# Network Tower Sharing Analysis in Greece: A Structure-Conduct-Performance Approach
## 3 Results
### Government Policies--Conduct--New Market Structure
#### 3.3.2 MNOs Conduct  
By 2014, alternative MNOs such as Vodafone and WIND had increased their market share (28.8% and 25.5% by the end of 2013), but it seemed difficult to threaten an incumbent company whose market share was 45.7% based on registered connections. Moreover, alternative operators were facing increased bureaucracy and difficulties regarding building new sites. Especially in urban areas, existing rooftops were of limited supply, in contrast to increased coverage needs due to population density. In addition, operators often faced severe difficulties and constraints for building new sites, since environmental and health issues had to be addressed and existing infrastructures (usually owned by the incumbent operator) located near essential facilities, leaving only few spaces for alternative operators to build their own infrastructures. Such a situation led alternative operators, i.e., Vodafone and WIND, to proceed in a joint venture agreement, adopting a joint ownership model in 2013. This incident generated, after a few months, a new legal entity, namely Victus Networks, which owned and operated the mobile network, ensuring independence in management and consolidation of the shared infrastructure. Apart from managing the Radio Access Networks of its parent companies, Victus Networks acted on implementing a partial active RAN sharing for 2G and 3G technologies. Via the new company, both Vodafone and WIND had the opportunity to invest in new geographical areas and new technologies as well. The extra cost for operating a new company was covered by benefits arising from the joint control of the assets, alongside retaining transfer prices paid for their usage. More specifically, benefits arisen from the sharing of sites (co-location) and masts included:  
* Reduced site acquisition times and build completion times, while in parallel increased the likelihood of obtaining planning permissions, as far as new sites were concerned;
* Facilitated access and proximity to densely populated locations (i.e., in urban areas) where access to new sites was limited, and there was reduced OPEX (site lease) and CAPEX (site build);* Increased probability of network expansion in areas where profit was not possible without applying sharing strategies (i.e., in rural areas);
* Reduced environmental and visual impact. Through infrastructure sharing, the two alternative operators managed to reduce the complexity and length of governmental approvals when new sites were built. Collocating policies became of high importance because of a limited supply of new sites, especially in urban areas. In parallel, increased competition with the incumbent operator and increased opposition from local communities and/or special pressure groups of residents was improving. Following a logic of cost and infrastructure reduction, avoiding duplication of investments, collocation made it easier for alternative operators to build new sites and achieve a higher quality of services around essential facilities, when commercial agreements with incumbent operator were difficult to reach until then. Finally, it was much simpler for both companies to expand in geographical areas, especially in rural areas, which were associated with high construction costs, including power supplies and access roads. Collocation reduced CAPEX costs and reduced the site payback period, improving the whole investment's probabilities for commercial viability. In 2020, the Joint Venture passed in a second phase when WIND agreed to pass the sole control over its passive mobile network infrastructure to Vodafone. The Greek telecoms regulator EETT approved the transaction, leading to the unification of the shared passive mobile network, while the network passed from Vodafone to Vantage Towers GR, an independent TowerCo in Greece, being separated from Vodafone (Global) in May 2020 and holding VODAFONE's European tower infrastructure operations.