This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
CONVERGED INFRASTRUCTURE


Can wireless offer 100 per cent superfast Internet? Fibre is not the only answer By Dave Pinnington, Director of Rural Networks, MLL Telecom


Fibre optic broadband from the likes of BT and Virgin is certainly impressive. Capable of speeds of up to 300 Mbps it allows many businesses and homes to benefit from superfast broadband, it is important to remember but there are still many parts of the UK that are under serviced and reliant on old ADSL connections – some homes in rural and remote areas even lack an Internet connection altogether. The general reliance on fibre


Dave Pinnington


considers the alternatives to fibre for connectivity


and cabled connections to enable widespread broadband coverage has so far been disappointing – even after the competition of the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) initiative, up to 10 per cent of the country will still be left without access to superfast broadband. Given the £530 million investment


in the initiative, it feels a little unfair that parts of the country will be left out in the cold when it comes to the latest standard of Internet connectivity. The reason for this shortfall in


broadband rollout is the uneconomical cost of establishing fibre optic networks in areas with difficult geographical features and limited pool of customers and users. Variations in both the logistical and


practical aspect of laying and routing fibre cabling can mean that some rural and urban areas miss out on the latest standards of Internet connectivity as the operators are reluctant to invest in a network infrastructure that runs the risk of not yielding profit.


Wireless connectivity Whilst improvements in mobile broadband such as 4G LTE have gone some way to deliver high-speed Internet without cables, the lack of widespread access and robust connectivity has meant that an alternative wireless solution is required. Currently, the most immediate and


effective way of delivering wireless broadband is via microwave radio connectivity. Point-to-multi-point wireless networks can enable one radio mast to deliver superfast broadband to multiple properties over quite a large area, regardless of the geographical layout.


32 NETCOMMS europe Volume IV Issue 3 2014 As such, a microwave backhaul


network can be cheaper to establish than fibre equivalents in remote rural areas; thus offering an alternative connectivity solution to buildings normally out of reach of superfast broadband. While microwave radio broadband


can be used in isolation to deliver high-speed Internet, it is not necessarily intended to completely replace fibre connections. In fact, microwave wireless can be


used in conjunction with fibre backhaul networks to augment the broadband coverage range to an area. As such, these hybrid networks could be the key in delivering 100 per cent broadband coverage in the UK.


Alternative spectrum Although coverage is the key concern of broadband rollout, the increasing number of Internet-reliant devices, increased data use, and demands for continuous connectivity, will force telecom providers to consider the bandwidth capacity of their broadband services. Given the cost involved in their


installation, fibre networks are usually laid down with significantly more cabling than initially required acting as a redundancy solution should parts of the cabling fail. Known as ‘dark fibre’ this surplus


provides the network with additional capacity to cope with increases in bandwidth demand without the need to dig up and install additional cables. However, the growing demand


for bandwidth is eating away at this spare capacity - this is forcing telecom providers to find alternative methods of delivering broadband without expanding their fibre networks. One solution to this growing concern


is unused radio spectrum called white space that occupies the gaps between frequency bands allocated to television broadcasters. With the potential to provide a


flexible, ad-hoc wireless solution at a local geography level, white space spectrum has the potential to deliver broadband connectivity to difficult to reach areas or locations where bandwidth demand exceeds the capacity of a fibre network. Devices will need to be configured


to utilise these unused frequencies, and there is still some debate as to whether the spare spectrum should be left for unlicensed use or auctioned to telecom providers for a more specific use, such as expanded mobile broadband. But, there is no denying that white


space spectrum offers opportunities for homes and businesses to harness an alternative connectivity solution to cabled broadband. There is no doubt that fibre is a crucial part of the rollout of superfast broadband across the UK, but for truly widespread coverage, fibre will need to be used in conjunction with wireless technologies and solutions to help bring high-speed Internet to the entire UK.


www.mlltelecom.com


Network alternatives: a bottom up approach www.netcommseurope.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44