Cooperation Strategies for Competitors in the Telecommunication Networks Operation Market

Increasing competition, along with investments in ever-changing technology, has been pushing telecom operators towards new ways of maintaining margins. Considering that building and operating telecommunication infrastructure is a significant cost for operators, it is the ideal way to find quick reduction in cost. The estimated Capex and Opex savings resulting from cooperation in building infrastructure can be used in introducing new services and for lowering prices for customers. The aim of this research is to study effect of adopting cooperation strategies in building telecom infrastructure, the results of the study came out from different field work types. A site survey has been done to measure the level of implementing cooperation strategies, an interview with telecom experts and decision makers to study the reasons that drive cooperation, the barriers that limit it and how decisions regarding cooperation are done. A model of a 4G network had been done to study the effect of cooperation on capex. The researcher found the cooperation is very low, only in 3% of the sites and in 11.8% of fiber roots. The main results were that cooperation will save Capex with minimum 20 % and Opex with minimum 30%, will reduce the enviromental hazards with 50%, while in 4G network the saving in Capex is between 30 and 52%. The main reason that operators do not cooperate is their low willingness to cooperate with competitors.