Unin

Internacional

de

Te l e c o m u n i c a c i o n e s
CUESTIN 20-2/2 Informe Final

UIT-D

COMISIN DE ESTUDIO 2 4. o PERIODO DE ESTUDIOS (2006-2010)

CUESTIN 20-2/2: Examen de las tecnologas de acceso para las telecomunicaciones de banda ancha

LAS COMISIONES DE ESTUDIO DEL UIT-D

De acuerdo con lo dispuesto en la Resolucin 2 (Doha, 2006), la CMDT-06 mantuvo dos Comisiones de Estudio y determin las Cuestiones que stas habran de tratar. Los procedimientos de trabajo que han de aplicar dichas Comisiones de Estudio se definen en la Resolucin 1 (Doha, 2006) adoptada por la CMDT-06. Para el periodo 2006-2010, se encomend a la Comisin de Estudio 1 el estudio de nueve Cuestiones en el mbito de las estrategias y polticas para el desarrollo de las telecomunicaciones. A la Comisin de Estudio 2 se le encomend el estudio de diez Cuestiones en el mbito del desarrollo y la gestin de los servicios y redes de telecomunicaciones, y aplicaciones de las TIC.

Para toda informacin

Srvase ponerse en contacto con:

Sr. Dsir i KARYABWITE Oficina de Desarrollo de las Telecomunicaciones (BDT) UIT Place des Nations CH-1211 GINEBRA 20 Suiza Telfono: +41 22 730 5009 Fax: +41 22 730 5484 desire.karyabwite@itu.int E-mail:

Para solicitar las publicaciones de la UIT

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UIT 2010 Reservados todos los derechos. Ninguna parte de esta publicacin puede reproducirse por ningn procedimiento sin previa autorizacin escrita por parte de la UIT.

U n i n

I n t e r n a c i o n a l

d e

T e l e c o m u n i c a c i o n e s

CUESTIN 20-2/2 Informe Final

UIT-D

COMISIN DE ESTUDIO 2

4. PERIODO DE ESTUDIOS (2006-2010)

CUESTIN 20-2/2: Examen de las tecnologas de acceso para las telecomunicaciones de banda ancha

DECLINACIN DE RESPONSABILIDAD En la elaboracin del presente informe han participado muchos voluntarios, provenientes de diversas administraciones y empresas. Cualquier mencin de empresas o productos concretos no implica en ningn caso un apoyo o recomendacin por parte de la UIT.

Cuestin 20-2/2

iii

NDICE
Pgina Glosario .................................................................................................................................................... Resumen de decisiones ............................................................................................................................ Seccin I Matrices tecnolgicas ............................................................................................................. I.1 Tecnologas almbricas de acceso en banda ancha ............................................................. I.1.1 Matriz tecnolgica DSL ....................................................................................... I.1.2 Matriz de cable bsica .......................................................................................... I.1.3 Matriz de sistemas de fibra hasta las instalaciones (FTTP) .................................. I.1.4 Matriz de mltiplex por divisin de longitud de onda densa................................ I.1.5 Matriz de jerarqua digital sncrona ...................................................................... I.2 Tecnologas de acceso de banda ancha inalmbricas.......................................................... I.2.1 Matriz de la tecnologa de red de rea local inalmbrica (RLAN) ....................... I.2.2 Sistemas de acceso inalmbrico en banda ancha fijos .......................................... I.2.3 Sistemas de acceso inalmbrico en banda ancha mviles .................................... I.2.4 Acceso en banda ancha como posible solucin para la radiodifusin de la televisin digital interactiva.................................................................................. I.3 Matriz de sistemas de satlite ............................................................................................. I.3.1 Acceso en banda ancha por satlite ...................................................................... I.3.2 Matriz de red de los terminales de muy pequea apertura (VSAT) ..................... ANNEX I General Broadband Matters .................................................................................................. I.1 Social and Economic Benefits of Broadband in Telecommunications ............................... I.2 Broadband Applications in Telecommunications ............................................................... I.2.1 E-Health ................................................................................................................ 1.2.2 E-Working ............................................................................................................ I.2.3 E-Government ...................................................................................................... I.2.4 E-Agriculture ........................................................................................................ I.2.5 E-Learning ............................................................................................................ I.2.6 E-Tourism ............................................................................................................. I.2.7 E-Commerce ......................................................................................................... I.2.8 E-Environment ..................................................................................................... I.2.9 Telecommunications for Public Safety, for Disaster Prevention and Disaster Relief .................................................................................................................... I.2.10 Small Business Applications ................................................................................ I.2.11 Entertainment Applications .................................................................................. I.2.12 Information Gathering .......................................................................................... I.2.13 Capacity Requirements for Selected Applications ............................................... I.3 Broadband Technology Deployment .................................................................................. I.3.1 Analysis of Broadband Access Questionnaire: Main Findings ............................ I.3.2 Gender Issues Surrounding Broadband Technology Deployment ....................... I.3.3 Access to Broadband Services for Persons with Disabilities ............................... I.3.4 Strategies for Promoting Broadband Deployment................................................ ANNEX II Technology Matrices (Standardization in Progress) ............................................................ II.1 Canopy Solution for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Matrix ........................................ II.1.1 Airstar: A Multi-Service Broadband Fixed Wireless Access System .................. II.1.2 angel: A Non-Line-Of-Sight Broadband Fixed Wireless Access System ............ II.1.3 SR 500-ip: A Broadband Fixed Wireless Access System for Remote Areas ....... ANNEX III Country Experiences........................................................................................................... III.1 Africa .................................................................................................................................. III.1.1 Deployment of Broadband Wireless Access in Mali, Africa ............................... III.1.2 Deployment of Mobile Broadband Wireless Access in South Africa .................. v ix 1 1 1 3 5 7 9 11 12 16 24 45 50 50 56 58 58 59 59 61 62 64 66 67 67 68 70 71 71 71 72 72 73 74 76 76 80 80 81 85 87 91 91 91 91

iv

Cuestin 20-2/2 Pgina III.2 Americas ............................................................................................................................. III.2.1 Brazil .................................................................................................................... III.2.2 Canada .................................................................................................................. III.2.3 Ecuador ................................................................................................................. III.2.4 Mexico .................................................................................................................. III.2.5 Peru ....................................................................................................................... III.2.6 United States......................................................................................................... Asia ..................................................................................................................................... III.3.1 Australia ............................................................................................................... III.3.2 Bangladesh: Access technologies for broadband telecommunications ................ III.3.3 China: The Development of Broadband Services and Applications in China ...... Europe ................................................................................................................................. III.4.1 eEurope Action Plan 2005 .................................................................................... III.4.2 Ireland ................................................................................................................... III.4.3 Norway ................................................................................................................. III.4.4 Sweden ................................................................................................................. III.4.5 Israel: 802.16 Deployment in Rural Areas ........................................................... Asia Pacific ......................................................................................................................... III.5.1 Niue: Wi-Fi in Niue, South Pacific ...................................................................... 91 91 94 98 98 99 101 102 102 104 105 108 108 110 111 111 114 116 116 117 119 147 151 152

III.3

III.4

III.5

ANNEX IV Definition of the Question .................................................................................................. ANNEX V Analysis of the replies to the questionnaire ......................................................................... ANNEX VI Broadband Questionnaire ................................................................................................... ANNEX VII Other ITU Sector Relevant Study Groups, Questions and Recommendations ................. ANNEX VIII Best Practice Guidelines for the Promotion of Low-Cost Broadband and Internet Connectivity ....................................................................................................................................

Cuestin 20-2/2

GLOSARIO
3G 3GPP 3GPP2 ADSL ANT AP APON ATM ATSC BS BWA CATV CCK CDMA CMTS CO COFDM CPE CWDM DBS DFS DMB-T DRB DSL DSL RDSI DSP DSSS DVB DVB-H DVB-T Comunicaciones mviles communications) de la tercera generacin (third-generation mobile

Proyecto sobre asociacin para comunicaciones mviles de la tercera generacin (thirdgeneration partnership project) Proyecto 2 sobre asociacin para comunicaciones mviles de la tercera generacin (thirdgeneration partnership project 2) Lnea de abonado digital asimtrica (asymmetric digital subscriber line) Hiptesis de transporte de red de acceso (access network transport scenarios) Punto de acceso (access point) Redes pticas pasivas asncronas (asynchronous passive optical networks) Modo de transferencia asncrona (asynchronous transfer mode) Comit para sistemas de televisin avanzados (advanced television system committee) Estacin de base (base station) Acceso inalmbrico de banda ancha (broadband wireless access) Sistema de televisin por antena colectiva (community antenna television system) Modulacin por cdigo complementario (complementary code keying) Acceso mltiple por divisin de cdigo (code division multiple access) Sistema de terminacin en modo cable (cable mode termination system) Oficina central (central office) Multiplexin por divisin de frecuencia ortogonal codificada (code orthogonal frequency division multiplex) Equipo en las instalaciones del cliente (customer premises equipment) Multiplexin por divisin divisionmultiplexing) de longitud de onda aproximada (coarse wave

Radiodifusin directa por satlite (direct broadcasting by satellite) Seleccin dinmica de frecuencias (dynamic frequency selection) Radiodifusin digital terrenal de multimedios (digital multimedia broadcasting terrestrial) Radiodifusin sonora digital (digital radio broadcasting) Lnea de abonado digital (digital subscriber line) Lnea de abonado digital basada en la RDSI (ISDN based digital subscriber line) Tratamiento de seales digitales (digital signal processing) Espectro ensanchado con secuencia directa (direct sequence spread spectrum) Radiodifusin digital de televisin (digital video broadcasting) Radiodifusin digital de televisin a dispositivos de mano (digital video broadcasting Handheld) Radiodifusin digital terrenal de televisin (digital video broadcasting terrestrial)

vi DWDM DXC EPON ETS ETSI FDD FHSS FTTC FTTH FTTP FWA GoS GSO HDSL HEO HFC IEEE IETF IDU IMT-2000 IMT-DS IMT-FT IMT-MC IMT-SC IMT-TD IMS IP iTV LAN LEO MAC

Cuestin 20-2/2 Multiplexin por divisin de longitud de onda densa (dense wavelength division multiplex) Transconexin digital (digital cross connect) Red ptica pasiva Ethernet (Ethernet passive optical network) Norma europea de telecomunicacin (european telecommunication standard) Instituto Europeo de Normalizacin Telecommunications Standards Institute) de las Telecomunicaciones (European

Dplex por divisin de frecuencia (frequency division duplex) Espectro ensanchado con salto de frecuencia (frequency hopping spread spectrum) Fibra hasta el punto de acometida (fiber to the curb) Fibra hasta el hogar (fiber to the home) Fibra hasta los locales (fiber to the premises) Acceso inalmbrico fijo (fixed wireless access) Grado de servicio (grade of service) Satlite en rbita geoestacionaria (geostationary orbit satellite) Lnea de abonado digital a alta velocidad binaria (high-bit rate digital subscriber line) Satlites en rbita elptica muy inclinada (highly-enclined elliptical orbit satellites) Sistema hbrido de fibra ptica/cable coaxial (hybrid fiber-coax) Instituto de Ingenieros Elctricos y Electrnicos (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Grupo Especial sobre Ingeniera de Internet (Internet Engineering Task Force) Unidad de interior/interna (indoor/internal unit) Telecomunicaciones mviles internacionales (international mobile telecommunications) Telecomunicaciones mviles internacionales con ensanchamiento directo (international mobile telecommunications direct spread) Telecomunicaciones mviles internacionales frecuencia/tiempo (international mobile telecommunications frequency time) Telecomunicaciones mviles internacionales multiportadora (international mobile telecommunications multi carrier) Telecomunicaciones mviles internacionales monoportadora (international mobile telecommunications single carrier) Telecomunicaciones mviles internacionales con divisin en el tiempo (international mobile telecommunications time division) Subsistema multimedios IP (IP multimedia subsystem) Protocolo Internet (Internet Protocol) Radiodifusin de televisin interactiva (interactive television broadcasting) Red de rea local (local area network) Satlites en rbita terrena baja (low earth orbit satellites) Informe sobre la Cuestin 20-1/2 vii Control de acceso a medios (medium access control)

