Small Cell as a Service (SCaaS) is envisaged as a solution to facilitate the provisioning of shared radio access capacity to mobile operators in areas where dedicated per-operator deployments may be impractical, typically highly densified scenarios such as stadiums, malls, office buildings, etc. In this context, this paper firstly establishes a reference framework for SCaaS provisioning from the Radio Access Network (RAN) perspective, including management architecture and functionalities as well as Service Level Agreement aspects impacting on the way that the shared RAN is deployed and operated. Then, the implications of multi-tenancy on mobility control are analysed in order to delineate the impact on Radio Resource Management (RRM) and Self-Organizing Network (SON) functionalities as a result of the emergence of this novel business model.

Peer Reviewed