[Apologies for cross-posting.]
The Traffic and Resource Modelling department of Orange Labs (Châtillon, France) is opening a 12-months post-doctoral position in Applied Mathematics/Game Theory. The deadline for current application is 2nd October 2016 and the starting date is expected for 1st December 2016 (at latest).
A brief description of the proposal along with the details concerning the position can be found hereafter. For further information or question, please contact Amal Benhamiche (amal.benhamiche@orange.com).
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Network Uberization: Game Theoretical Models and Algorithms
Context:
The main revenues for telecommunication operators currently come from retail sales of network access (fixed broadband, mobile and PSTN). However, their contribution to the value chain might be steadily reduced in the coming years. In fact, competition among the operators, together with the regulation effects and the arising of new actors (the so-called "ubers"), places additional stress on the traditional value chains. In addition, the operators are facing important investments in infrastructures for the bandwidth increase in fixed and mobile access (e.g. 4G, optical fiber). Besides, the operators see their customer revenue stagnate, and they have to rethink their value chains and review their business models. Beyond the "classical" offers to the business clients, it becomes necessary for the operators to develop an intermediate ("wholesale") market, in between them and the retail market. In this context, the uberization becomes a central element in understanding the process of disintermediation of the access providers. In other industrial sectors, the most telling examples of uberization are the mobile application company "Uber" for transportation and "Airbnb" for the hotel reservations.
The operators positioning and the necessity to adequately response to this new kind of actors become then key questions. In this context, we would like to study the economic impacts of network uberization and identify the best responses for each actor of the system.
Objective:
The objective of the post-doc is to establish a set of methodological tools for modeling strategic responses when faced to the network uberization, and to quantify their economic impact, in order to assess the risks and opportunities related to such strategies. It is necessary to first identify the technological issues and define an appropriate model that embeds the relationships among actors, as well as the possible strategic responses in this context. Secondly, the objective is to develop efficient tools to analyze and solve the underlying games (simulation, analytical-based approaches, etc.).
In particular, the post-doctoral candidate will have to:
(i) study the impact of network uberization on the operators revenue,
(ii) model the competition framework and the possible interactions among the actors (coalitions, cooperation, etc.),
(iii) formalize the possible replies to this phenomenon given the competitive context,
(iv) evaluate the costs and payoffs associated with each strategy in order to select the most suitable one(s),
(v) promote the obtained results (papers, conferences, etc.).
Profile and skills:
Candidates should hold a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics/Computer Science/Economics. They should have a good knowledge in mathematical modeling, Game Theory, Economics, and an ability for programming in C++ or Python for example. A knowledge of the telecommunications industry would be a plus.
Required qualities:
- Autonomy, rigor, sense of initiative,
- Communication skills (written and verbal) in English and eventually in French.
The position and work environment:
- 1-year fixed term contract with a starting date of 1st December 2016 at the latest,
- Gross salary of 37 K€ (depending on the background and experience of the candidate).
The post-doctoral candidate will join the Traffic and Resource Modelling (TRM) department, which is part of the Orange Labs division for Research and Innovation (Châtillon, France). The team has a dozen of permanent engineers/researchers whose mission is to design models and algorithms for optimizing the resource utilization and assess the performance of the different networks deployed and managed by Orange.
Application procedure:
All applicants are invited to send their applications to the following website:
https://orange.jobs/jobs/offer.do?do=fiche&id=54918
And include a cover letter, CV with a list of publications and one letter of reference. For further information or question about the position, please contact Amal Benhamiche (amal.benhamiche@orange.com).
Best regards,
Amal Benhamiche
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