Cuestin 20-2/2 MEO MEPG MHP NAC NTN NGSO NLOS NRN ODU OFDM OFDMA OSI OSP P2MP P2P PC PDH PDSN PHY PONs POTS PYME QAM QoS QPSK RDSI RF RGT RLAN ROW RTPC SDAF SHDSL SI-SAP SSMF Satlites en rbita terrestre media (medium earth orbit satellites) Grupo de Expertos sobre imgenes en movimiento (moving picture experts group) Plataforma multimedios domstica (multimedia home plateform) Canal de acceso a red (network access channel) Nodo de terminacin de red (network termination node) Satlites en rbita no geoestacionaria (non-ceostationary orbit satellites) Sin visibilidad directa (non line-of-sight) Nodo repetidor de red (network repeater node) Unidad de exterior/externa (outdoor/external unit)

vii

Multiplexin por divisin ortogonal de frecuencia (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) Modo de acceso a multiplexin por divisin ortogonal de frecuencia (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access mode) Interconexin de sistemas abiertos (open system interconnect) Planta exterior (outside plant) Punto a multipunto (point-to-multipoint) Punto a punto (point-to-point) Computador personal (personal computer) Jerarqua digital plesicrona (plesiochronous digital hierarchy) Nodo servidor de datos por paquetes (packet data serving node) Capa fsica (physical layer) Redes pticas pasivas (passive optical networks) Servicio telefnico ordinario (plain old telephone service) Pequeas y medianas empresas (small and medium sized enterprises) Modulacin de amplitud en cuadratura (quadrature amplitude modulation) Calidad de servicio (quality of service) Modulacin por desplazamiento de fase en cuadratura (quadrature phase shift key) Red digital de servicios integrados Radiofrecuencia (radio frequency) Red de gestin de las telecomunicaciones Red radioelctrica de rea local (radio local area network) Derecho de paso (right of way) Red telefnica pblica conmutada Funcin de adaptacin dependiente del satlite (satellite dependent adaptation function) Lnea de abonado digital de alta velocidad de un solo par (single pair high bite rate digital subscriber line) Punto de acceso al servicio independiente del satlite (satellite-independent service access point) Fibra monomodo normalizada (standard single mode fiber)

viii STs STLs STM TCPAM TDD TD-SCDMA TIA UHF USB UWB VDSL VHF VoIP VSAT WAN WCDMA WCS WDM WEP Wi-Fi WiMAX WLAN WLL WMAN WPAN ZWPF

Cuestin 20-2/2 Terminales de satlite (satellite terminals) Enlaces estudio-transmisor (studio-to-transmitter links) Mdulo de transporte sncrono (synchronous transport module) Modulacin de impulsos en amplitud con codificacin reticular (trellis coded pulse amplitude modulation) Dplex por divisin en el tiempo (time division duplex) Acceso mltiple por divisin de cdigo con sincronismo y divisin en el tiempo (time division synchronous code division multiple access) Asociacin de industrias de telecomunicacin (telecommunications industry association (USA)) Ondas decimtricas (ultra high frequency) Bus serial universal (universal serial bus) Ultra banda ancha (ultra wide band) Lnea de abonado digital de muy alta velocidad (very high digital subscriber line) Ondas mtricas (very high frequency) Protocolo de transmisin de la voz por Internet (voice-over-Internet protocol) Terminal de muy pequea apertura (very small aperture terminal) Red de rea extensa (wide area network) Acceso mltiple por divisin de cdigo de banda ancha (wideband code division multiple access) Servicios de comunicaciones inalmbricas (wireless communication services) Multiplexin por divisin de longitud de onda (wavelength division multiplex) Privacidad equivalente a la almbrica (wired equivalent privacy) Fidelidad inalmbrica (wireless fidelity) Interoperabilidad mundial del acceso por microondas (world wide interoperability for microwave access) Red de rea local inalmbrica (wireless local area network) Bucle local inalmbrico (wireless local loop) Red de acceso metropolitano inalmbrico (wireless metropolitan access network) Red de acceso personal inalmbrica (wireless personal access network) Fibra con atenuacin nula debida al agua (zero water peak fibers)

Cuestin 20-2/2

ix

RESUMEN DE DECISIONES
Una de las tendencias ms recientes para mejorar los sistemas de comunicaciones entraa la utilizacin de tecnologa de banda ancha. Muchas personas asocian la banda ancha con una velocidad de transmisin determinada o cierto conjunto de servicios y/o aplicaciones, tales como el bucle de abonado digital (DSL) o las redes de rea local inalmbricas (WLAN). Sin embargo, puesto que las tecnologas de banda ancha estn en continua evolucin, la definicin de la banda ancha tambin se va modificando. La UIT define la banda ancha como la velocidad binaria igual o mayor a 256 kbit/s1. A cada incremento de un punto porcentual de la penetracin de servicios mviles en los pases en desarrollo corresponde, en promedio, un aumento del ingreso per cpita del 4,7 %. Del mismo modo, a cada incremento de un punto porcentual de la penetracin de Internet en los pases en desarrollo corresponde, en promedio, un aumento del ingreso per cpita del 10,5 %2. El estudio de la banda ancha en los pases en desarrollo reviste gran inters en un momento en que se dispone de numerosas opciones en la materia. La tecnologa de banda ancha permite la transmisin a alta velocidad de seales vocales, vdeo y de datos por redes. La introduccin de las tecnologas de banda ancha, las cuales incluyen, entre otras, la lnea de abonado digital (DSL), la antena colectiva, la fibra ptica, los satlites y los servicios inalmbricos fijos y mviles, ha permitido transformar en realidad en todo el mundo a las formas de telecomunicacin tradicionales y nuevas. Puesto que la geografa y la topografa son muy distintas de un pas a otro, las tecnologas que funcionan bien en una zona geogrfica podran no funcionar tan bien en otra. As pues, corresponde a cada localidad individual ya se trate de una aldea, una ciudad, un estado, una provincia o un pas determinar cules son las tecnologas que mejor se adaptan a sus necesidades. La finalidad de este Informe es proporcionar informacin a las esferas decisorias y a los representantes de la industria de los pases menos adelantados de todo el mundo sobre los factores de orden tcnico, econmico y evolutivo que influyen en el despliegue eficaz de tecnologas de acceso de banda ancha y sus aplicaciones. El Informe est organizado en tres secciones: a) b) En el cuerpo principal del Informe se incluye una breve sinopsis de las tecnologas disponibles para ofrecer acceso de banda ancha a los usuarios finales. En los Anexos figura informacin sobre cuestiones generales en materia de banda ancha, en especial sus ventajas econmicas y sociales, las estrategias para fomentar la implantacin y utilizacin de tecnologas de acceso de banda ancha y sus aplicaciones, junto con un anlisis del Cuestionario (CA 25/Documento 004), que se refiere a los factores econmicos, tcnicos y de desarrollo que inciden en la implantacin de la banda ancha. En 2006 fue distribuido un cuestionario a los Estados Miembros. La BDT llev a cabo el anlisis de las respuestas, que puede consultarse en la correspondiente pgina web del UIT-D. Tambin se contemplan en los Anexos las experiencias de ciertos pases que ilustran los factores tecnolgicos, econmicos y sociales que inciden en la implantacin de tecnologas de acceso de banda ancha y en los que dichas tecnologas tambin tienen consecuencias. En el presente Informe las experiencias de los pases resultan sumamente tiles porque son ejemplos de situaciones reales en las cuales los gobiernos y organizaciones han debido aplicar estrategias creativas e innovadoras para ofrecer servicios de banda ancha a sus habitantes. Despus de estudiar las experiencias de los pases que figuran en el presente Informe, los pases en desarrollo podrn ahorrar tiempo, dinero y recursos pues habrn aprendido de los ejemplos de otras comunidades que han tenido que afrontar problemas similares de instalacin de tecnologas de banda ancha y acceso a las mismas.

Los pases y tecnologas mencionados en el presente Informe se han escogido porque se mencionan en una contribucin sobre la Cuestin 20-1/2 o se han puesto de relieve en algunos Informes de la UIT sobre banda ancha y otras publicaciones. Se invita a otros pases y a los Miembros de Sector interesados a presentar contribuciones para la futura actualizacin de este Informe. ____________________
1 2

Indicadores de las Telecomunicaciones Mundiales de la UIT (abril de 2007). Grupo de Gestin de las Telecomunicaciones 2007.

Cuestin 20-2/2

CUESTIN 20-2/2
Seccin I Matrices tecnolgicas
El trmino matriz es genrico y puede utilizarse de diversas formas. En este contexto se refiere a una breve descripcin de una determinada tecnologa en relacin con la cual se presentan ciertas aplicaciones y los ltimos avances en la materia, junto con las correspondientes referencias. En lneas generales, las tecnologas de las telecomunicaciones de banda ancha se pueden dividir en almbricas e inalmbricas. Las tecnologas almbricas comprenden las lneas telefnicas tradicionales, lneas de antena colectiva y lneas de fibra ptica. Las telecomunicaciones inalmbricas abarcan la tecnologa inalmbrica celular y fija, las telecomunicaciones de corta distancia a alta velocidad tales como las RLAN y las transmisiones pticas en el espacio libre, y las transmisiones por satlite. Las redes de satlite comprenden la rbita de los satlites geoestacionarios (OSG) y no geoestacionarios (no OSG). Estos ltimos abarcan los satlites en rbita terrestre baja (LEO), satlites en rbita terrestre media (MEO) y satlites en rbitas muy elevadas (HEO), con una aplicacin especial que trasciende la rbita de satlites geoestacionarios, que se define como satlites en rbitas elpticas muy inclinadas (HEO). La banda ancha utiliza una sola tecnologa, almbrica o inalmbrica, o una combinacin de las mismas para ofrecer al usuario acceso a alta velocidad.

I.1

Tecnologas almbricas de acceso en banda ancha

En lo tocante al acceso a una red de rea extensa existen numerosas opciones tecnolgicas almbricas que compiten actualmente para conquistar una parte del mercado. Estas opciones se originan en los entornos de red de rea extensa (WAN) y de red de rea local (LAN) e incluyen distintos sistemas tales como, por ejemplo, RDSI, ATM, retransmisin de trama con conmutacin Ethernet, varias tecnologas de transmisin de datos por antena colectiva (CATV) y la familia de tecnologas de lnea de abonado digital.

I.1.1

Matriz tecnolgica DSL

La introduccin de nuevos servicios que requieren seales digitales con velocidades cada vez ms altas exige que se aumente la anchura de banda utilizable de los bucles de abonado existentes con complejas tecnologas o que se reemplacen los pares trenzados por medios de transmisin de banda ancha tales como cables de fibra/cables coaxiales o transmisin inalmbrica. Histricamente los bucles de abonado contienen pares de alambre de cobre trenzados ensamblados en cables multipar. Los bucles de abonado se llevan estudiando muchos aos y se definen por tipo de cable, longitud de cable, estructura de bucle y fuentes de ruido. El espectro del bucle de abonado utilizado para seales vocales de hasta 4 kHz puede ampliarse hasta unos 1 100 kHz para la transmisin de seales digitales mediante tecnologas DSL. El elevado costo que entraa la sustitucin de los bucles de abonado existentes y al mismo tiempo el desarrollo en el terreno del procesamiento de las seales digitales influy en el desarrollo de tecnologas de bucle de abonado digital (DSL, digital subscriber loop) con miras a lograr una mejor utilizacin del ancho de banda disponible y, por consiguiente, la transmisin a velocidades ms elevadas. La tecnologa DSL permite que las seales digitales compartan el bucle de abonado con las seales telefnicas ordinarias. Sistemas DSL tpicos: lnea de abonado digital de alta velocidad binaria (HDSL); lnea de abonado digital asimtrica (ADSL); lnea de abonado digital de muy alta velocidad (VDSL); lnea de abonado digital de alta velocidad binaria de un solo par (SHDSL); lnea de abonado digital basada en la RDSI (DSL RDSI).

