Abstract
With the emergence of multiple wireless operators using a variety of access technologies, congested spectrum bands, and multi-standard user terminals, there is a pressing need to see what implications autonomic communication systems can have on business models in the wireless access business. This paper outlines and discusses some perspectives on the future impact of autonomicity in a demand-, resource-, and competition-driven environment and on the strategies of wireless access providers. The effects are investigated for a standards-neutral, multi-agent architecture that is capable of per-session/call trading of access to wireless network and spectrum resources, exploiting the capability of autonomous agents to represent the business interests of individual players. Results from a joint radio-resource/inter-agent-negotiation simulator are used to quantitatively assess the economic outcomes in various multi-operator competitive scenarios in a realistic environment (an international airport).