Enabling Intelligence in Spectrum Sharing

We argue that the capital expenditures made by an individual mobile network operator is extremely high and risky. Also, radio spectrum sharing still lacks intelligence in the current architecture of mobile networks and needs to be rethought. We propose that the goal for a disruptive innovation, in the future mobile network architecture, that shall be able to free mobile network operators from having to hold spectrum licenses and natively enable intelligent radio spectrum sharing among multiple mobile network operators. On the basis of the design principles, the duty of a single mobile network operator is split into two roles, one focuses on infrastructure development, the other only contains authorizations on the radio spectrum usage. We introduce a new role to the mobile network architecture, named Spectrum Trader, is a primary broker for spectrum trading, and it is used to coordinate with the demand-side requests and the supply-side resources to drive demand in a \emph{real-time bidding} manner. We also introduce a spectrum embedding technique that shall enable efficient and intelligent spectrum allocation by recommending the right spectrum bands based on user scenario. Finally, several significant challenges that need to be addressed in practical deployment are investigated.

Enabling Intelligence in Spectrum Sharing

We argue that the capital expenditures made by an individual mobile network operator is extremely high and risky. Also, radio spectrum sharing still lacks intelligence in the current architecture of mobile networks and needs to be rethought. We propose that the goal for a disruptive innovation, in the future mobile network architecture, that shall be able to free mobile network operators from having to hold spectrum licenses and natively enable intelligent radio spectrum sharing among multiple mobile network operators. On the basis of the design principles, the duty of a single mobile network operator is split into two roles, one focuses on infrastructure development, the other only contains authorizations on the radio spectrum usage. We introduce a new role to the mobile network architecture, named Spectrum Trader, is a primary broker for spectrum trading, and it is used to coordinate with the demand-side requests and the supply-side resources to drive demand in a \emph{real-time bidding} manner. We also introduce a spectrum embedding technique that shall enable efficient and intelligent spectrum allocation by recommending the right spectrum bands based on user scenario. Finally, several significant challenges that need to be addressed in practical deployment are investigated.

Dynamic Spectrum Sharing for Future LTE-NR Networks

5G is the next mobile generation, already being deployed in some countries. It is expected to revolutionize our society, having extremely high target requirements. The use of spectrum is, therefore, tremendously important, as it is a limited and expensive resource. A solution for the spectrum efficiency consists of the use of dynamic spectrum sharing, where an operator can share the spectrum between two different technologies. In this paper, we studied the concept of dynamic spectrum sharing between LTE and 5G New Radio. We presented a solution that allows operators to offer both LTE and New Radio services using the same frequency bands, although in an interleaved mode. We evaluated the performance, in terms of throughput, of a communication system using the dynamic spectrum sharing feature. The results obtained led to the conclusion that using the dynamic spectrum sharing comes with a compromise of a maximum 25% loss on throughput. Nevertheless, the decrease is not that substantial, as the mobile network operator does not need to buy an additional 15 MHz of bandwidth, using the already existing bandwidth of LTE to offer 5G services, leading to cost reduction and an increase in spectrum efficiency.

SERVICE QUALITY AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION EXPERIENCE AMONG SOUTH AFRICAN MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CONSUMERS

Mobile networks have become the most utilized pathway of communication but very little information is available on customers’ experiences with respect to service quality and satisfaction. Through a survey, data was gathered from 1451 participants to examine customers’ experiences of service quality and satisfaction. The study investigated whether service quality and customer satisfaction experiences were different in respect of the mobile network operator used by the customer. This study is cross sectional by design and quantitative in nature. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather primary data from mobile network users. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. For inferential statistics, the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used. The results revealed that the mobile network operator used by the customer, had a significant impact on service quality and customer satisfaction levels. This study contributes academically by indicating how South African consumers perceive mobile network service providers. Furthermore, the study identifies shortcomings and areas of strengths of South African mobile network operators with regards to service quality and customer satisfaction.