Our client, a communications service provider (CSP), seeks to leverage his extensive fiber optical assets to create new revenue streams. Our client already provides backhaul service to mobile network operators. The question was how to leverage the fiber assets and what services to provide mobile network operators in a highly competitive market that would lead to new sources of revenue for our client.
We approached the solution with the perspective of the changing dynamics in the mobile communications market. The growth in demand for data services is particularly acute in large public venues and indoors such as in commercial building where our customer already has fiber deployments. This, coupled with developments in base station architecture that separates the radio from the baseband, indicated that fronthaul and active distributed antenna system (DAS) services had the potential to be a strong revenue generating opportunity. To bring this to fruition we became involved with three additional stakeholders in the process: mobile network operators, venue owners and property managers, and equipment vendors that will enable this service.
We developed RFP to source the DAS solution and led the process with our client through different stages. We coordinated closely with MNOs and defined specific venues and locations where the neutral host service complements their services. We also worked with our client and the venue owners in developing a mutually beneficial business model. Following a proof of concept, the client plans to extend the service to other locations and expand the relationship with MNOs in order to complement traditional backhaul services.
