Abstract

The fifth generation, 5G, mobile communications technologies are expected to transform the future wireless communications services and networks’ business models and respective ecosystems. The paper discusses the extended ecosystemic platform architecture for 5G evolution consisting of components, interfaces, data and algorithms and investigates how this business framework can enable the transformation of the 5G. With roots in economics and engineering, this study looks 5G architecture through the lenses of platform-based ecosystemic business model framework utilizing themes of innovation, openness, complementarity, competition and cooperation, organization and governance, economies of scale and scope, and supply-side, demand-side, two-sided or multi-sided business models. Based on the timely review of the state-of-the-art studies on the topic in the recent literature and the results of the future-oriented workshop held in 6G Summit 2019, study showed that the transformation from current network-for-connectivity business models towards network-of-services model builds on platform with data and algorithms.