Infrastructure Sharing and Remedies in Next Generation Cellular Networks

Pakistan is one of Asia's growing telecommunication cellular market, with about 64.05 million subscribers hosting by more than 40,000 Base Transceiver Stations are predominantly based in metropolitan areas. Both mobile operators are undertaking mostly on the development of new BTS without taking into account the existing infrastructure, as a result of the rising amount of customers, which leads to over-spreading of masts, environmental defacing and excessive environmental pollution in the same site BTS are being powered by diesel generators. It is crucial for Pakistan's telecommunications regulatory body, such as PTA, to increase network connectivity, stability, network expansion, customer satisfaction, and resilience, the principles of spectrum sharing and location co-location sharing across all cellular network providers must be introduced. The paper argues that resource sharing and co-location sharing will help to reduce operating costs, call tariffs and the spreading of environmental pollution.