Cuestin 20-2/2

En la Figura 1 se ilustra el diagrama de alcance y velocidad de transmisin de datos tpicos de los sistemas que utilizan un solo par (sin ningn repetidor, es decir, sin regenerador).

Figura 1 Alcance del bucle en relacin con los diversos sistemas DSL

Los valores indicados en el cuadro dependen de varios parmetros tales como calibre del hilo, derivaciones puenteadas, perturbaciones (incluida la diafona entre pares), mrgenes, etc. Ahora bien, como aparecen continuamente nuevas tecnologas, estos valores pueden cambiar. La HDSL es la tecnologa DSL ms ampliamente instalada y utiliza dos o tres pares de cobre trenzados. La mayora de las aplicaciones proporcionan 1,5 Mbit/s (T1) o 2 Mbit/s (E1) simtricas hasta 3 000 m de la central. Esta distancia se puede aumentar con regeneradores. La ADSL tiene las mejores perspectivas a corto plazo para proporcionar acceso de banda ancha a los mercados de las oficinas pequeas y los hogares. Se atribuye ms ancho de banda a la transmisin descendente (trfico del proveedor de servicio al abonado) que a la ascendente (trfico del abonado al proveedor de servicio). Las atribuciones de ancho de banda permiten cursar simultneamente trfico del servicio telefnico ordinario (POTS) de la RDSI. Existen dos versiones de la ADSL: la ADSL total que utiliza aproximadamente 1 MHz y la ADSL Lite que utiliza aproximadamente 0,5 MHz de ancho de banda. La ADSL total exige la instalacin de un divisor, la ADSL Lite funciona sin divisores o slo necesita instalaciones simplificadas de filtros en lnea. La VDSL est concebida para velocidades binarias mucho ms elevadas y distancias de bucle de abonado extremadamente cortas. La VDSL se utiliza a menudo con instalaciones de fibra tales como, por ejemplo, instalaciones de fibra hasta la acometida. Con ayuda de divisores se puede cursar simultneamente trfico telefnico ordinario. En el futuro se prev que la SHDSL sustituya a la HDSL y sea el nico sistema que trabaje normalmente en un solo par. Se puede aumentar en el alcance utilizando dos pares y/o regeneradores. La utilizacin de la codificacin avanzada limita las necesidades de ancho de banda que conducen a la coexistencia con otros sistemas DSL.

Cuestin 20-2/2

La familia de tecnologas DSL permite muchas posibilidades de transmisin y puede satisfacer diferentes necesidades del mercado, para infraestructuras actuales o futuras. En el contexto de las DSL, ya sean de uno o dos pares, simtricas o asimtricas, de velocidad adaptativa o multicanal, todas las tecnologas de lnea de abonado digital permitirn afrontar las dificultades del mercado. Las necesidades del mercado y las tecnologas DSL siguen evolucionando. Adems de la velocidad, los sistemas DSL ofrecen otra ventaja fundamental, a saber, la conexin constante. Como los mdems DSL utilizan tecnologas sin conexin, a semejanza de una LAN de oficina, el PC del abonado siempre est conectado a la red. Lista resumida de referencias a) Informe sobre tecnologas DSL, Doc. UIT-D/2/082(Rev.3), 2002 Understanding Digital Subscriber Line Technology Thomas Starr e.a. Communication Engineering Prentice Hall PTR, NJ 07458, 1999 DSL, Simulation Techniques and Standards Dr. WalterY. Chen Macmillan Technical Publishing, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1998

b)

I.1.2

Matriz de cable bsica

Gracias a la cobertura casi generalizada en algunos pases de la antena colectiva de banda ancha para la TV por cable, las conexiones de antena colectiva constituyen una plataforma muy til para ofrecer a abonados residenciales y pequeas empresas un acceso de datos de alta velocidad. No obstante, se han de mejorar los sistemas de televisin por cable unidireccionales para convertirlos en modernas redes bidireccionales a fin de que admitan servicios de telecomunicaciones avanzados. El estudio de la acometida de TV por cable llevado a cabo por la Comisin de Estudio 9 del UIT-T puede ser una introduccin til a las redes de TV por cable. Se podr encontrar informacin adicional sobre las redes de TV por cable en los siguientes epgrafes del Fascculo 4 de la Comisin de Estudio 2 del UIT-D: 5.3.9 Distribucin de televisin por cable 5.3.9.1 Componentes esenciales de los sistemas de televisin por cable 5.3.9.2 Sistemas de cable HFC 5.3.9.3 Servicios interactivos bidireccionales de televisin 5.3.9.4 Sistemas de cable para datos de alta velocidad Acometida de TV por cable Los sistemas de cable se concibieron originalmente para transmitir seales de televisin eficazmente a los hogares de los abonados. Para cerciorarse de que los consumidores puedan recibir un servicio por cable con los mismos aparatos de TV que utilizan para recibir seales de televisin por ondas hertzianas, los operadores de cable crean de nuevo una porcin del espectro de frecuencias radioelctricas hertzianas (RF) en una lnea de antena colectiva sellada y la distribuyen al domicilio de los abonados. Los sistemas de antena colectiva tradicionales suelen funcionar con una capacidad de 330 MHz o 450 MHz, mientras que los modernos sistemas hbridos fibra/coaxial (HFC) alcanzan hasta 750 MHz o ms. Lgicamente, las seales de programas de vdeo descendentes comienzan alrededor de 50 MHz, lo equivalente al canal 2 de las seales de televisin hertzianas. La parte de 5 MHz-42 MHz del espectro suele reservarse a las telecomunicaciones ascendentes desde el hogar del abonado. Por ejemplo, en el caso de los pases que utilizan la norma de transmisin del Comit Nacional de Normas de Transmisin (NTSC) de los Estados Unidos, cada canal de televisin normal ocupa 6 MHz de espectro. Por lo tanto, un sistema de cable tradicional con 400 MHz de ancho de banda descendente puede transmitir un trfico equivalente a 60 canales de TV analgicos y un sistema HFC moderno con 700 MHz de ancho de banda descendente tiene capacidad para unos 110 canales.

4 Redes de acceso por mdem de cable

Cuestin 20-2/2

Para proporcionar servicios de datos por una red de cable, un canal de televisin (en la gama de 50-750 MHz) se suele atribuir al trfico descendente hacia los hogares y otro canal (en la banda 5-42 MHz) se utiliza para transmitir las seales ascendentes. Un sistema de terminacin de mdem de cable (CMTS) de cabecera comunica a travs de esos canales con mdems de cable en el hogar del abonado, para crear una conexin virtual de red de rea local (LAN). La mayora de los mdems de cable son dispositivos externos que se conectan a un ordenador personal (PC) a travs de una caja externa 10Base-T Ethernet normalizada o una tarjeta PCI o PCMCIA interna, o a travs de una conexin por bus serie universal BUS (USB, universal seria bus). La red de acceso por mdem de cable funciona en la capa 1 (fsica) y en la capa 2 (control de acceso a los medios/control de enlace lgico) del modelo de referencia de interconexin de sistemas abiertos (OSI). Por lo tanto, los protocolos de capa 3 (red), tales como el trfico IP, pueden transitar sin solucin de continuidad por la plataforma de mdem de cable hacia los usuarios finales. Un solo canal de televisin descendente de 6 MHz puede admitir hasta 27 Mbit/s de caudal de datos descendentes desde la cabecera de cable, mediante tecnologa de transmisin 64 QAM (modulacin por amplitud en cuadratura). Las velocidades pueden acelerarse hasta 36 Mbit/s utilizando 256 QAM. Los canales ascendentes pueden cursar de 500 kbit/s a 10 Mbit/s desde los hogares utilizando tcnicas de modulacin 16QAM o QPSK (modulacin por desplazamiento de fase en cuadratura), dependiendo del volumen de espectro atribuido al servicio. Este ancho de banda ascendente y descendente es compartido por los abonados de datos activos conectados a un determinado segmento de red de cable, habitualmente entre 500 y 2 000 hogares en una red HFC moderna. Adems de la velocidad, los mdems de cable ofrecen una ventaja fundamental, a saber, la conexin constante. Como los mdems de cable utilizan tecnologas sin conexin, a semejanza de una LAN de oficina, el PC del abonado siempre est conectado a la red. Prestacin de Internet por cable Para entrar en el mercado de Internet de alta velocidad, los operadores de cable no pueden limitarse a instalar sencillamente equipos de mdem de cable. Ms bien al contrario, deben instalar en cada comunidad a la cual prestan servicio una avanzada infraestructura de red IP de extremo a extremo que sea suficientemente robusta para admitir decenas de miles de abonados de datos. Esta infraestructura comprende conexin medular Internet, encaminadores, servidores, herramientas de gestin de red, as como sistemas de seguridad y facturacin. Fundamentalmente, los operadores de cable deben afrontar la tarea de crear algunas de las intranet ms grandes del mundo, un gran desafo de ingeniera y explotacin. Los operadores de cable tratan de proporcionar un acceso intranet de alta velocidad en lugar de un acceso Internet directo por un motivo muy sencillo: una conexin de red es tan rpida como su segmento ms lento y, por consiguiente, la ventaja de un enlace de cable de 1 Mbit/s se pierde si un abonado trata de acceder a contenido almacenado en un servidor web conectado a Internet a travs de una lnea de 56 kbit/s. La solucin de este problema consiste en acercar an ms el contenido al abonado, es decir, idealmente, hasta la cabecera del cable. Esto se logra grabando o registrando copias de contenido Internet muy solicitado en servidores locales y, cuando un abonado de mdem de cable accede a una pgina web, se le encamina hacia el servidor en el extremo a gran velocidad, en lugar de que deba viajar por la Internet congestionada. Varias empresas ofrecen servicios de red y de integracin de sistemas completos a operadores de cable que necesitan una Internet de alta velocidad. Calidad de funcionamiento de las plataformas de red compartidas La mayora de los sistemas de mdem de cable dependen de una plataforma de acceso compartida, similar a una LAN de oficina. A diferencia de las redes telefnicas con conmutacin de circuitos en las cuales el llamante dispone de una conexin particular, los usuarios de mdems de cable no ocupan un volumen fijo de ancho de banda durante su sesin en lnea, comparten la red con otros usuarios activos y utilizan los recursos de la red nicamente cuando envan o reciben datos en rpidas rfagas. Por lo tanto, en lugar de que 200 usuarios en lnea puedan disponer cada uno de 135 kbit/s, durante el milisegundo que necesitan para

Cuestin 20-2/2

telecargar sus paquetes de datos, pueden utilizar todo el ancho de banda disponible de hasta muchos megabits por segundo. Si una alta tasa de utilizacin empieza a provocar una congestin, los operadores de cable pueden aadir ancho de banda para servicios de datos. Un operador de cable puede atribuir un canal de vdeo de 6 MHz adicional para datos de alta velocidad y duplicar as el ancho de banda descendente disponible para los usuarios. Otra posibilidad para aadir ancho de banda consiste en subdividir la red de cable fsica prolongando las lneas de fibra ptica. De este modo se reduce el nmero de hogares que reciben servicio por cada segmento de red y, por lo tanto, aumenta el ancho de banda disponible para cada usuario.

