Spectrum gap analysis with practical solutions for future mobile data traffic growth in Malaysia

In this paper, an efficient spectrum forecasting model is developed to estimate the required spectrum and calculate the spectrum gap in future. This developed model is essentially based on five main metrics and one constant. The five main metrics are the currently available spectrum, sites number growth, data traffic growth, average network utilization, and spectrum efficiency growth. The constant metric is considered to give a space for our model to be used in another country or when a new technology is coming. This developed model is then used to forecast the required spectrum and spectrum gap for Malaysia in 2020. The estimation is performed based on the input market data of four main mobile telecommunication operators in Malaysia: Maxis, Celcom, Digi, and U-Mobile. The input data for this model are collected from various sources, such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, OpenSignal, Analysys Mason, GSMA, and HUAWEI. The results indicate that by 2020, Malaysia will require around 307 MHz of additional spectrum to fulfill the enormous increase of mobile data demands. Addressing this increment can be achieved by launching additional spectrum bands, enhancing spectrum efficiency, off-loading mobile data to unlicensed bands or deploying more site numbers

A survey of self organisation in future cellular networks

This article surveys the literature over the period of the last decade on the emerging field of self organisation as applied to wireless cellular communication networks. Self organisation has been extensively studied and applied in adhoc networks, wireless sensor networks and autonomic computer networks; however in the context of wireless cellular networks, this is the first attempt to put in perspective the various efforts in form of a tutorial/survey. We provide a comprehensive survey of the existing literature, projects and standards in self organising cellular networks. Additionally, we also aim to present a clear understanding of this active research area, identifying a clear taxonomy and guidelines for design of self organising mechanisms. We compare strength and weakness of existing solutions and highlight the key research areas for further development. This paper serves as a guide and a starting point for anyone willing to delve into research on self organisation in wireless cellular communication networks

Telecommunications Technologies: Deployment in Developing Countries

This paper examines some policies pursued in developing countries for the provision of telecommunications services in rural areas. These policies significantly differ from those typically implemented in developed countries in their fundamental objectives, the technological strategies deployed and the market and institutional environments they rest on. A review of some representative experiences suggests that thinking about public utility reforms in this part of the world is quite a challenging exercise. We point out some economic and institutional characteristics of these countries that we believe normative analysis of the reforms should explicitly take into accountTelecommunications; Developing Countries; Universal Access

The state of broadband 2012: achieving digital inclusion for all

With this Report, the Broadband Commission expands awareness and understanding of the importance of broadband networks, services, and applications for generating economic growth and achieving social progress. High-speed affordable broadband connectivity to the Internet is essential to modern society, offering widely recognized economic and social benefits (Annex 1). The Broadband Commission for Digital Development promotes the adoption of broadband-friendly practices and policies for all, so everyone can take advantage of the benefits offered by broadband. With this Report, the Broadband Commission expands awareness and understanding of the importance of broadband networks, services, and applications for generating economic growth and achieving social progress. It has been written collaboratively, drawing on insightful and thought-provoking contributions from our leading array of Commissioners and their organizations, foremost in their fields

Regionalizing telecommunications reform in West Africa

In recent years, there has been an increasing recognition that significant welfare gains could be realized through deep forms of regional integration which entail harmonization of legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks. Reforms that reduce cross-border transaction costs and improve the performance of “backbone” infrastructure services are arguably even more important for the creation of an open, unified regional economic space than trade policy reforms narrowly defined. This paper assesses the potential gains from regionalized telecommunications policy in West Africa. To this end, the paper: (i) discusses how regional cooperation can overcome national limits in technical expertise, enhance the capacity of nations credibly to commit to stable regulatory policy, and ultimately facilitate infrastructure investment in the region; (ii) identifies trade-distorting regulations that inhibit opportunities for regional trade and economic development, and so are good candidates for regional trade negotiations to reduce indirect trade barriers; and (iii) describes substantive elements of a harmonized regional regulatory policy that can deliver immediate performance benefits.E-Business,Environmental Economics&Policies,ICT Policy and Strategies,Transport Economics Policy&Planning,Emerging Markets

Performance analysis of mobile broadband networks with 5g trends and beyond: urban areas scope in Malaysia

