Information Trading Market Model

Abstract

In this chapter, we study the issue of information trading market, where the white space database sells the advanced information regarding the quality of unregistered TV channels to WSDs. This market takes advantage of the fact that the white space database knows more information regarding the quality of unregistered TV channels than WSDs, and such information can potentially be used by WSDs to improve their performances. We show that such an information trading market has the positive network externality, as more WSDs purchasing the information from the white space database will increase the value of the service to WSDs. We first focus on the monopoly information market where only one white space database provides such advanced information. Then, we study the oligopoly market that multiple white space databases compete in terms of selling information. We show that there exists an optimal number of competitive white space databases such that the white space databases ’ aggregated revenue is maximized. Furthermore, a larger degree of positive network externality would improve the white space databases’ revenues as well as the system performance.