Robin Bailey is Head of the Decision Systems Group at Analysys Mason, based in Cambridge, UK. He has commercial responsibility for the STEM business-case modelling software for networks, and has been the chief architect of STEM, drawing on his skills in econometric modelling and software design, and years of experience as a telecoms consultant. He has a first class honours degree from the University of Oxford.
This latest technical article examines our response to a typical (and recent) modelling support request. An x% uplift on the cost of certain capital assets is modelled in the surrogate context of a business case for VoIP over air.
A planner's dilemma exists: the benefits of a coordinated strategy are rarely achieved because it has always been easier to build isolated, bespoke models in small teams, than to risk the initiative being de-railed by unmatched effort or commitment from other departments. STEM offers a framework which can be understood and accepted by everyone involved in the planning process.
A comprehensive new training course is available, written around a demonstration model, The business case for WiMAX vs DSL in rural areas. The 190-page exercise book presents 55 exercises in 15 groups covering all key features of the STEM software and current modelling practices.
The art of modelling is hard to prescribe and typically learned first-hand from an expert. We offer an informal blueprint for how to model typical network contexts and how to think about the overall scope of a model.
This one-hour introduction is being developed as a companion guide aimed at the infrequent or peripheral user.
