Substitutability of Spectrum and Cloud-based Antennas in Virtualised Wireless Networks

Some of the new trends emerging in future wireless networks enable a vastly increased fluidity in accessing a wide range of resources, thus supporting flexible network composition and dynamic allocation of resources to virtual network operators (VNOs). In this work we study a new resource allocation opportunity that is enabled by the cloud radio access network architecture. In particular, we investigate the relationship between the cloud-based antennas and spectrum as two important resources in virtualized wireless networks. We analyze the interplay between spectrum and antennas in the context of an auction-based allocation mechanism through which VNOs can bid for a combination of the two types of resources. Our analysis shows that the complementarity and partial substitutability of the two resources significantly impact the results of the allocation of those resources and uncovers the possibility of divergent interests between the spectrum and the infrastructure providers.Comment: Accepted for publication in IEEE Wireless Communications, March 201

Radio Access Network and Spectrum Sharing in Mobile Networks: A Stochastic Geometry Perspective

Next generation mobile networks will rely ever more heavily on resource sharing. In this article we study the sharing of radio access network and spectrum among mobile operators. We assess the impact of sharing these two types of resources on the performance of spatially distributed mobile networks. We apply stochastic geometry to observe the combined effect of, for example, the level of spatial clustering among the deployed base stations, the shared network size, or the coordination in shared spectrum use on network coverage and expected user data rate. We uncover some complex effects of mobile network resource sharing, which involve non-linearly scaling gains and performance trade-offs related to the sharing scenario or the spatial clustering level.Comment: Accepted to IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communication