A generic business model for WLAN hotspots: a roaming business case in The Netherlands

We present a generic business model for WLAN hotspots that comprises a role, resource and revenue model of a value network. We distinguish roles like customer, hotspot provider, hotstpot owner, device owner, device provider, location owner, portal providers (e.g. internet service providers, corporate network providers), enabling service providers (e.g. authentication and authorization), network management and maintenance providers, and mobile and data network providers. In a hotspot enterprise such roles perform certain functions in relation to themselves or to each other: they create internal and external added-value services according to a role model. These services make use of physical, ICT and organizational infrastructure that consists of (in)tangible assets such as location, access devices, networks and expertise of people. In addition, we describe the instantiation of the generic business model into a roaming business case between ProRail - NS Dutch Railways, the University of Twente and KPN - Mobile. The business case describes seamless network level roaming. The bases for the case is formed by an already rolled-out WLAN hotspot network of 600 base stations at the campus of the university and a planned roll-out of a WLAN hotspot along a train trajectory nearby the campus.