Techno-economic viability of integrating satellite communication in 4G networks to bridge the broadband digital divide

Bridging the broadband digital divide between urban and rural areas in Europe is one of the main targets of the Digital Agenda for Europe. Though many technological options are proposed in literature, satellite communication has been identified as the only possible solution for the most rural areas, due to its global coverage. However, deploying an end-to-end satellite solution might, in some cases, not be cost-effective. The aim of this study is to give insights into the economic effectiveness of integrating satellite communications into 4G networks in order to connect the most rural areas (also referred to as white areas) in Europe. To this end, this paper proposes a converged solution that combines satellite communication as a backhaul network with 4G as a fronthaul network to bring enhanced broadband connectivity to European rural areas, along with a techno-economic model to analyse the economic viability of this integration. The model is based on a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model for 5 years, taking into account both capital and operational expenditures, and aims to calculate the TCO as well as the Average Cost Per User (ACPU) for the studied scenarios. We evaluate the suggested model by simulating a hypothetical use case for two scenarios. The first scenario is based on a radio access network connecting to the 4G core network via a satellite link. Results for this scenario show high operational costs. In order to reduce these costs, we propose a second scenario, consisting of caching the popular content on the edge to reduce the traffic carried over the satellite link. This scenario demonstrates a significant operational cost decrease (more than 60%), which also means a significant ACPU decrease. We evaluate the robustness of the results by simulating for a range of population densities, hereby also providing an indication of the economic viability of our proposed solution across a wider range of areas

Network slicing cost allocation model

Within the upcoming fifth generation (5G) mobile networks, a lot of emerging technologies, such as Software Defined Network (SDN), Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and network slicing are proposed in order to leverage more flexibility, agility and cost-efficient deployment. These new networking paradigms are shaping not only the network architectures but will also affect the market structure and business case of the stakeholders involved. Due to its capability of splitting the physical network infrastructure into several isolated logical sub-networks, network slicing opens the network resources to vertical segments aiming at providing customized and more efficient end-to-end (E2E) services. While many standardization efforts within the 3GPP body have been made regarding the system architectural and functional features for the implementation of network slicing in 5G networks, techno-economic analysis of this concept is still at a very incipient stage. This paper initiates this techno-economic work by proposing a model that allocates the network cost to the different deployed slices, which can then later be used to price the different E2E services. This allocation is made from a network infrastructure provider perspective. To feed the proposed model with the required inputs, a resource allocation algorithm together with a 5G network function (NF) dimensioning model are also proposed. Results of the different models as well as the cost saving on the core network part resulting from the use of NFV are discussed as well

Techno-economic analysis of 5G networks : enabler technologies and deployment strategies

Deze PhD-scriptie behandelt de techno-economische analyse van de implementatie van 5G-netwerken, ‎met de focus op de haalbaarheid en strategische aanbevelingen voor mobiele netwerkoperators (MNO's). ‎Diverse technologieën, waaronder netwerkvirtualisatie, netwerkslicing en edge computing, maken het ‎mogelijk dat 5G-netwerken snelle en betrouwbare mobiele breedbandconnectiviteit bieden. De analyse ‎bestrijkt vijf belangrijke gebieden: haalbaarheid voor verschillende regio's en diensten, kwantificeren van ‎kostenbesparingen door 5G-technologieën, ontwikkelen van kostenallocatiemodellen, identificeren van ‎zakelijke en samenwerkingsmodellen, en bepalen van optimale technologische keuzes en timing voor de ‎implementatie van 5G.‎ Verschillende gebruiksscenario's, zoals enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) ‎en ultra Reliable and Low Latency communication (URLLC), voor diverse regio's zoals landelijke gebieden, ‎luchtruim en snelwegen worden onderzocht. Specifiek bekijkt dit onderzoek kosteneffectiviteit, ‎potentiële besparingen door netwerkvirtualisatie en edge computing, en kostentoewijzingsstrategieën. Dit resulteert in potentiële zakelijke businessmodellen voor het bieden van 5G-‎connectiviteit aan vliegtuigen en voertuigen. Bovendien worden technologiekeuzes en ‎timingbeslissingen voor geoptimaliseerde 5G-implementatiestrategieën, waaronder voertuig-naar-‎infrastructuur (V2I) en voertuig-naar-netwerk (V2N) connectiviteit en MEC-clusteringmodellen ‎geanalyseerd in dit werk.‎ De ontwikkelde techno-economische modellen kunnen worden aangepast om andere technologieën te ‎evalueren. Toekomstig werk kan het uitbreiden van de analyse naar andere 5G-gebruiksscenario's ‎omvatten, het opnemen van dynamisch verkeer in netwerkslicing, en het evalueren van de ‎sociaaleconomische voordelen en impact op Duurzame Ontwikkelingsdoelen (SDG's).

