Telecom infrastructure sharing

Sharing of telecom infrastructure among telecom service providers is becoming the requirement and process of business in the telecom industry where competitors are becoming partners in order to lower their increasing investments. The degree and method of infrastructure sharing can vary in each country depending on regulatory and competitive climate.

Telecom Infrastructure

Basically a cell site consists of "electronic" (active) and "non-electronic" infrastructure.

* Electronic infrastructure includes base tower station, microwave radio equipment, switches, antennas, transceivers for signal processing and transmission.
* Non-electronic infrastructure includes tower, shelter, air-conditioning equipments, diesel electric generator, battery, electrical supply, technical premises and easements & pylons that account for nearly 60 percent of network rollout costs.

Infrastructure Sharing

There are multiple possible options of sharing amongst telecom service providers. However this sharing also depends on telecom regulatory and legislation.

Passive Infrastructure SharingPassive Infrastructure sharing is nothing but sharing non-electronic infrastructure at cell site. Passive Infrastructure is becoming popular in telecom industry world wide.

Active SharingActive sharing is nothing but sharing electronic infrastructure.

Spectrum-sharingSpectrum-sharing concept is based on a lease model and is often termed ‘spectrum trading’. An operator can lease a part of its spectrum to another operator on commercial terms. Though this mechanism, along with that of MVNOs, exists in the US, Europe, Singapore and Australia.

Node B Sharing (Base Station Sharing)Base station sharing is prospective while each operator: maintains control over logical Node B so that it will be able to operate the frequencies assigned to the carrier, fully independent from the partner operator and retains control over active base station equipment such as the TRXs that control reception/transmission over radio channels. Radio network controller and core network are not shared here.

Site Sharing Sharing site including antennas and mast; this may also hold Base transceiver station (BTS), Node B in UMTS context and common equipments such as Antenna system, masts, cables, filters and shelter.

Mast sharingSharing mast is called mast sharing.

Antenna sharingSharing an antenna and all related connections (coupler, feeder cable), in addition to passive radio site elements.

RNC sharingRNC (Radio Network Controller Sharing) represents maintaining logical control over the RNC of each operator independently.

MSC and Routers SharingBackbone sharing includes sharing switches (MSC) and routers (SGSN) on the operator's fixed network.

Geographical Splitting

Frequency Sharing

References

* [http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20070305/market02.shtml Sharing telecom infrastructure]
* [http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/12/stories/2007041202531700.htm TRAI proposes sharing of telecom infrastructure] - "The Hindu", April 12, 2007
* [http://www.site-share.com Site Share]