I.1.3

Matriz de sistemas de fibra hasta las instalaciones (FTTP)

La fibra hasta las instalaciones (FTTP, fiber to the premises) se est transformando en la arquitectura de red de acceso preferida, puesto que trae consigo una inmensa reduccin de los costos de equipo y de los costos que entraa la instalacin de la planta exterior (SOP). Varios de los operadores tradicionales ms importantes de los Estados Unidos ya han anunciado que prevn transformar sus instalaciones externas (Greenfield) en FTTP. Anlogamente, el propio ciclo econmico de la rehabilitacin de las redes de cobre, a tenor del cual la planta de cobre debe sustituirse a causa de la degradacin, hace que estas instalaciones (brownfield) resulten cada vez ms atractivas para la utilizacin de sistemas FTTP. Por ltimo, habida cuenta de los gastos considerables que exige la ampliacin del alcance de las redes de cobre para prestar servicio a los consumidores de zonas rurales a causa de sus limitaciones de distancia, la FTTP se est transformando rpidamente en la arquitectura de red de acceso preferida por los proveedores de servicios en zonas rurales que tratan de ofrecer a los consumidores una trada de servicios de voz, vdeo y datos. Las tecnologas de equipos de red de acceso FTTP pueden clasificarse principalmente como activas o pasivas (las soluciones pasivas suelen llamarse redes pticas pasivas o PON (passive optical networks)). Las soluciones activas consisten en componentes electrnicos instalados en el terreno y suelen ofrecer un mayor ancho de banda, mientras que las soluciones pasivas no tienen componentes electrnicos en el terreno y permiten ahorrar gastos de instalacin y explotacin. Estas soluciones pueden subdividirse adems en punto a punto (P2P), que consiste en un enlace directo de uno a uno entre la oficina central del proveedor y/o cabecera y las instalaciones del cliente, o punto a multipunto (P2MP) en las cuales la seal de la oficina central del operador se separa y enva a mltiples instalaciones de clientes. Habitualmente las soluciones P2P ofrecen un mayor ancho de banda mientras que las soluciones P2MP tienen gastos de instalacin y explotacin menos elevados. Por ltimo, en las soluciones activas, pasivas, P2P y P2MP se dispone de diversas opciones de protocolo de red que permiten distinguir an ms entre cada posibilidad. Por ejemplo, entre las PON hay soluciones APON (y sus variantes BPON) basadas en el protocolo ATM (modo de transferencia asncrono) de la telefona de voz tradicional, y soluciones EPON basadas en el utilizadsimo protocolo Ethernet basado en el IP. Las BPON/APON se basan en la Recomendacin G.983.3 del UIT-T y su versin actual ofrece 622 Mbit/s descendentes a 1 490 nm y 155 Mbit/s ascendentes a 1 310 nm con una relacin de divisin de 1:32 (una seal dividida en 32 clientes), con vdeo de cable analgico a 1 550 nm, y es ofrecida por empresas como Optical Solutions, Alcatel, Hitachi y otras. La tecnologa de la norma GPON (ofrecida por las mismas empresas) se basa en la norma G.984.2 del UIT-T y tambin se basa en el protocolo ATM tradicional, pero con velocidades superiores y ofrece 2 422 1 244 Mbit/s descendentes a 1 490 nm y 155, 622, 1 244 2 422 Mbit/s ascendentes a 1 310 nm con una relacin de divisin de hasta 1:64 y vdeo de cable analgico a 1 550 nm. Las soluciones EPON se basan en la norma IEEE 802.3ah, completada por la norma IEEE P802.3ah Ethernet en el Grupo Especial sobre el ltimo kilmetro en 2004, y utilizan IP para servicios de voz y datos, amn de ofrecer 1 000 Mbit/s descendentes a 1 490 nm, 1 000 Mbit/s ascendentes a 1 310 nm con una relacin de divisin de 1:32 y vdeo de cable analgico a 1 550 nm (las empresas que comercializan estos productos son Alloptic, Calix, FlexLight y otras). En la Figura 2 se resumen grficamente las posibilidades de arquitectura FTTP.

Cuestin 20-2/2

Figura 2 Arquitecturas FTTP: PON y P2P

Adems de la seleccin entre activo y pasivo y APON, BPON, GPON o EPON, hay evoluciones tecnolgicas notables en soluciones de planta exterior que pueden afectar notablemente los costos y las ventajas que entraa la instalacin de redes de acceso FTTP. Una cuidadosa seleccin de la fibra puede reducir en gran medida los costos derivados de la instalacin de redes ya que permite a los operadores adaptar el componente de la red de acceso FTTP junto con el componente de su red de borde de empresa y transporte en una sola unidad de fibra. La avanzada tecnologa actual de fibras con pico de absorcin del agua nulo (ZWPF, zero water peak fibers) est sustituyendo a las antiguas fibras monomodo (SSMF) y permite instalar redes de borde de multiplexin por divisin de longitud de onda aproximada (CWDM) de 16 canales en la misma fibra que lleva una red FTTP con distribucin de 1:32 1:64. Los canales CWDM son 60% menos onerosos que los canales de multiplexin por divisin de longitud de onda densa (DWDM) y, por lo tanto, las instalaciones de red de acceso/borde permiten a las empresas instalar dos redes en una sola infraestructura, y proporcionar arquitecturas de red metropolitanas sumamente rentables mediante la utilizacin de canales CWDM mucho menos onerosos. La Figura 3 representa ese tipo de CWDM por arquitectura PON y las ventajas de proporcionar servicios de transporte de red o servicios de longitud de onda de empresas con recargo por la misma infraestructura que lleva una red de acceso PON.

Cuestin 20-2/2

Figura 3 La fibra con pico de absorcin del agua nulo permite la multiplexin por divisin de longitud de onda aproximada (CWDM) por redes dos a uno PON

Del mismo modo que al seleccionar la fibra adecuada (ZWPF) se obtienen las ventajas de dos redes por el precio de una, la seleccin de fibras y componentes de baja prdida puede permitir a las empresas alcanzar hasta dos veces la distancia prevista de los equipos comerciales. Con esta distancia adicional las empresas pueden prestar servicio a hasta dos veces ms clientes por la misma inversin en planta exterior, y conectar as a todos sus clientes, lo que les permite realizar hasta 30% de ahorros de costos de sistema gracias a una relacin ms eficaz entre distribucin y fibra de alimentacin. En algunos casos se dispone de un cierto nmero de pares de hilos de cobre entre el proveedor de servicio y un abonado. Esos pares pueden combinarse, esto es, agruparse, tal como se indica en las Recomendaciones del UIT-T de la serie G, lo cual da lugar a un aumento considerable de la capacidad de un solo tren. Dos pares de hilos de cobre doblan la capacidad de transmisin, tres pares la triplican, y pueden agruparse hasta 32 pares. La carga til en los pares puede estar basada en ATM, en Ethernet o bien estar relacionada con seales que utilizan multiplexin inversa por divisin en el tiempo.

I.1.4

Matriz de mltiplex por divisin de longitud de onda densa

La invencin de las fibras pticas de baja prdida a principios de los aos 70 con ventanas de baja prdida a aproximadamente longitudes de onda de 1 300 nm permiti transmitir seales de luz a distancias de decenas de kilmetros sin regeneracin gracias a la utilizacin de diodos electroluminiscentes y fibras multimodo. En los aos 80 se introdujeron las fibras monomodo conectadas a transmisores lser en modo multilongitudinal (MLM) que permitan transmitir aproximadamente 100 Mbit/s. Con las fibras de dispersin desplazada y sistemas lser con realimentacin distribuida en modo longitudinal nico se podan instalar sistemas con secciones de hasta 100 km entre repetidores y una velocidad de transmisin de unos 2,5 Gbit/s. En los aos 90, los regeneradores que contenan amplificadores de fibra dopados con erbio permitan la transmisin simultnea de muchas longitudes de onda adyacentes, lo cual condujo a los sistemas de multiplexin por divisin de longitud de onda densa (DWDM). Estos sistemas evolucionaron hasta permitir la transmisin de dos longitudes de onda en la misma fibra, una onda en la ventana 1 310 nm y la otra en la ventana 1 550 nm, lo cual condujo a los primeros sistemas de multiplexin por divisin de longitud de onda (WDM). No obstante, los sistemas de multiplexin por divisin de frecuencias pticas heredaron algunos de los problemas de los sistemas FDM por hilo de cobre, tales como las limitaciones de la longitud de cada seccin entre regeneradores y el nmero de secciones consecutivas entre regeneradores. Un sistema de transmisin

Cuestin 20-2/2

DWDM tpico ofreca hasta 32 longitudes de onda, 0,8 nm = 100 GHz entre longitudes de onda adyacentes, y cada longitud de onda llevaba 2,5 Gbit/s a una distancia de aproximadamente 600 km con 6 secciones entre regeneradores, lo cual daba una capacidad de transmisin total de 80 Gbit/s. La DWDM ofrece notables ventajas con respecto a la transmisin ptica de onda nica: Menos efectos de dispersin. Para un caudal determinado, la velocidad de cada canal puede disminuirse y, por lo tanto, se reducen los efectos de la dispersin cromtica y por polarizacin. Por consiguiente, se puede aumentar la distancia entre regeneradores, aunque se sigue necesitando una amplificacin ptica para mantener el balance de potencia, y la capacidad se puede aumentar en una planta instalada no ideal. Adaptabilidad mejorada. La adicin de nuevas longitudes de onda, conforme al principio de pago por longitud de onda, puede aumentar de manera sencilla el caudal. No es necesario que todas las longitudes de onda adicionales tengan la misma frecuencia, aumentndose as la flexibilidad. Especificaciones menos estrictas. La DWDM reduce las limitaciones tecnolgicas de los componentes optoelectrnicos necesarios para instalar un sistema, ya que esos componentes slo necesitan funcionar al mximo de su propia longitud de onda en lugar de al caudal total. Funcionamiento dplex completo en una sola fibra.

Con la aparicin de sistemas DWDM se ofrecen varias alternativas para aumentar la capacidad de transmisin influenciando el nmero de longitudes de onda por par de fibras (espaciamiento), la velocidad binaria por longitud de onda, la banda de frecuencias ptica y la distancia (con o sin regeneracin de temporizacin). En la Figura 4 se indican los parmetros que influencian la evolucin prevista de los sistemas DWDM. El aumento de la velocidad binaria est limitado por efectos fsicos tales como la dispersin cromtica (que podra exigir una gestin de la dispersin), la dispersin en modo de polarizacin (fundamental para las fibras ya instaladas), la falta de linealidad de la fibra (que conduce a una modulacin de fase cruzada y a la mezcla de cuatro ondas), componentes electrnicos ms rpidos y onerosos (por ejemplo, conversin O/E). El aumento del nmero de longitudes de onda est limitado por el ancho de banda ptico total disponible (en las fibras y los amplificadores) y el espaciamiento entre longitudes de onda (que entraa problemas de estabilidad, limitaciones de la velocidad binaria y una mayor desacentuacin de los efectos de no linealidad). El aumento de la distancia est limitado por la ganancia del amplificador (que depende de la ganancia de ancho de banda y longitud de onda), el nmero de secciones consecutivas entre regeneradores (dependiendo de la acumulacin de ruido y de la fluctuacin de fase, y de que los regeneradores tengan o no funcin de reajuste de la temporizacin).

Los parmetros dependen unos de otros, es decir que aumentar el valor de un parmetro podra disminuir los valores admisibles de otros parmetros. En las publicaciones se describen sistemas DWDM de alta capacidad como sigue: Seales de 10 Gbit/s en 32 longitudes de onda, lo cual da 320 Gbit/s. Se habla de secciones de transmisin ptica de 80 a 140 km para obtener trayectos de transmisin ptica de ms de 600 km. Seales de 20 Gbit/s en 50 longitudes de onda, lo cual da ms de 1 Tbit/s en una fibra. Seales de 10 Gbit/s en 150 longitudes de onda con espaciamiento de 50 GHz, lo cual da 1,5 Tbit/s. Para este sistema se necesit una fibra con compensacin de la dispersin para obtener secciones de transmisin ptica de 100 km y trayectos de transmisin ptica de 400 km.

