They express confidence in the ability of the PE owner-operator model to generate superior returns.

FORBES: A Private Equity Fund-raising Rebound

You can visit Yosemite National Park, where an operator rents Model Ts from June through October.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The success of Virgin Mobile in the U.K. and Amp'd Mobile in the U.S. prove the so-called mobile virtual network operator business model.

FORBES: Moore's Law Triumphant

For more than a year, company execs have been discussing becoming a "mobile virtual network operator, " or MVNO, a model under which a company skips the expensive process of building a national phone network, instead signing on with an existing provider and rebranding its service.

FORBES: An 'Incredible' Marketing Ploy

Samba, a new virtual network in the UK offers just that, in a model similar to the Blyk virtual operator before it.

ENGADGET: Samba launches ad-supported mobile data in the UK, makes you dance for your internet

Neither model bodes well for the hotspot-operator start-ups now trying to capture the Wi-Fi market.

ECONOMIST: Internet access

Once a decision is made on the model, a tendering process would get underway to choose a private sector operator to run the airport on a day-to-day basis.

BBC: Cardiff airport

American Express says it is uniquely positioned to offer the service thanks to its "closed-loop" business model in which it acts as card issuer, merchant acquirer and payment processing operator.

BBC: Foursquare and Amex join forces in UK to offer discounts

Becoming a multibrand restaurant operator, like Tricon Global (FORBES, Oct. 11) is an entirely unproven business model for McDonald's.

FORBES: Beyond Burgers