4.3.1
MNO
• For the standalone scenario of MNO, as long as the available TVWS can provide QoS and QoE the MNO can and should implement femtocells with TVWS. In this way not only the MNO will allocate licensed spectrum for MBS usage but also eliminate the cross-layer interference. From all the investigated scenarios, the MNO is in the best position to implement a business model since providing national coverage with roaming agreements is already possible. In the unlike event where the available TVWS is unable to provide QoS and QoE then the MNO should not use TVWS in order to avoid a bad reputation and customer churn to a competitor.
6A TVWSO will need besides the radio access network and backhaul connection invest- ments, marketing department, AAA servers, an accounting department, office(s), customer support department and technical support department.
4.3. Results-Actor Specific 47
4.3.2
Wi-Fi operator
• From the two scenarios investigated it is concluded that it is not wise for a Wi-Fi operator to switch to femtocell operation only, as there will be customer loss due to connectivity issues with non-cellular devices. Addi- tionally, a Wi-Fi operator even as a charged service is still a best effort system and users are satisfied and accustomed to it. Transitioning to Wireless provider instead of a Wi-Fi operator will need changes in the organization and business structure - entering in a new more demanding market- and not only to the network components. It is therefore, more suitable for a Wi-Fi operator to integrate femtocell access points in the network as to provide a more complete network service. Also the use of White-Fi is recommended to be taken into account for the benefits it has against traditional Wi-Fi.
4.3.3
FO
• There were 5 different scenarios under investigation for the facility owner and the most important aspect that must be stressed out is the national roaming ability7. Since access benefits is what this thesis is after then not providing national roaming could be a show stopper. This is because a user will not choose a service in which in order to gain IMBA will lose cellular connectivity. Therefore, from the five scenarios the most feasible are: the one where there is co-operation with MNO from the start and the one where roaming agreements are made.
From that point the existence of an infrastructure is the best way for a facility owner to upgrade to femtocell network as the initial investment is lower when compared to a new network construction from ground zero. Also an existing networks applies there is existing customers, a database and in a general a work flow of operation. However, before changing the existing Wi-Fi system, the facility owner must measure the available TVWS and be sure about the QoE the network will be able to provide. The Wi-Fi is a best effort system and still users are quite satisfied and accustomed to it. Installing a new system that could also affect the cel- lular use of UE can disappoint the customers and thus diminish the core business as well. Additionally, users of Wi-Fi also need to connect laptop computers and tablets to the network and not just cellular phones. Thus, the use of femtocells will benefit the mobile phone users with seamless con- nection but will unfortunately eliminate other users from access. While with Wi-Fi all UE is able to receive MBA service. It is for this reason a facility owner can also implement alternative solutions like White-Fi or a femto-Wi-Fi system as to provide a complete system for all the users. When it comes to CAPEX, OPEX and NPV for the AAA implementation, it is obviously more efficient to build a network for 1000 users than 10 since; the cost per user is around 1/10 when the network is for 1000 users than 10. Obviously the profit margin in larger networks is bigger but with also larger initial investments. What is interesting, is that the initial
7Roaming agreements can even be achieved by means of offloading services to an MNO. What is the important is not the terminology but the service offering of both IMBA and cellular connectivity to a user
48 Chapter 4. Business Feasibility Analysis investment of 1000 users network is proportional to the cost per user; being also 10 times bigger.
4.3.4
TVWSO
• Overall its a feasible business case with high risk as the free spectrum elim- inates a traditional market entry barrier but cannot guarantee the future destiny of operation. Although, just because the spectrum is free this does not mean that no CAPEX or OPEX investments will be required at all. A careful more in-depth analysis should be made to measure the required ini- tial investment for a complete network operation and maintenance which can then be used to calculate any possible return of investment and decide about the viability of the Tv White Space only operator.