Cuestin 20-2/2

Figura 4 Evolucin de los sistemas DWDM

Habida cuenta de la evolucin previsible, es probable que prximamente se aadan instalaciones de conmutacin ptica, comenzando con elementos de adicin/supresin no reconfigurables, siguiendo con anillos autorregenerables protegidos pticamente y terminando por conexiones cruzadas pticas para la interconexin de anillos o como base de redes pticas en malla. Ahora bien, es probable que consideraciones fsicas limiten las dimensiones de las redes fotnicas, que slo podran ampliarse mediante la utilizacin parcial o total de regeneradores optoelectrnicos o fotnicos.

I.1.5

Matriz de jerarqua digital sncrona

La creciente demanda de mayores velocidades de transmisin binaria, de un tratamiento de canales ms flexible y las necesidades de gestin ms complejas conducen al concepto de transmisin sncrona. El concepto fue mencionado por primera vez en Estados Unidos por Bellcore, que lo bautiz SONET (red ptica sncrona, synchronous optical network). La UIT ha perfeccionado y generalizado esos principios para obtener la jerarqua digital sncrona, SDH. El espritu de cooperacin internacional dio lugar a la aceptacin mundial de una norma para SDH. Esta jerarqua ampla los principios de la jerarqua digital plesicrona (PDH) y evita algunos de sus inconvenientes, con los siguientes resultados: Pueden aadirse o extraerse canales o grupos de canales de 64 kbit/s digitales directamente de las seales SDH sin etapas de multiplexin intermedias, lo cual abarata los equipos de insercin/extraccin. Las seales plesicronas de distintos niveles y pertenecientes a jerarquas diferentes (por ejemplo, ETSI Europa, ANSI-USA) pueden hacerse corresponder con SDH y transmitirse como seales SDH. Los canales y grupos de canales de 64 kbit/s digitales pueden conmutarse en transconexiones digitales (DXC) sncronas.

10

Cuestin 20-2/2 El encaminamiento en las redes DXC puede controlarse por comando y permite crear configuraciones de red lgica diferentes de manera flexible en la misma red fsica. Configuraciones de red lgica diferentes pueden aparecer en momentos diferentes. Las DXC permiten discriminar el trfico. Por ejemplo, una seal digital entrante que lleva una mezcla de datos, voz y vdeo puede convertirse en seales digitales separadas para datos, voz y vdeo. Las DXC permiten empaquetar el trfico. Por ejemplo, seales digitales entrantes con intervalos de tiempo en reposo pueden combinarse en seales digitales sin esos tiempos de reposo que aprovechan plenamente el medio de transmisin. Una DXC puede coubicarse con una central telefnica. En ese caso, la DXC trata la carga de trfico bsico constante y la central se ocupa de las crestas de trfico, lo cual resulta ms econmico que un solo conmutador telefnico de mayor capacidad. Por ltimo, pero no por ello menos importante, las SDH y DXC son los primeros tipos de equipos concebidos especficamente para redes de gestin de las telecomunicaciones (TMN) con gran capacidad de gestin.

La unidad de base de la jerarqua SDH es el mdulo de transporte sncrono, STM-1, que contiene 19 440 bits. El STM-1 se repite 8 000 veces por segundo y da las velocidades binarias STM-N siguientes: STM-1 155,520 Mbit/s STM-4 622,08 Mbit/s STM-16 2 488,32 Mbit/s STM-64 9 953,28 Mbit/s La necesidad de transportar seales PDH de distintas jerarquas junto con seales ATM dio lugar a un complejo sistema de multiplexin. Un sistema STM-1 puede transmitir varios sistemas PDH y un sistema ATM como se ilustra a continuacin: 3 sistemas de 34 45 Mbit/s; 21 sistemas de 6 Mbit/s; 63 sistemas de 2 Mbit/s; 1) 84 sistemas de 1,5 Mbit/s 1 sistema de 140 Mbit/s 1 sistema ATM

Se han normalizado cuatro tipos de multiplexores (MUX) SDH bsicos MUX para la conversin de seales plesicronas (conforme a la Recomendacin G.703) a seales STM-N sncronas. Es posible una asignacin flexible de un afluente a cualquier posicin en la trama STM-N. Adecuado para el establecimiento de enlaces SDH en un entorno plesicrono. MUX para conversin entre varias seales STM. Pueden multiplexarse varias seales STM-1 a una velocidad binaria ms elevada. Se puede asignar de manera flexible un VC-3/4 a cualquier posicin en un STM-N. Permite utilizar eficazmente la capacidad de los cables de fibra ptica. MUX para insercin/extraccin de seales plesicronas y sncronas a STM-N sin demultiplexin y terminacin de la seal completa. Pueden aadirse o suprimirse canales individuales o grupos de canales de un flujo binario sncrono. Una utilizacin tpica son multiplexores de insercin/ extraccin en configuraciones de anillo autorregenerable. MUX para traduccin (interfuncionamiento) para permitir que cargas C-3 en VC-3 transiten entre, por ejemplo, redes basadas en EE.UU. y redes europeas. Transconexiones DXC para seales plesicronas a 140 Mbit/s o seales STM-1. Transconexiones DXC para seales plesicronas a 2, 34 y 140 Mbit/s. Las DXC combinan las funcionalidades de los tipos 1 y 2.

2)

3)

4)

Se han normalizado tres tipos de transconexiones digitales (DXC) bsicas 1) 2) 3)

Las DXC se caracterizan por niveles de puerto y niveles de transconexin, como se indica en el ejemplo de la Figura 5.

Cuestin 20-2/2 DXC 1/0 DXC 4/1

11

nivel de puerto 2,048 Mbit/s y nivel de transconexin 64 kbit/s para, por ejemplo, redes de lneas arrendadas de 64 kbit/s nivel de puerto 140 Mbit/s y nivel de transconexin VC-12 para, por ejemplo, redes de lneas arrendadas de 2 Mbit/s DXC 4/4 nivel de puerto 140 Mbit/s o STM-1 y nivel de transconexin VC-4 para, por ejemplo, proteccin de red, junto con nivel de puerto 140 Mbit/s o STM-1 y nivel de transconexin VC-4 para, por ejemplo, proteccin de red, junto con DXC 4/1 para administracin de red.

DXC 4/4

Figura 5 Ejemplos de equipo de transconexin digital

Una aplicacin importante de la SDH es la utilizacin de anillos de proteccin compartida de seccin mltiplex (MS-SP). La carga til total de cada enlace STM-N se divide por partes iguales en capacidad de trabajo y de proteccin. El trfico es bidireccional: dos anillos de fibra se utilizan para el sentido dextrgiro y dos para el sentido levgiro. La capacidad de proteccin es compartida por todas las secciones de trabajo. Si se produce un fallo del enlace se proporciona un bucle en los nodos adyacentes al enlace o nodo averiado. Los parmetros de anillo tpicos son: 8 VC-4 por enlace, tiempo de conmutacin inferior a 50 ms y hasta 16 nodos en un anillo. En las configuraciones de red modernas los anillos se utilizan en tndem y cada uno representa, por ejemplo, una capa de red. Los fallos de cables y nodos se eliminan utilizando los principios descritos supra. En ese caso, la conexin de dos anillos a travs de dos nodos utiliza las ventajas de anillos MS-SP y conduce a configuraciones de red a prueba de fallos.

I.2

Tecnologas de acceso de banda ancha inalmbricas

Las telecomunicaciones inalmbricas abarcan una amplia gama de tecnologas, servicios y aplicaciones que han sido creadas para satisfacer las necesidades especficas de los diferentes sectores del mercado y entornos del usuario. En lneas generales, los diferentes sistemas se caracterizan por:

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Cuestin 20-2/2 bandas de frecuencias de funcionamiento; normas (en la UIT se utilizan Recomendaciones en lugar de normas) que definen los sistemas; velocidades de datos admitidas; mecanismos de distribucin bidireccionales y unidireccionales; grado de movilidad; contenido y aplicaciones que se ofrecen; requisitos de reglamentacin; y costos.

La tecnologa inalmbrica es quiz una de las opciones ms viables para un gran nmero de regiones y pases en desarrollo que buscan acceso a alta velocidad o simplemente acceso. En comparacin con otras tecnologas de infraestructura, la inalmbrica se instala rpidamente y tiene una cobertura geogrfica relativamente amplia. Por otra parte, permite a los pases con una infraestructura incipiente o inexistente dar un salto hacia el desarrollo, evitando totalmente la construccin de un sistema almbrico fijo para pasar directamente al acceso a Internet. Gracias a su movilidad y portabilidad, las tecnologas inalmbricas tienen la ventaja de estimular la demanda y fomentar la aparicin de nuevas estrategias para acceder a Internet y utilizar esta red.

I.2.1

Matriz de la tecnologa de red de rea local inalmbrica (RLAN)

Se estn comercializando sistemas RLAN en todo el mundo. Hay varias normas principales (no necesariamente reconocidas por la UIT en algunas Recomendaciones) para los sistemas RLAN de banda ancha y en el Cuadro 1 se da informacin al respecto. La velocidad de los ordenadores porttiles y de los dispositivos informticos de mano aumenta constantemente, lo que les permite establecer comunicaciones interactivas entre usuarios de una red almbrica, aunque a costa de su portabilidad cuando se conectan. Las aplicaciones multimedios necesitan instalaciones de comunicaciones de banda ancha para los terminales almbricos y tambin para los dispositivos de comunicaciones porttiles y personales. Las normas de redes de rea local almbricas, admiten aplicaciones multimedios de alta velocidad. Para mantener la portabilidad, las futuras LAN inalmbricas tendrn que admitir velocidades de datos ms elevadas. Se consideran RLAN de banda ancha las que admiten un caudal superior a 10 Mbit/s. Arquitectura de sistema Las RLAN de banda ancha tienen casi siempre una arquitectura punto-multipunto. Las aplicaciones punto a multipunto suelen utilizar antenas omnidireccionales. La arquitectura multipunto emplea dos configuraciones de sistema: sistema punto-multipunto centralizado (mltiples dispositivos conectados a uno central o punto de acceso a travs de una interfaz radioelctrica); sistema punto-multipunto no centralizado (mltiples dispositivos que se comunican en una pequea zona cuando conviene).

Algunas veces se utiliza tecnologa RLAN para realizar enlaces punto a punto fijos entre edificios de un complejo. Los sistemas punto a punto suelen utilizar antenas direccionales que admiten distancias superiores entre los dispositivos con un ancho de haz estrecho. Se puede as aprovechar la comparticin de bandas mediante la reutilizacin de canales con una interferencia mnima respecto a otros sistemas RF. Requisitos de espectro de frecuencias Las RLAN podran funcionar en espectro sin licencia o exento de licencia y a menudo deben permitir la coexistencia de redes no coordinadas adyacentes a la vez que proporcionan una alta calidad de servicio a los usuarios. Para las RLAN ya se utilizan 83,5 MHz en la banda 2,4 GHz y se han atribuido 455 MHz

