User-Provided Wireless Neutral Access Networks

Involving end-users in the creation of an overlay wireless access network, which provides nomadic connectivity by exploiting under-utilized residential connections, is an attractive perspective, which has motivated the emergence of WiFi communities worldwide. The practical exploitation of user-provided local loops, however, raises organizational, administrative, technical, and regulatory issues the solution of which strongly depends on the business models and network architectures adopted by local broadband operators. This paper discusses the relationship between access network architectures and user-provided local loops, pointing out the suitability of neutral access networks as a framework for exploiting end-users' networking potentials.