.S. and internationally, leading to the development of highly productive services and waves of innovation in technology, applications and business models. Serious challenges to the efficacy of such a spectrum regime have arisen, however. Seeing the widespread adoption of such devices as cordless phones and wi-fi radios using bands set aside for unlicensed use, some scholars and policy makers posit that spectrum sharing technologies have become cheap and easy to deploy, mitigating airwave scarcity and, therefore, the utility of exclusive rights. This paper evaluates such claims technically and economically. We demonstrate that spectrum scarcity is alive and well. Costly conflicts over airwave use not only continue, but have intensified with scientific advances that dramatically improve the functionality of wireless devices and so increase demand for spectrum access. Exclusive ownership rights help direct spectrum inputs to where they deliver the highest social gains, making exclusive property rules relatively more socially valuable. Liberal licenses efficiently accommodate rival business models (including those commonly associated with unlicensed spectrum allocations) while mitigating the constraints levied on spectrum use by regulators imposing restrictions in traditional licenses or via use rules and technology standards in unlicensed spectrum allocations.

Spectrum Policy Reform and the Next Frontier of Property Rights

The scarcity of wireless spectrum reflects a costly failure of regulation. In practice, large swaths of spectrum are vastly underused or used for low value activities, but the regulatory system prevents innovative users from gaining access to such spectrum through marketplace transactions. In calling for the propertyzing of swaths of spectrum as a replacement for the current command-and-control system, many scholars have wrongfully assumed the simplicity of how such a regime would work in practice. In short, many scholars suggest that spectrum property rights can easily borrow key principles from trespass law, reasoning that since property rights work well for land, they can work well for spectrum rights as well. But as we explain, spectrum is not the same as land, and a poorly designed property rights regime for spectrum might even be worse than the legacy model of spectrum regulation. This Article addresses three central questions that confront the design and implementation of property rights in spectrum. First, it suggests how policymakers must develop a set of rights and remedies around spectrum property rights that reflect the fact that radio signals defy boundaries and can propagate in unpredictable ways. In particular, if policymakers simply created rights in spectrum and enforced them like rights in land (i.e., with injunctions for trespass), they would invite strategic behavior: spectrum speculators would buy licenses for the sole purpose of suing other licensees when their transmission systems created interference outside the permissible boundary (i.e., act as spectrum trolls). Second, it rejects the suggestion that policymakers establish a unitary property right for spectrum, arguing that policymakers should zone the spectrum by establishing different levels of protection against interference (i.e., an ability to transmit signals with more latitude) in different frequency bands. Finally, this Article discusses what institutional strategy will best facilitate the development of the property right and its enforcement, concluding that an administrative agency - be it a new one or a reformed FCC - is better positioned than a court to develop and enforce the rules governing the use of spectrum so as to facilitate technological progress and prevent parties with antiquated equipment from objecting to more efficient uses of spectrum

Techno-economic Analysis of 5G Local Area Access in Industrial Machine-to-Machine Communications

Billions of connected devices, new application requirements, deployment scenarios and business models are driving the evolution of the next generation 5G networks. 5G will be the key to tap into the business potential for 2020 and beyond. Industrial machine-to-machine (M2M) communications will have highly demanding connectivity requirements. These requirements will be vastly different depending on the specific use case and will require customized connectivity. This thesis builds possible future scenarios and value networks for 5G local area industrial M2M communications beyond 2020 with a 10 years time frame. The case of Industrial M2M communications is discussed by classifying the future requirements and the business potential, which is discussed using market statistics and forecasts from various sources. By diving into the ongoing research, the promising 5G technology enablers are explored with a possible 5G technical architecture. The theory of the methods used, scenario planning and value network configurations, is explained before formulating the future scenarios and value networks. Interviews with industry experts were organised to find the current situation of industrial internet, market trends and future uncertainties. This forms the basis for future scenarios and identifying most important roles and actors that take part in the value networks. The resulting four future scenarios indicate how the future of 5G M2M ecosystem will shape up and helps all stakeholders to plan and strategize. The resulting five value networks explore the actors, role distributions and value creation. The value networks are then mapped on to the scenarios, displaying the consistency of the results. These results can help identify the possibilities of value creation, new business models and market changes

Spectrum Policy and Management

This project provides an examination of the FCC’s policies towards spectrum reallocation. The project examines the National Broadband Plan and how the FCC has approached the goals described within it. The demand for broadband communications has increased dramatically in recent years and has resulted in a predicted spectrum deficit in the near future. In addition to a number of spectrum auctions and their winners the project examines how the redistribution of spectrum impacts the broadband community. The project also provides an examination of spectrum reallocation and policy in other countries, to provide a broader view of spectrum policy. Finally the project examines new spectrum technologies and spectrum usage policies to further examine how the US’s spectrum policies should evolve