The performance of Mobile Broadband (MBB) services of Fourth Generation (4G) and Third Generation (3G) mobile networks over urban morphology is studied in Malaysia based on experimental measurements of drive test data. The aim of this study is to provide a roadmap for service providers to establish a realistic plan for future Fifth Generation (5G) networks. This work is a continuation of our previous work for the scope of rural areas in Malaysia. The MBB measurement data have been gathered through drive tests conducted in the urban areas of four states throughout Malaysia (namely, Klang Valley/Selangor, Johor, Sarawak and Sabah) to characterise and analyse MBB performances. The gathered data are from the cities, highways and federal roads of the chosen states, and encompasses three main Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). Data has been collected in a time span of 2 months, from January to February, using the Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone handsets. Four MBB Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are considered in this study (coverage, latency, satisfaction and speed) for two MBB services (web browsing and video streaming). The measurement data for characterising the performance of each MBB service has been collected using a dedicated smartphone handset. YouTube videos with 720p and 1080p resolutions have been sequentially streamed to assess the performance of MBB video-streaming services. Three distinct websites (Google, Instagram and mStar) have been accessed to evaluate the performance of MBB web-browsing services. The experimental methodology of this study integrates several diversified elements including four different urban states, four distinct KPIs, three main MNOs, two MBB services and two radio networks (4G and 3G), which are both accessible by the smartphones when available to mimic real-world scenarios. The results of this study reveal that the performance of 4G radio networks is generally superior to that of 3G. For instance, 4G networks achieved a vMOS score of more than 3 for both MBB video-streaming and web-browsing services, while 3G networks scored less than 3 across all four study areas. The analysed experimental results confirmed that compared to 3G networks, 4G technology presents an enhancement factor of up to 1.6 and 4.2 in download speed when streaming a video and browsing a web page, respectively. The study outcomes can contribute to the efficient planning of non-standalone (NSA) 5G networks in Malaysia where 5G networks will be aided by existing 4G infrastructures. Analysing the 4G coverage performance is the first step towards deciding the deployment rate of NSA 5G in Malaysia

PCS: regulation and markets

Wireless personal communications technologies are about to enter their second decisive stage of development. Stage one was incremental, supplementing wireline communications networks. Stage two is radical, offering both synergy and substitution, and heralds a third, revolutionary stage in which all that is fixed becomes mobile. Stage two will be one of transition from an environment of limited bandwidths and small but rapidly growing markets, to a world of re-usable and re-assignable spectrum interconnecting with broadband networks for a mass market. Regulating the transition is a controversial process. Spectrum is regarded as a scarce resource which requires careful management in the public interest, yet Hong Kong policy moves in the direction of market solutions. The regulator is therefore required to perform a balancing act between the interests of different parties: the existingwireline and wireless operators, the new entrants, future new entrants, existing customers and future customers, and Hong Kong’s reputation as a progressive free market.published_or_final_versio

Innovative Asia: Advancing the Knowledge-Based Economy - The Next Policy Agenda

[Excerpt] This study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) seeks to analyze the ways in which Asia’s middle- and low-income countries can tap knowledge-based economic development to maintain and strengthen the growth momentum and to move up global value chains. The ADB study uses the Knowledge Economy Index (KEI) rubric to benchmark the performance of developing economies in Asia against advanced economies of the world. It is clear that on all the four pillars of the knowledge economy—innovation, education and skills, ICT, and the economic incentive and institutional regime—developing economies in Asia significantly lag behind advanced nations. Policy makers in developing Asia need ensure appropriate investments and conducive policies across all the four pillars. The report traces the journey of the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Finland as KBEs and the lessons developing economies can derive. However, going beyond this, the report also highlights a number of special advantages that Asia can effectively tap that will help them leapfrog to the knowledge frontier. The relative lack of legacy infrastructure in developing economies, particularly in information communication technology, could enable developing economies to leapfrog over certain technology cycles and access the latest technologies, such as moving to cloud computing solutions. Asia needs to effectively combine established wisdom from the experience of developed economies with contemporary knowledge and options that new technologies bring to strengthen KBE processes. An important dimension for developing economies in Asia to consider, given the rising inequality in the region, is making KBE processes inclusive. This report explores a number of opportunities in this direction

Thirty Years of Machine Learning: The Road to Pareto-Optimal Wireless Networks

Future wireless networks have a substantial potential in terms of supporting a broad range of complex compelling applications both in military and civilian fields, where the users are able to enjoy high-rate, low-latency, low-cost and reliable information services. Achieving this ambitious goal requires new radio techniques for adaptive learning and intelligent decision making because of the complex heterogeneous nature of the network structures and wireless services. Machine learning (ML) algorithms have great success in supporting big data analytics, efficient parameter estimation and interactive decision making. Hence, in this article, we review the thirty-year history of ML by elaborating on supervised learning, unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning and deep learning. Furthermore, we investigate their employment in the compelling applications of wireless networks, including heterogeneous networks (HetNets), cognitive radios (CR), Internet of things (IoT), machine to machine networks (M2M), and so on. This article aims for assisting the readers in clarifying the motivation and methodology of the various ML algorithms, so as to invoke them for hitherto unexplored services as well as scenarios of future wireless networks.Comment: 46 pages, 22 fig