Mobile Network Infrastructure Sharing

Telecommunication corporations have taken into account several cost-cutting measures in order to alleviate massive aftermaths of the ongoing-global financial crisis, like cutting-down their employees. With the investment deficiencies getting piled up, few temporary solutions can be taken up. While the temporary solutions indeed are essential for corporations to weather out the financial crisis, long-term options have started to surface such as the ‘outsourcing network operations', ‘mobile network infrastructure sharing', and investing in the network business.

These days the telecom corporations cannot afford losing money, since the global financial crisis is still in its unsteady footing. Thereby, the one method to generate larger revenues is by broadening their reach through the building up of cell-sites in locations with no or little service; thus the concept of mobile network infrastructure sharing.

As per the recent reports provided by the ‘Delta Partners' investment firm and management advisory, they emphasized they want to use mobile network infrastructure sharing strategies. This report, geared towards the North Africa and Middle East regions, underlined eight billion dollar savings over a five year period for the telecom corporations.

As per the estimated savings, the mobile network infrastructure sharing could be the best solution to deal with investment deficiency. There exist many mobile network infrastructure sharing options which corporations can take that are limited by the legislation and telecom regulatory in several countries. The options depend also on what non-electronic and electronic infrastructure the companies are keen to lease or share.

Mobile Network Infrastructure Sharing Options

1.) ‘Passive Sharing': As its name suggests, they allow telecom corporations to share non-electronic or passive infrastructure. In the cell sites, the ‘passive' device encompasses the technical premises, air-conditioning equipment, electrical supply, and tower, among other things. Thereby, ‘passive mobile network infrastructure sharing' is the commonly utilized option by the telecom corporations all across the world.

2.) ‘Active Sharing': ‘Active mobile network infrastructure sharing’ involves the use of the electronic infrastructure in the cell site like: microwave-radio equipment, signal-processing transceivers, transmission, antennas, switches, and base tower-station.

3.) ‘Spectrum Sharing': Is nothing but a lease-agreement between 2 corporations. With the ‘spectrum sharing', a corporation can lease part of some other company's spectrum that enables both corporations to render service to same customer. Mobile network infrastructure sharing like this is made use of in most of the parts across the world. They promote excellent service at reasonable prices which benefit customers.

Several other kinds of mobile network infrastructure sharing exists which cater to each and every companies’ needs. They are:

1.) ‘Base station sharing'
2.) Frequency sharing
3.) Geographical splitting
4.) Backbone sharing
5.) "Radio Network Controller" or RNC sharing
6.) Antenna sharing
7.) Mast sharing and
8.) Site sharing

With these, the telecom corporations have several options that are accessible to them. Todays down link imbalance caused by global crisis have led corporations to make use of the mobile network infrastructure sharing to gain large savings.

Thereby, mobile network infrastructure sharing opened up several possibilities for telecom companies like: helping the corporations gain large capital that can be re-invested on building sites, saves them from down link imbalance, and helps making them stay competitive.