Cuestin 20-2/2

13

adicionales en la banda 5 GHz3. En las bandas 5 GHz es obligatorio proteger los servicios primarios. Aunque las tcnicas de acceso mltiple pudieran permitir que un canal a una sola frecuencia fuera utilizado por varios nodos, el soporte de muchos usuarios con alta calidad de servicio requiere que suficientes canales estn disponibles para garantizar que el acceso al recurso radioelctrico no est limitado por puestas en cola excesiva, etc. Una tcnica que logra una comparticin flexible del recurso radioelctrico es la seleccin dinmica de frecuencias (DFS, dynamic frequency selection). (Vase en el Anexo 2 una explicacin de esta tcnica). Movilidad Las RLAN de banda ancha pueden ser seudofijas, como los ordenadores de mesa que pueden ser transportados de un lugar a otro, o porttiles, como los dispositivos informticos mviles o de mano que funcionan con bateras y pueden ser transportados de una oficina a otra, por ejemplo. La velocidad relativa entre dispositivos sigue siendo reducida. En las aplicaciones industriales, las RLAN pueden utilizarse para mantener contacto con carros elevadores que llevan velocidades de hasta 20 km/h. Los dispositivos RLAN no se conciben, en general, para utilizarse a velocidades de automvil o superiores. Entorno operacional y consideraciones de interfaz Las RLAN de banda ancha se instalan preferentemente en el interior de edificios, en oficinas, fbricas, almacenes, etc. En el caso de los dispositivos RLAN instalados en el interior de edificios, las emisiones son atenuadas por la estructura. Las RLAN utilizan niveles de potencia reducidos gracias a las cortas distancias necesarias para el funcionamiento en el interior de edificios, como se estipula en el Reglamento de Radiocomunicaciones de la UIT. Los requisitos en cuanto a densidad de potencia espectral se basan en la zona de servicio bsica de una RLAN simple definida por un crculo de un radio comprendido entre 10 y 50 m. Cuando se necesitan redes de mayores dimensiones, las RLAN multicelulares pueden encadenarse lgicamente mediante funciones de puente o de encaminamiento para constituir redes ms amplias sin aumentar su densidad de potencia espectral compuesta. Para lograr las zonas de coberturas especificadas anteriormente, se supone que las RLAN requieren una densidad de potencia espectral de cresta de aproximadamente 12,5 mW/MHz en la gama de frecuencias de funcionamiento de 5 GHz. Para la transmisin de datos, algunas normas utilizan una densidad de potencia espectral superior en la inicializacin y controlan la potencia de transmisin de acuerdo con la evaluacin de la calidad del enlace RF. Esta tcnica se llama control de potencia de transmisin (TPC, transmit power control). La densidad de potencia espectral requerida es normalmente proporcional al cuadrado de la frecuencia de funcionamiento. A medida que aumenta la escala, la densidad espectral de potencia media ser sustancialmente inferior al valor de cresta. Los dispositivos RLAN comparten el espectro de frecuencias sobre una base temporal. La relacin de actividad variar dependiendo de la utilizacin, en funcin de la aplicacin utilizada y de la hora del da. Compatibilidad con las IMT-2000 Las RLAN pueden ser sinrgicas con las IMT-2000 y otras redes mviles (celulares). Si bien las IMT-2000 ofrecen grandes posibilidades de movilidad y una cobertura de zona extensa rentable, las RLAN permiten una gran capacidad de caudal de datos de alta calidad en determinadas zonas (hotspots), y las RLAN de banda ancha permiten actualmente velocidades de datos de hasta 54 Mbit/s4. Seleccin dinmica de frecuencias En la seleccin dinmica de frecuencias (DFS), todos los recursos radioelctricos estn disponibles en todos los nodos RLAN. Un nodo (habitualmente un nodo controlador o punto de acceso (AP, access point)) puede ____________________
3

RLANS: UIT-R Developments, presentado en el seminario del GT 8A del UIT-R sobre nuevas tecnologas y servicios, Ginebra, 2 de diciembre de 2003. Para ms informacin, vase la Resolucin 229 (CMR-03).

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Cuestin 20-2/2

asignar temporalmente un canal, y la seleccin de un canal adecuado se efecta sobre la base de la interferencia detectada o de determinados criterios de calidad tales como, por ejemplo, la intensidad de la seal recibida, C/I, etc. Para obtener criterios de calidad pertinentes, los terminales mviles y el punto de acceso efectan mediciones a intervalos peridicos e informan sobre las mismas a la entidad que hace la seleccin. La DFS se puede utilizar para garantizar que todos los canales de frecuencia disponibles sean utilizados con igual probabilidad. De este modo se garantiza al mximo la disponibilidad de un canal a nodo cuando est preparado para transmitir y se garantiza tambin que la energa RF se extienda uniformemente en todos los canales cuando son integrados para un gran nmero de usuarios. Esto ltimo facilita la comparticin con otros servicios que pueden ser sensibles a la interferencia global en cualquier canal determinado, tales como los receptores a bordo de satlites. La TPC est destinada a reducir el consumo innecesario de potencia del dispositivo, pero ayuda tambin para la reutilizacin del espectro reduciendo la gama de interferencia de los nodos RLAN. Ejemplo de sistema RLAN de gran capacidad El Communications Research Centre (Canad) ha elaborado un sistema experimental RLAN de alta capacidad basado en la tecnologa DVB-S PHY en el sentido hacia adelante (descendente) y la tecnologa 802.11 PHY en el sentido de retorno (ascendente). Funciona en la banda de 5 GHz exenta de licencia y su elevada capacidad se debe a la amplia reutilizacin de frecuencias resultante de una antena en roseta de estacin de base que genera 24 microclulas (llamadas ptalos) aisladas electromagnticamente en las cuales cuatro frecuencias se repiten sucesivamente en el plano horizontal. En cada ptalo se puede facilitar a los abonados hasta 22 Mbit/s de ida y 9 Mbit/s de retorno. El sistema utiliza tecnologa radioelctrica cognoscitiva que controla las bandas de funcionamiento de los enlaces de ida y retorno y ajusta automticamente las asignaciones de frecuencia del sistema y las p.i.r.e. de modo que se reduzca o evite la interferencia causada a otros sistemas prximos que utilizan las mismas frecuencias. El sistema incorpora DFS como parte de su funcionamiento radioelctrico cognoscitivo. El equipo completo en los locales del cliente (CPE) est compuesto por una antena cuadrada plana de 18 cm de costado y 2,5 cm de profundidad, y contiene toda la electrnica necesaria. Habitualmente, el sistema utiliza redes de retroceso metropolitanas de fibra ptica para transmitir los masivos volmenes de trfico inalmbrico que recibe. El radio operacional puede ampliarse a 4,8 km, pero es nominalmente de unos 1 500 m en visibilidad directa y menos en instalaciones con obstculos, y proporciona servicios TCP/IP tales como vdeo a la carta, VoIP e Internet.

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15

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Parmetros tcnicos para aplicaciones de RLAN de banda ancha (fin)

I.2.2

Sistemas de acceso inalmbrico en banda ancha fijos

I.2.2.1 IEEE 802.16 y Matriz ETSI HiperMAN

Las normas IEEE 802.16 y ETSI HiperMAN se refieren al acceso de banda ancha y ofrecen una conexin DSL inalmbrica a usuarios residenciales, SoHo y PYME para aplicaciones fijas y nmadas, principalmente para zonas en las cuales no puede ofrecerse una conexin DSL mediante la instalacin de hilos. IEEE 802.16 e IEEE 802.16a En 2003 la IEEE public la norma 802.16a [2] que es una enmienda de la norma IEEE 802.16 [1], y trata de Modificaciones del control de acceso al medio y especificaciones de la capa fsica adicional para 2-11 GHz. La caracterstica principal de la interfaz inalmbrica IEEE 802.16 es la capa de control de acceso al medio (MAC, medium-access control layer), que especifica un mecanismo de control de acceso a las ondas hertzianas. La MAC IEEE 802.16 se basa en acceso mltiple con asignacin por demanda en el cual las transmisiones se programan segn su prioridad y disponibilidad. Este concepto se debe a la necesidad de soportar un acceso a redes pblicas de clase telefnica en el ltimo kilmetro, con pleno soporte QoS. El sistema podra soportar fcilmente datos de tipo Internet genricos y datos en tiempo real y, en particular, aplicaciones bidireccionales tales como voz, videoconferencia o juegos interactivos. En la norma 802.16a se definen tres modos de capa fsica para bandas de 2-11 GHz: SCa (portadora nica para 2-11 GHz); Multiplexin por divisin ortogonal de frecuencia (OFDM), basado en 256 puntos FFT; se define una topologa en malla adicional para este modo; OFDMA, basado en 2K puntos FFT; se utiliza OFDMA en subida/retorno y bajada/ida.

Estos modos no pueden interfuncionar y un sistema compatible slo puede utilizar uno de ellos. Todos los modos tienen las caractersticas siguientes:
5

Soporte FDD y TDD, incluido semidplex CPE en modo FDD. Eficacia espectral y velocidades de datos elevadas, hasta 72 Mbit/s en un canal de 20 MHz.
Recomendacin UIT-R M.1450-2; Caractersticas de las redes radioelctricas de rea local de banda ancha (Cuestiones UIT-R 212/8 y UIT-R 142/9).

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17

Modulacin adaptativa, de 1/2 QPSK a 3/4 64 QAM para modos OFDM y OFDMA, e incluso modulaciones ms elevadas para el modo SC. Amplia gama de anchos de canal, 1,25 MHz a 28 MHz, los perfiles de interfuncionamiento reales deben definirse en la norma 802.16REVd. Gran radio de clula, hasta 50 km en modo P-MP con antenas directrices montadas en exteriores.

Ganchos para sistemas de antena avanzados Algoritmos de encriptado TEK de alta seguridad: 3-DES con clave de 128 bits (tipo 1); RSA con clave de 1 024 bits.

Normalizacin adicional IEEE 802.16 A finales de 2003, 802.16 est elaborando: una revisin 802.16REVd para mejorar los modos de capa fsica (PHY) existentes y definir perfiles de interfuncionamiento; una enmienda (P802.16e) para soportar operacin mvil, en particular manos libres y ahorro de energa; los sistemas mviles utilizarn los modos PHY mejorados definidos en 802.16REVd; su finalizacin est prevista en otoo de 2004.

Los futuros sistemas de radiocomunicaciones mviles soportarn altas velocidades de datos, una gran movilidad, gran capacidad y elevada QoS. Como el espectro de frecuencias disponible es limitado, una gran eficacia espectral es el principal reto para los futuros sistemas de radiocomunicaciones mviles. Adems, las velocidades binarias y la calidad de funcionamiento deben poderse adaptar a diversos entornos y aplicaciones (zonas metropolitanas, suburbanas y rurales). ETSI HiperMAN ETSI BRAN HiperMAN ha producido tres normas, ya aprobadas: TS 102 177, que trata de la capa fsica; TS 102 178, que trata de la capa de enlace de datos; TS 102 210, en la que se definen perfiles de interfuncionamiento. adopt como base las normas 802.16 y 802.16a; esta seleccin permite las mismas caractersticas descritas anteriormente para sistemas 802.16; seleccion el modo OFDM 256 puntos FFT como solucin ms rentable para la explotacin en condiciones de ausencia de visibilidad directa en banda ancha; mejor el modo OFDM aadiendo subcanalizacin de subida/retorno (OFDMA), 16 subcanales, utilizando un planteamiento agrupado especfico para lograr: 12 dB ms de ganancia del sistema de enlace ascendente, debido a la concentracin de potencia; velocidad de datos de banda ancha por subcanal, en el margen de la clula (150 kbit/s en 3,5 MHz, a 1/2 QPSK); la velocidad de datos disminuye con el nmero de subcanales; capacidad mxima y retardo reducido con diversos tipos de trfico (IP y TDM); funcionamiento robusto, diversidad de frecuencias, buen soporte de sistemas de antena avanzados (AAS, advanced antenna systems).

ETSI HiperMAN ha llevado a cabo un proceso de seleccin y mejora de dos aos:

HiperMAN DLC ha adoptado gran parte del modo 802.16 MAC-OFDM. Adems, la norma HiperMAN DLC contempla el soporte de subcanalizacin de enlace ascendente y modos perfeccionados ARQ/solicitud de ancho de banda/atribucin de ancho de banda.

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Se contempla la posibilidad de que la parte OFDM de IEEE 802.16REVd (2004) se armonice con ETSI HiperMAN. Normalizacin adicional de ETSI HiperMAN La ETSI est elaborando actualmente cuatro nuevas normas para soportar el interfuncionamiento y la gestin del sistema HiperMAN: prueba de conformidad para la capa de control de enlace de datos (DLC) Parte 1: PICS; prueba de conformidad para la capa de control de enlace de datos (DLC) Parte 2: Especificacin de estructura de serie de pruebas y objetos de prueba (TSS & TP); prueba de conformidad de capa de control de enlace de datos (DLC) Parte 3: Serie de prueba resumida (ATS); gestin de red: MIB.