Techno-Economic Analysis of MEC Clustering Models for Seamless CCAM Service Provision

The latency requirements of delay-sensitive applications such as cooperative, connected, and automated mobility (CCAM) services challenge the capabilities of traditional vehicular radio access technologies (i.e., IEEE 802.11P and cellular networks). To this end, the 5G cellular network is adopting the multi-access edge computing (MEC) paradigm. However, the use of this technology comes with several challenges. In this article, MEC placement challenges and their impact on network deployment costs are studied. We propose three MEC clustering models and compare them from a cost perspective. Results show that all the MEC clustering models outperform the non-clustering approach. In addition, the conditions in which specific clustering models yield the most optimal results are analyzed. Results aim to provide insights into cost-effective MEC deployment models

Techno-economic analysis of inflight connectivity using an integrated satellite-5G network

The demand for mobile broadband services is increasing exponentially alongside with user expectations regarding the reachability of these services and their prices. This paper presents an integrated satellite and fifth generation (5G) network for providing inflight connectivity and evaluates the economic viability of offering broadband connectivity to passengers on commercial airplanes by the development of a techno-economic framework, which considers both capital and operational expenditures to compute the total cost of ownership (TCO) and an average cost per user and per Megabyte. Results show high operational costs mainly due to satellite bandwidth usage. Therefore, caching popular content on the network onboard is beneficial to reduce the traffic carried over the satellite link, thus lowering the operational costs as well. Furthermore, the framework is used to compare the identified business models for Inflight Entertainment and Connectivity offerings and their pricing strategies, alongside a benchmark against the current inflight connectivity pricing. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is elaborated in order to mitigate the uncertainty of inputs (e.g., rate of caching) used to feed the TCO model. Following concrete recommendations are the main result of this research: (1) Providing inflight broadband services with a 2-5 Mbps throughput per user is feasible if satellite communications is integrated into the 5G network. (2) Caching popular data reduces the operational costs and hence the average cost per user (from 25% to 32% depending on the caching rate adopted). (3) This framework allows to provide recommendations on the best suited business models and related pricing schemes

Techno-economic evaluation of a brokerage role in the context of integrated satellite-5G networks

The ever-increasing customer demand for emerging applications and services poses new technological as well as business challenges for the new 5G networks. To meet user' expectations, satellite communication can complement terrestrial deployments, in some specific use cases. Though, integrating satellite and 5G needs close collaboration between different network operators, that have different backgrounds, which poses business and technical challenges. This paper aims to assess, from a business-model perspective, the role of a radio-resource broker in the satellite-5G network integration case. The paper concludes that efficiency gains can be result from using a broker, if specific technical challenges are overcome and if it is managed by a regulatory body. The broker analysis showed that three different business models of the broker can be realized, depending on which level the satellite operator could allow the broker to manage its network resources

Techno-economic and simulation study of a V2I-based cooperative manoeuvring case in a cross-border scenario

In this paper, we present a techno-economic analysis of a Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM) use case in a specific cross-border environment, namely Cooperative Lane Merging (CLM). The latter is assumed to rely on Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) connectivity with respect to a set of inter-connected Road Side Units (RSUs). In order to feed the techno-economic framework with the required data in terms of road infrastructure, extensive system-level simulations have been performed using a connectivity oriented key performance indicator (KPI), while considering three different deployment scenarios and realistic road traffic densities. The proposed model identifies the minimum additional RSUs required to satisfy the CLM KPI with respect to the number of simultaneous connected cars. First results show the beneficial impact from densifying the road network infrastructure on the CLM service availability, especially under the highest road traffic conditions. In terms of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), cost results of a set of scenarios considering the variation of both the number of connected cars and the RSUs to be deployed are discussed as well