Auction-Stackelberg game framework for access permission in femtocell networks with multiple network operators

With the explosive growth of indoor data traffic in forthcoming fifth generation cellular networks, it is imperative for mobile network operators to improve network coverage and capacity. Femtocells are widely recognized as a promising technology to address these demands. As femtocells are sold or loaned by a mobile network operator (MNO) to its residential or enterprise customers, MNOs usually employ refunding scheme to compensate the femtocell holders (FHs) providing indoor access to other subscribers by configuring the femtocell to operate in open or hybrid access mode. Due to the selfishness nature, competition between network operators as well as femtocell holders makes it challenging for operators to select appropriate FHs for trading access resources. This inspires us to develop an effective refunding framework, with aim to improve overall network resource utilization, through promoting FHs to make reasonable access permission for well-matched macro users. In this paper, we develop a two-stage auction–Stackelberg game (ASGF) framework for access permission in femtocell networks, where MNO and mobile virtual network operator lease access resources from multiple FHs. We first design an auction mechanism to determine the winner femtocell that fulfils the access request of macro users. We next formulate the access permission problem between the winner femtocell and operators as a Stackelberg game, and theoretically prove the existence of unique equilibrium. As a higher system payoff can be gained by improving individual players’ payoff in the game, each player can choose the best response to others’ action by implementing access permission, while avoiding solving a complicated optimization problem. Numerical results validate the effectiveness of our proposed ASGF based refunding framework and the overall network efficiency can be improved significantly

Operating logics of virtual network operators : understanding the companies entering virtual operator market

2000-luvun alku on tuonut tullessaan monia muutoksia vielä melko kehittymättömään mobiilikommunikaatioteollisuuteen. Langattomien teknologioiden nopea kehitys yhdistettynä nopeaan muutokseen sekä kilpailu- että sääntely-ympäristössä ovat aiheuttamassa epäjatkuvuuden teollisuuden kehityksessä. Miten tämä epäjatkuvuus vaikuttaa mobiilioperaattoreiden toimintamalleihin ja ansaintalogiikkaan, on kysymys, joka liittyy läheisesti käynnissäolevaan muutokseen. Mikä on teollisuuden uusimman kehityssuunnan, virtuaalimobiilioperaattoreiden, rooli tämän kehityksen keskellä on toinen relevantti kysymys koskien teollisuuden kehitystä. Tämä tutkimus esittää keskeisiä teorioita koskien yrityksen arvonluomisen prosessia, yhteistoiminnallisia yritysverkostoja ja sitä miten yritykset ja teollisuudenalat kehittyvät. Mobiiliteollisuuden epäjatkuvuuden keskeisimmät tekijät, teknologinen ja sääntelyllinen muutos, esitellään ja niiden vaikutusta mobiilikommunikaation arvoketjuun pohditaan käyttäen hyväksi arvoketjuintegraatiota koskevaa teoriaa. Kehitysteorioista käänteentekevän innovaation teoriaa käytetään pääasiallisena teoriana selittämään virtuaalioperaattoreiden tähänastista kehitystä ja tekemään päätelmiä tulevasta. Tutkimus erittelee myös sitä, mitä tämänhetkinen mobiilikommunikaatiotutkimus on identifioinut mahdollisiksi tulevaisuuden virtuaalioperaattoreiden tulonlähteiksi. Näistä aineksista kehitetään käsitteelinen viitekehys, jonka avulla tutkitaan kahden yrityksen menestystä suomalaisella mobiilikommunikaatiomarkkinalla. Lisäksi esitellään täydentävä yrityscase brittiläiseltä markkinalta, jotta voidaan osoittaa horisontaalisen toimintamallin edut mobiilikommunikaatiomarkkinalla. Päätelmissä todetaan, että mobiilikommunikaatioteollisuus on horisontalisoitumassa EU:n alueella mistä johtuu, että mobiiliverkko-operaattorit kärsivät tällä hetkellä byrokraattisesta tehottomuudesta. Vaikka virtuaalioperaattorin liiketoimintamalli vaikuttaisi soveliaammalta tulevaisuuden mobiilikommunikaatiomarkkinoilla, ne eivät toistaiseksi ole pystyneet hyödyntämään horisontaalisen toimintamallin täyttä potentiaalia. Tämä voidaan selittää innovaatioteorialla.The beginning of 21st century has brought along many changes to still quite immature industry of mobile communications. Rapid development of wireless technologies combined with rapid changes in competitive and regulatory environment are causing a disruption in the evolution of the industry. How does this disruption affect the operational model of mobile operators and earnings logic, is a question closely related to ongoing change in the industry. What is the role of one of the latest development, virtual network operators, amidst this development is another relevant question concerning the development of the industry. This study presents centric theoretical concepts related to value creation of a company, collaborative company networks and how companies and industries evolve. The main factors of disruption, technological and regulatory change, are presented and their effect on the mobile communication value chain is reflected against theories concerning value chain integration. From evolutionary theories disruptive innovation theory is used as primary framework to ponder hitherto performance of virtual network operators and to make conclusions on the future. The study also scrutinizes what has been identified as possible revenue generators of future virtual network operators in contemporary research of mobile communications. From those ingredients a conceptual framework is developed in order to study performance of two companies from Finnish mobile communication market. An additional company case from British market is presented in order to show the advantages of horizontal operating mode in mobile communication market. The thesis concludes that the industry in the EU area in general is on verge of horizontalization and mobile network operators are suffering from bureaucratic inefficiency. Although virtual network operator's business model would seem more suitable for future mobile communication markets, they have not yet tapped the full potential of horizontal operating mode. This can be explained with the theory of innovation

