INnovation in Communication Infrastructure Techno-Economics. The overall objective of the research project was to develop a strategic techno-economic analysis framework for the evaluation of telecommunication investments, and develop a prototype software tool that could be applied on case studies in order to draw conclusions and recommendations from that. As the technology solutions develop, the entrepreneurial players are needed to take managed risks to make the change happen.

The project provided them with strategic information to back up their decision-making. To achieve this, the research project further developed methodologies for techno-economic evaluation in the telecom sector. The applicability of general investment analysis methodologies and theories to telecom projects was examined and research on new complementary methodologies was carried out. More specifically it identified the business models and developed a harmonised framework to assess them, it developed market models and forecast demand for Next Generation Networks (NGN) and services, it modeled, analysed, and evaluated risks as well as uncertainties of telecommunication investment projects and established the benefits of applying real option analysis and game theory to this type of investment projects, developed new OPEX models,  and last modeled, analysed, and evaluated traffic pricing models for new broadband services. These methodologies were implemented in a prototype software tool for techno-economic evaluation and were applied on selected case studies concerning the evolution of Next Generation Networks (NGN).