Mobile network evolution toward IMT-2000 in Korea: a techno-economic analysis
This paper develops a techno-economic model for evaluating mobile network evolution strategies and demonstrates its real-world applicability, using a Korean case study. A number of mobile network evolution strategies toward IMT-2000 are generated and evaluated with this model. The overall market performance is evaluated and its sensitivity to the key strategic variables such as technology choice, time to market and service coverage is analyzed. Given the regulatory condition that W-CDMA network should be deployed no later than 2004, it is found that direct evolution from cdma2000 1x to W-CDMA is more profitable than evolving via 1xEV-DO. Also, direct evolution from cdma2000 1x to 1xEV-DV appears to be a comparable choice, but with a higher supplier market risk. Finally, strategic implications of the empirical findings obtained in this study are discussed along with some further research issues.
imt-2000 techno-economic analysis network evolution strategy korean mobile market