Creation of value with open source software in the telecommunications field

Tese de doutoramento. Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 200

Techno-economic valuation of mobile communications scenarios

Valuation of large projects on new communications technologies is a challenging task. Major investments are required to spread out technology and services, the characteristics of which are still largely unknown. A balanced view is needed on capabilities of the technologies, market demand, and relevant value network actors and their economies. In this dissertation, comprehensive techno-economic modelling of these aspects will be introduced for valuation of selected business scenarios. The research framework is mobile data services and business architectures in the advent of new technologies, like UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) and WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access). The techno-economic method in this context comprises the modelling of a large set of technology, market and other factors in relation to the business operations of the analysed market actors. The many uncertainties concerning future service innovations and market development set demands on scenario creation and parameter estimation. Traditional techno-economic investment project calculation is not enough. This study gives devices for strategic decision making by analysing three different technology transitions: The modelling of Western-European incumbent operator business starting from the early 2000's indicated that the UMTS deployment should be started without delay to maximise the long-term profits from the acquired licenses, contrary to looking for short-term investment payoffs that was prevalent after the telecommunications downturn. Results also show that the emerging WLAN technology would not become a substitute for UMTS, but the public WLAN will complement the UMTS based business architecture. Modelling of the upcoming mobile WiMAX in comparison to UMTS path indicated that the mobile WiMAX cannot challenge the UMTS, as the latter one offers a better business case for the key actors. In the last transition, techno-economic delta analysis was used to quantify the benefits from the fixed-mobile convergence. The main enhancements to the techno-economic method are first the extensive classification of advanced mobile services and related modelling of service diffusion, usage patterns, capacity requirements and revenues. The second contribution is to improve the analysis of service usage in relation to technology characteristics by integrating an end-user model that gives the demand and revenue potential of each service type, per user segment and utilised technology. A novelty is also the separation of network provisioning and service provisioning part of the business architecture into separate but interlinked models. The fourth contribution to the method is the application of real options method on large communications technology deployment projects, solving option modelling problems due to the complex dependencies of the project value on the investment timing. The introduced method starts from ordinary expected cash flow valuation, but adds to that the option value related to specific flexibility in the project

Mobile communication and the protection of children

Mobile phones and other smart connected devices have fundamentally changed contemporary life. Globally, we see unprecedented explosion of new generation mobile phones. More precisely, mobile communication is nowadays really pervasive in social life. For instance, children and young persons are emerging as active players in the wonderful world of ringing and being ringed. Many of them are attracted by intriguing ring tones. However, the rapid mobile diffusion among children and young people raises a number of crucial questions. In what way do mobile phones pose a threat to children and young people in terms of content, contact, and commercialism? What impact does the use of mobile communication technology have on children and young people? How might we seek to address the inadequacies in the existing regulatory framework with regards to the protection of this vulnerable group? The purpose of our investigations is to compare the regulatory measures as adopted in Hong Kong with regulatory practices and arrangements of other jurisdictions. The main idea is to develop via comparison a viable regulatory strategy in mobile content regulation that is applicable in Hong Kong as well as worldwide.LEI Universiteit LeidenEffective Protection of Fundamental Rights in a pluralist worl

3rd generation (3G) mobile telecommunication services :Examining the effect of spectrum licence administration procedures on investment, pricing, and the regulatory environment from a national and pan-European perspective.

The European 3G mobile phone spectrum administrations, which took place between 1999 and 2002, used a variety of different methods for allocating licences. The total value of licence fees raised by auctions tended to be significantly higher than those achieved in countries which adopted a 'beauty contest' approach for assessing bidders. Post-administration, many of the licence-winning firms experienced financial distress. There were suggestions at the time that the firms that won licences through auction procedures had suffered a 'winner's curse'. There was a certain amount of support for this proposition; licence winners across Europe delayed the roll-out of 3G network infrastructure and, in a number of cases, handed back their licences or had them revoked. By pooling data across European spectrum administrations, this thesis presents an empirical analysis of how much was paid for licences and who won them. The analysis provides evidence for the proposition that administrators raised considerably higher revenues with auctions than was the case with beauty contests. In addition to this, the analysis also finds that a number of key revenue-raising factors were out of the control of the administering authorities. The second part of this thesis seeks to identify a winner's curse through a comparative event study of the German auction and the Swedish beauty contest. This analysis provides clear support to the proposition that some firms that won licences through auction procedures suffered a winner's curse. The final part of the thesis examines the role of regulation and regulatory bargaining in the mobile telecommunications industry. Through the application of real option theory, it can be shown that a high licence fee can cause delay in network infrastructure investment. A simple two stage Nash bargaining model can then be used to show how this may affect regulatory behaviour