Las pruebas de conformidad son dirigidas por especialistas del ETSI PTCC (protocol & testing competence center). Se ha previsto elaborar perfiles de interfuncionamiento para soportar atribuciones 5,8 GHz. En el futuro, el ETSI BRAN podra contemplar tambin aplicaciones mviles. Ejemplo de instalacin Referencias [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Norma IEEE 802.16: Air Interface for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems 2001. Norma IEEE 802.16a: Amendment 2: Medium Access Control Modifications and Additional Physical Layer Specifications for 2-11 GHz 2003. IEEE L802.16-03/16: IEEE 802.16 Liaison www.ieee802.org/16/liaison/docs/L80216-03_15.pdf Letter to ITU-R: Appendix

ETSI TS 102 177 2003-09; Broadband Radio Access Networks (BRAN); HiperMAN; Physical (PHY) Layer. ETSI TS 102 178 2003-08; Broadband Radio Access Networks (BRAN); HiperMAN; Data Link Control (DLC) Layer. ETSI TS 102 210 2003-08; Broadband Radio Access Networks (BRAN); HiperMAN; System Profiles.

I.2.2.2 Acceso en banda ancha de bucle local inalmbrico basado en IMT-2000

El mercado actual de los servicios celulares inalmbricos sigue experimentando un rpido crecimiento. La mayora de los operadores inician o continan el proceso de instalacin de los sistemas WLL, llamados tambin sistemas de acceso inalmbrico fijo (FWA), basndose en las tecnologas IMT-2000. Aunque en un principio las tecnologas IMT-2000 estn pensadas para suministrar servicios de telecomunicaciones mviles, tambin aportan alternativas eficaces y rentables a las tecnologas por cable y de banda ancha fijas. En concreto, la utilizacin de los sistemas WLL basados en IMT-2000 permite a los operadores reducir sustancialmente las inversiones iniciales necesarias para instalar una red WLL utilizando la mayora de los componentes de red normalizados que constituyen una red mvil. Esto viene a sumarse a la elevada eficacia y compatibilidad espectral de las tecnologas IMT-2000. El operador tiene la opcin de complementar su red mvil actual para suministrar servicios WLL o construir un sistema WLL totalmente nuevo. Para los operadores que prevn ofrecer servicios WLL, los sistemas IMT-2000 resultan una opcin ideal, dado su alto grado de recuperacin. Aunque existen muchas otras tecnologas IMT-2000 y tecnologas ajenas a las IMT-2000 que pueden prestar servicios WLL, esta seccin se centra en la adaptabilidad y solidez del CDMA2000 para prestar servicios WLL.

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A continuacin se presentan las caractersticas principales del servicio WLL basado en CDMA2000, adems de las que ya figuran en la seccin I.2.3.1 del presente Informe: Permite una slida evolucin hacia un sistema de red totalmente IP (3G y redes posteriores) utilizando las arquitecturas de dominio de multimedios (MMD) y/o subsistemas multimedios IP (IMS). Aporta servicios simultneos de voz y de datos de alta velocidad. 3 M/bits en DL y 1,8 Mbit/s en UL, utilizando CDMA2000-1X EV-DO. Arquitectura centralizada. Aporta importantes beneficios con agrupamiento de codificadores vocales, seleccin de trama y algoritmos de control de potencia.

Permite combinar redes de CDMA-1X y portadora 1X-EV. Proporciona caractersticas de llamada de cliente y tasas de facturacin especiales para ciertos grupos de usuarios o usuarios individuales en ubicaciones geogrficas predefinidas. Facturacin comn y atencin al cliente. La funcionalidad durante la comunicacin (OTAF) y las caractersticas de soporte lgico permiten una reconfiguracin de las redes sencilla y flexible. Servicios basados en la ubicacin. Planes mltiples de tasas de abonados. Servicios estructurados en niveles. Ms ingresos por abonado.

Proporciona servicios IP basados en la posicin y criptacin de flujo de paquetes. Responde a los requisitos ms estrictos en materia de reglamentacin debido a la proliferacin de servicios.

Aplicaciones de la tecnologa de bucle local inalmbrico basadas en CDMA2000: El sistema WLL basado en CDMA2000 admite muchos tipos de aplicaciones. Los operadores pueden asociarse con los actuales proveedores de servicios radioelctricos, como proveedores de televisin por cable, compaas elctricas y/o con proveedores de servicios inalmbricos y ofrecer diferentes aplicaciones. Si bien estas aplicaciones pueden ser admitidas en la misma plataforma de red e informtica, ser necesaria la utilizacin de dispositivos de bolsillo especiales. En la figura que aparece a continuacin (Figura 3) se muestran diferentes tipos de aplicaciones que pueden proporcionarse utilizando los sistemas WLL basado en CDMA2000. Estos servicios WLL pueden funcionar en todas las bandas en las que opera el sistema CDMA2000, por ejemplo, de 800 MHz, de 1 900 MHz, etc.

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Cuestin 20-2/2

Figura 3 Aplicaciones de la tecnologa de bucle local inalmbrico que utilizan CDMA2000

Entre las aplicaciones WLL figuran elementos de una infraestructura de movilidad as como otros elementos complementarios: Equipo de abonado fijo (telfonos mviles o equipo en las instalaciones del cliente (CPE)) Un grupo de vendedores de telfonos mviles est fabricando unidades de abonado WLL compatibles con la infraestructura CDMA2000. Entre las opciones de equipo inalmbrico fijo actuales se incluye un telfono mvil tradicional, una unidad inalmbrica de escritorio completamente integrada, una interfaz de red inalmbrica, telfonos de previo pago inalmbricos, estaciones de base unipersonales, etc. Los vendedores de telfonos mviles tienen previsto incluir caractersticas adicionales a las unidades de abonado para mejorar la experiencia del usuario. Prestacin de transparencia Para que un dispositivo WLL tenga aceptacin, la unidad debe parecerse a los telfonos tradicionales y ofrecer servicios y caractersticas que resulten transparentes para el usuario final. Entre las caractersticas figuran las siguientes: prestacin de transparencia en el hogar o en la empresa; aspecto y percepcin consistente (tono de llamada); reenvos de llamada; llamada tripartita; restriccin de la lnea llamante; llamada en espera y transferencia de llamada; prestacin de cdigo; planes y convenciones de marcacin; planes de marcacin privados; mensajera vocal/centros de mensajes;

transparencia operacional;

transparencia de la puesta en servicio;

Cuestin 20-2/2 nodos de servicio; puntos de control del servicio.

21

En el futuro se tiene previsto incorporar prestaciones adicionales a los dispositivos WLL. Habilitacin de servicios Una de las principales caractersticas relativas a la prestacin de servicios fijo y mvil es la capacidad de la red para distinguir entre usuarios del servicio fijo y del mvil en lo que respecta a la facturacin. El CDMA2000 proporciona eficazmente esta capacidad. La red privada CDMA y la prestacin de zonas de usuarios posibilitan la divisin de las redes pblicas. Mediante la utilizacin de los identificadores de red, los proveedores de servicio pueden distinguir entre las diferentes clases de servicio y facturar la utilizacin a sus usuarios de manera diferenciada a partir del mismo equipo y ubicacin fsicos. Esto permite la existencia de zonas de facturacin personal con la capacidad mejorada de la red para avisar al usuario, por medio de un indicador (banner), mediante el dispositivo que designa la(s) tasa(s) o zona(s) de facturacin cuando el usuario se desplaza de una regin a otra. Por otra parte, la red proporciona acceso restringido que prohbe el origen, la terminacin y la transferencia de una llamada fuera de una zona predefinida. Otra de las caractersticas principales de la red es la prestacin de servicios comunes de facturacin y atencin al cliente con el fin de facilitar la utilizacin cotidiana del operador WLL. En la Figura 4 que aparece a continuacin se muestra la convergencia de los centros de atencin y facturacin al cliente en un sistema WLL basado en CDMA2000.

Figura 4 Centro conjunto de atencin al cliente y facturacin de un sistema WLL basado en CDMA2000

22 Arquitectura de sistema

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La arquitectura de sistema tpica con red de acceso radioelctrico (RAN) y la red medular IP6 de un sistema WLL CDMA2000-1X/CDMA2000-1X-EV-DO presenta el aspecto siguiente:

Figura 5 Red medular IP tpica de sistemas WLL basados en CDMA2000

El sistema WLL basado en CDMA2000 utiliza un enfoque de arquitectura distribuida formado por una estacin de base (BS), un controlador de estacin de base (BSC), un agente propio (HA), una autenticacin, autorizacin y contabilidad (AAA) y otras interfaces asociadas. Esta arquitectura es la misma que se utiliza para prestar servicios de movilidad que permiten la integracin de aplicaciones de servicios fijos a la infraestructura existente. Esta estrategia de integracin protege la inversin en infraestructura del proveedor, los usuarios finales y los servicios. A continuacin se describen los elementos de la red medular: El sistema transceptor de base (BTS) es una entidad que proporciona capacidad de transmisin a travs de la interfaz radioelctrica. El controlador de estacin de base (BSC) es una entidad que proporciona control y gestin para uno o ms BTS. El nodo servidor de datos por paquetes (PDSN) proporciona la red de acceso radioelctrico (RAN) con acceso a la red medular IP. La autenticacin, autorizacin y contabilidad (AAA) proporciona funciones de autenticacin, autorizacin y contabilidad basadas en IP. La AAA mantiene adems asociaciones de seguridad con entidades AAA pares. El agente propio (HA) proporciona dos funciones principales: el HA registra el punto de conexin actual del usuario (por ejemplo la direccin IP actual que debe utilizarse para transmitir y recibir paquetes IP) y reenva paquetes IP hacia y desde el punto actual de conexin del usuario. El registro de posiciones propio (HLR) almacena la informacin del abonado. RAN CDMA2000 proporciona interconexin al RTPC mediante la interfaz del sistema de sealizacin N. 7 (SS7).

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6 Para obtener informacin ms detallada sobre la red medular IP de los sistemas CDMA2000, vanse las normas TIA/EIA/ISCDMA2000.

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23

La capacidad de adaptar una red a otra red ntegramente IP, denominada a veces sistema posterior al sistema de tercera generacin o redes de prxima generacin (RPG), constituye la ventaja ms importante para los operadores que utilizan CDMA2000 como un servicio WLL. Entre los beneficios que proporciona una red medular IP figuran los siguientes: servicios vocal y de datos mejorado; VoIP; transferencia de datos a alta velocidad; acceso a Internet;

facilidad de introduccin del servicio; protocolos y servicios normalizados; itinerancia e interfuncionamiento de tecnologa cruzada.

Los operadores pueden disear una evolucin de su red actual mediante la arquitectura del dominios multimedios (MMD)7. La transicin es ininterrumpida y eficaz con una perturbacin mnima para los servicios existentes. En el grfico que aparece a continuacin se presenta un ejemplo tpico de una red CDMA2000 que utiliza la arquitectura MMD.

Figura 6 Visin general de la arquitectura de MMD

Las entidades funcionales MMD son: AAA Ampliacin del HLR a fin de incluir datos del usuario para los subsistemas multimedios IP. Acceso desde la funcin de control de sesin de llamada (CSCF). Utiliza protocolos IETF (DIAMETER). CSCF intermediaria o proxy. Servidor apoderado SIP para el mvil, acta en nombre de la Unin Europea dentro del IMS. Envo de mensajes entre servidores mviles y otros servidores SIP.

Funcin de control de sesin de llamada (CSCF) Proporciona funciones de control de llamada.

____________________
7

Para obtener una descripcin completa de la arquitectura y funcionalidad del MMD, vanse las normas CDMA2000 correspondientes.

24 CSCF servidora.

Cuestin 20-2/2

Registrador SIP con la colaboracin de AAA (servidor de ubicacin). Mquina de estados de la llamada de control de sesin para el punto extremo registrado. Interaccin con plataformas de servicio para control del servicio que proporciona activadores de servicio. punto de entrada desde otras redes. asigna o determina la S-CSCF. puede ocultar topologa de red.

CSCF interrogadora.

