Femtocell deployment strategies for MVNOs enabled by cognitive sharing

Mobile (virtual) network operators are getting increasingly under pressure as their licensed spectrum is becoming more and more scarce, while demand for mobile data is skyrocketing. Customer segments in need of high bandwidth to enable very high quality data applications are potential goldmines, but they also speed up the mobile data crunch. One possible solution for this growing issue is the use of femtocells, combined with cognitive elements. The combination can allow for cognitive sharing of licensed spectrum, resulting in significant network capacity gains. This paper reviews the possible business deployment strategies for the proposed solution, hereby answering the questions which actor can be responsible for the deployment of the femtocells and the cognitive elements, what the femtocell configuration should be in terms of open or closed access, how the ideal amount of subscribers per femtocell can be chosen and how much femtocells are needed, provided a given amount of subscribers. This paper will not go in-depth on the technical architecture of this proposed combination of cognitive elements and femtocells, but it will rather evaluate the deployment for the proposed solution from a strategic and business point of view.