Chapter 5
Conclusions and Future
work
5.1
Research questions answers
1. What are the benefits of femtocell networks when the actor is MNO and the spectrum band is TVWS?
-As shown from the analysis is Chapter 4, the MNO by using the avail- able TVWS can benefit from increased capacity, more licensed spectrum availability for macro-layer usage and cross-layer interference elimination. This is important in dense networks where high interference levels can even cause service disruption.
2. What are the benefits of femtocell networks when the actor is Wi-Fi operator and the spectrum band is unlicensed or TV white space?
-The analysis results showed no substantial benefits for the unlicensed spectrum band and therefore its not advised to be adopted or used by a Wi-Fi for femtocell operation. Most importantly operating WAPs and FAPs at the same band will create competition for the limited spectrum resource and will negatively affect both services.Likewise the unlicensed spectrum, neither the TVWS shows noticeable benefits for standalone femtocell network. However as mentioned earlier the usage of White-Fi is proposed for further investigation and a combined network with WAPs and FAPs will increase the network connectivity and customer satisfaction. 3. What are the benefits of femtocell networks when the actor is facility owner and the spectrum band is licensed, unlicensed or white space?
-Licensed: Providing offload services towards an MNO after a co-operation agreement will benefit all three involved parties: the FO, the MNO and the end user. This is achieved through better indoor reception and seam- less IMBA connection for UE, data offload for the MNO with cost savings and core business support and revenue generation for the FO.
-Unlicensed: There was no hard evidence discovered in the analysis to promote the usage of unlicensed spectrum with femtocell networks over
50 Chapter 5. Conclusions and Future work the existing Wi-Fi networks.
-TVWS: Under the optimistic view of available TVWS the FO can benefit from freedom of operation from MNOS and act independently. Of course the initial investment and running expenses are higher but the analysis shows that large scale networks have proportionally larger profit margins. 4. Is there a business case for a mobile broadband TV white space
operator only (TVWSO)?
-Yes and No. Theoretically there is a business feasibility case for a TVWSO either as VMNO with offloading indoor operation or with a concept like FON. However, the service must match the one a MNO provides or there must be a sustainable service with a much lower price in order to attract customers. The main attribute of the TVWSO as mentioned before is the usage of free spectrum and thus the easy market entry. Although building and operating a core network even with no MBSs is still investment wise hard. Thus the best proposed business model for a TVWSO to enter the MBA market is to act as MVNO with a FON concept deployment. A user/customer that installs a femtocell at his house can also access IMBA whenever in proximity with a femtocell of the same operator for free and when the user is outdoors then national coverage is provided by using a third-party mobile network. This is the most complete scenario that makes efficient use of the 70-90% indoor access but still lies in the theo- retic sphere. A more in depth research must be conducted for more solid conclusions.
What are the access benefits that femtocells and TVWS have to offer towards selected actors and in which scenario(s)? From all the above, it can be concluded that femtocells using TVWS have both benefits and drawbacks. From the technical point of view, TVWS usage can benefit with less cross-layer interference, increased capacity and coverage but its not a fail-safe activity for stakeholders and market players. From an economic point of view, TVWS usage even if obvious- its a free open resource for anyone to use and with the right design, implementation and usage can give new market players a soft push in their market entry with revenue generation or simply a capac- ity network that can be used accordingly to individual demands. Among the results its shown that its not yet recommended to replace existing working so- lutions like Wi-Fi with femto-TVWS networks. Its better to improve the Wi-Fi networks with complimentary femto-TVWS solutions as this combination will overcome any drawbacks each individual technology has. Since Wi-Fi is an IP based network then the integration of femtocells in an existing network based on LTE for example should under optimistic assumptions (working technology from different vendors) be feasible with no or small investments. What should be highly considered by any actor and for any scenario its the ability to provide national IMBA and cellular roaming.
5.1.1
A more abstract perception
Setting aside the actors and the business scenarios and assuming a more abstract view on the femtocell and TVWS concept some observations are made. First,
5.2. Discussion & Future Work 51