Sharing is Caring: Analysis of Hybrid Network Sharing Strategies for Energy Efficient Multi-Operator Cellular Systems

Abstract

This paper introduces a novel analytical framework for evaluating energy-efficient, QoS-aware network-sharing strategies in cellular networks. Leveraging stochastic geometry, our framework enables the systematic assessment of network performance across a range of sharing paradigms, including both conventional single-operator scenarios and advanced hybrid strategies that enable full integration and cooperation among multiple mobile network operators. Our framework incorporates diverse user densities, rate requirements, and energy consumption models to ensure comprehensive analysis. Applying our results to real-world datasets from French mobile network operators, we demonstrate that hybrid network sharing can yield substantial energy savings, up to $35\%$, while maintaining quality of service. Furthermore, our results allow us to characterizing how the benefits of network sharing vary as a function of the geographical and functional characteristics of the deployment area. These findings highlight the potential of collaborative sharing strategies to enhance operational efficiency and sustainability in next-generation cellular networks.