Abstract

This paper seeks to identify and analyze the sources of value creation and capture by key stakeholders in the new Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) three tier spectrum sharing framework introduced by the US President’s Council of Advanced Science & Technology. More flexible and dynamic use of the 3.5 GHz spectrum aims to increase the efficiency of spectrum use in delivering fast growing and converging mobile broadband and media services while paving the way to innovations in technology and business models. In this paper, we focus on key stakeholders’ capability to deal with combined internal and external resources and capabilities in doing business, referred to as dynamic capability. Spectrum sharing, introducing a rapid change in the technology and business environments, requires dynamic capabilities from spectrum offering, spectrum utilization, and spectrum management perspectives. We focus on defining key CBRS functional domains and identifying their key antecedents, elements, and outcomes. The analysis highlights the key role of the regulator in creating a sharing framework with incentives for all the key stakeholders, with different operational and business requirements, and enabling scaling ecosystem. Increased system dynamics in spectrum sharing will introduce a need for big data analytics, near real time network management capabilities and low cost third tier general authorized access radios, leveraging dominant technology ecosystems. This study provides viewpoints for stakeholders about additional ingredients and actions, which may be relevant to promote spectrum sharing in the form of the CBRS. The concept of dynamic capabilities was found useful to analyze the sources of competitive advantage regarding CBRS spectrum sharing.