I.2.3

Sistemas de acceso inalmbrico en banda ancha mviles

I.2.3.1 Matriz IMT-2000

Las soluciones inalmbricas de tercera generacin (3G) constituyen una posibilidad de acceso de banda ancha relativamente nueva e innovadora que conviene examinar para sustituir otras tecnologas, como la fibra, la lnea de abonado digital (xDSL) o el cable. La expresin IMT-2000 (Telecomunicaciones mviles internacionales) es empleada por la UIT para referirse a un conjunto de normas mundiales armonizadas destinadas a los servicios y equipos de telecomunicaciones mviles de tercera generacin (3G). Las IMT-2000 prevn una plataforma para la distribucin conjunta de servicios fijos, mviles, de voz, de datos, Internet y multimedia. Es posible que las IMT-2000 ofrezcan mayores velocidades de transmisin de banda ancha, comprendidas entre 144 kbit/s, 500 kbit/s y 2 Mbit/s respectivamente para aplicaciones fijas, porttiles y mviles. Las IMT-2000 abarcan un conjunto flexible de cinco interfaces radioelctricas terrenales que ofrecen servicios vocales de gran capacidad y velocidades de datos ms altas. El objetivo de las IMT-2000 es ofrecer servicios transparentes, a travs de diversos medios (mvil, por satlite y fijo), lo que hace que esta plataforma sea apropiada desde el punto de vista del operador y del consumidor. Este conjunto de tecnologas tiene como objetivo satisfacer las necesidades de un mercado liberalizado ms pequeo y sujeto a la competencia en la era de la informacin, y se espera que llegue a ser parte integral del crecimiento econmico general tanto para los pases desarrollados como para los pases en desarrollo. Las caractersticas ms sobresalientes de las IMT-2000 son8: alto grado de uniformidad de concepcin en todo el mundo; compatibilidad de servicios en los sistemas IMT-2000 y con las redes fijas; excelente calidad; terminal pequeo que se puede utilizar en todo el mundo; capacidad de itinerancia mundial; datos a alta velocidad; capacidad para aplicaciones multimedia dentro de una amplia gama de servicios y terminales.

Las IMT-2000, fruto de la colaboracin de muchas entidades dentro de la UIT (UIT-R y UIT-T) y fuera de ella (3GPP, 3GPP2 y otras), incluyen diversas tecnologas simplificadas por la UIT y denominadas IMT-DS, IMT-MC, IMT-TD, IMT-SC e IMT-FT. En la Figura 7 siguiente se muestra un diagrama de las cinco normas de especificacin de interfaces radioelctricas terrenales de las IMT-2000.

____________________
8

Definicin de las IMT-2000 aportada por la UIT.

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25

Figura 7 Normas de interfaces radioelctricas terrenales de las IMT-2000

Interfaces radioelctricas terrenales de las IMT-2000

CDMA IMT-2000 con ensanchamiento directo WCDMA (UMTS)

CDMA IMT-2000 con multiportadora CDMA2000 1X y 3X

TDD CDMA IMT-2000 UTRA TDD y TD-SCDMA

TDMA IMT-2000 de portadora nica UWC-136/EDGE

FDMA/TDMA IMT-2000 DECT

0FDMA

TDD IMT-2000 WiMAX

Las tecnologas IMT-2000 basadas en CDMA (Acceso Mltiple por Divisin de Cdigo) utilizan la tecnologa de espectro ensanchado para dividir las conversaciones en segmentos pequeos, digitalizados y codificados con el fin de identificar cada llamada. De este modo, una gran cantidad de usuarios puede compartir la misma banda del espectro y aumentar de manera considerable la capacidad del sistema. En otras palabras, el CDMA permite a los proveedores de servicios inalmbricos insertar ms seales digitales en un determinado sector de la red radioelctrica. La tecnologa OFDMA se acepta por lo general como opcin en la evolucin de la tecnologa mvil hacia las 4G. Las tecnologas IMT-2000 basadas en OFDMA pueden ofrecer una alta velocidad de datos y tener en cuenta nuevas caractersticas, tales como tecnologas de antena avanzadas para maximizar la cobertura y el nmero de usuarios admitidos por la red. OFDMA prev el multitrayecto y la tolerancia de inferencia en condiciones sin visibilidad directa (NLOS) a fin de obtener una cobertura ubicua de banda ancha en una amplia variedad de entornos de funcionamiento y modelos de utilizacin, incluida la plena movilidad. Entre los nombres genricos de las tecnologas IMT-2000 figuran los siguientes: CDMA2000, WCDMA, y TD-SCDMA, cuyas especificaciones se definen en varias Recomendaciones de la UIT, en especial en la Recomendacin UIT-R M.1457 y en las Recomendaciones UIT-T de la serie Q.174x, donde se describen, respectivamente, las interfaces radioelctricas y las redes bsicas de las IMT-2000. En la actualidad, las tecnologas comerciales de las IMT-2000 alcanzan velocidades mximas de datos de 2 Mbit/s mientras que las versiones futuras de las IMT-2000 alcanzarn velocidades de datos de 3,1 Mbit/s y superiores. La alta velocidad que se alcanza con las tecnologas IMT-2000 hace posibles varias aplicaciones que aportan ventajas considerables a las sociedades rurales. Entre algunas de estas aplicaciones tenemos la cibersalud, el comercio electrnico, el gobierno electrnico, la localizacin de posiciones y la asistencia en casos de emergencia. Por otra parte, las tecnologas IMT-2000 utilizadas en las bandas de frecuencia ms bajas proporcionan importantes mejoras de cobertura a las zonas rurales. Desde 2000, ms de 50 pases (ms de la mitad de ellos pases en desarrollo) han comenzado a instalar tecnologas IMT-20009, permitiendo en muchos casos a los operadores adaptar sus actuales redes utilizando las frecuencias de las redes mviles existentes. Varios pases han adjudicado bajo licencia frecuencias suplementarias para redes IMT-2000 terrenales. Las tecnologas CDMA2000 y WCDMA han sido las principales tecnologas utilizadas para el lanzamiento comercial de las IMT-2000. Actualmente, numerosos operadores estn realizando inversiones en la tecnologa IMT-2000 basada en WiMAX10. Los consumidores utilizan las IMT-2000 como soporte de la banda ancha en sistemas fijos, porttiles y/o mviles. Por otra parte, las tecnologas IMT-2000 proporcionan servicios de banda ancha eficaces. Creadas en un principio para ofrecer a los usuarios servicios de voz y de datos de baja a media velocidad, estas tecnologas proporcionan actualmente velocidades de datos de hasta 2 Mbit/s y una excelente calidad vocal. Al utilizar ____________________
9 10

www.3gtoday.com/operators_flash.html www.wimaxforum.org/resources/documents/marketing/casestudies

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un sistema IMT-2000 comercial para prestar servicios de banda ancha, el operador puede beneficiarse de los importantes avances que han tenido lugar en el mercado de las tecnologas IMT-2000 comerciales, entre los que figuran servicios de datos de banda ancha mejorados, mejoras del rendimiento espectral (antenas adaptativas, modulacin avanzada y tcnicas de codificacin), mayor seguridad de la red, as como otras caractersticas relativas a las tecnologas; todas estas prestaciones tendrn una funcin principal en el enriquecimiento de la experiencia de los usuarios del servicio de banda ancha. Por otra parte, el empleo de las tecnologas IMT-2000 permitir a los operadores aprovechar importantes economas de escala que reducirn los gastos de capital y gastos de explotacin asociados a la red. La ampliacin a las tecnologas IMT-2000 con arreglo y en apoyo a la norma, permitirn satisfacer las necesidades de los futuros usuarios de banda ancha, a medida que surjan nuevas demandas y aplicaciones. As, las redes modulares IP con conmutacin de paquetes que emplean las tecnologas IMT-2000 proporcionan una plataforma abierta y eficaz para aadir nuevas caractersticas y tecnologas que soportan aplicaciones de banda ancha. Todo ello facilitar en un futuro la distribucin de contenido multimedios y de banda ancha a los usuarios, a medida que aumente la demanda de velocidad de datos de banda ancha. Las tecnologas IMT-2000 disfrutan de una posicin principal entre el resto de las tecnologas de banda ancha ya que no slo proporcionan servicios de banda ancha para la telefona fija o porttil sino que tambin proporcionan estos servicios en un entorno mvil. Las caractersticas ms sobresalientes de las IMT-2000, tales como la movilidad, la capacidad de superponer redes, el alto grado de uniformidad de concepcin, los terminales pequeos, la capacidad de itinerancia mundial y otros, permiten la prestacin de servicios de banda ancha a los usuarios cuando stos se desplazan de un lugar (fijo o mvil) a otro. Por otra parte, hoy en da las tecnologas IMT-2000 proporcionan servicios de datos de banda ancha seguros y fiables que superan con mucho a las capacidades del servicio de datos de los actuales servicios radioterrestres mviles y de algunas tecnologas de acceso inalmbrico fijo. Es importante sealar que distintas tecnologas, tales como la RLAN, los sistemas de conectividad de corto alcance y las IMT-2000, pueden estar incorporadas en un mismo dispositivo que funciona a travs de varias redes en un momento determinado. Por ejemplo, un asistente digital personal puede contener numerosas interfaces radioelctricas que le permiten comunicarse con un terminal porttil (dominio de la zona personal), una RLAN privada o pblica (dominio de la zona inmediata) o un proveedor de servicios en una zona extensa, por ejemplo una red mvil (celular) (dominio de la zona extensa).

I.2.3.1.1 Componentes de satlite y terrenal de las IMT-2000

Los componentes de satlite y terrenal de las IMT-2000 suelen completarse el uno al otro proporcionando una cobertura de servicio en zonas en las cuales el uno o el otro pueden no resultar econmicamente rentables. Cada componente tiene ventajas e inconvenientes. El componente de satlite puede dar cobertura en zonas que podran quedar fuera del alcance econmico del componente terrenal, particularmente en las zonas rurales y apartadas y especialmente para los pases en desarrollo. Adems, al proporcionar esta cobertura complementaria, en algunas zonas ms densamente pobladas el componente de satlite puede preceder e incluso fomentar una cobertura posterior por el componente terrenal. Los sistemas de satlite tambin pueden completar las redes mviles terrenales con una cobertura de multidifusin. Es posible, por lo tanto, que la evolucin siga dos caminos: uno que consiste en aumentar la componente terrenal IMT-2000 y el otro que es el precursor de la componente terrenal IMT-2000. En la familia IMT-2000 estn definidos actualmente seis sistemas de satlite, a travs de sus interfaces radioelctricas (vanse las Recomendaciones UIT-R M.1455-2 y UIT-R M.1457-3) y se supone que todos pueden funcionar independientemente unos de otros. El objetivo de todos ellos es dar cobertura a zonas de servicio regionales, multirregionales o mundiales y, por lo tanto, puede haber varios sistemas de satlite capaces de proporcionar servicio en cualquier pas. Existen numerosas posibilidades de evolucin y el UIT-R est estudiando los puntos siguientes en particular: Efecto de la gran evolucin prevista de la infraestructura IMT-2000 de componentes terrenales sobre la instalacin y evolucin de sistemas de satlite mviles IMT-2000. Inicialmente es ms probable que haya elementos comunes entre los niveles de red que entre los otros niveles. A qu nivel se considerar un sistema como IMT-2000?

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27

El impacto y los aspectos prcticos de los terminales de usuario en modo dual capaces de funcionar en varios sistemas que proporcionan servicios de voz y de datos, sea cual sea la red mvil utilizada (satlite o terrenal). El UIT-R est estudiando el uso de satlites para la prestacin de servicios de Internet en zonas rurales y zonas escasamente pobladas, etc., en respuesta al punto 1.19 del orden del da correspondiente a la prxima Conferencia Mundial de Radiocomunicaciones prevista para 2007.

I.2.3.1.2 Mejoras del servicio IMT-2000

Se espera que las normas, las tecnologas y los servicios IMT-2000 sigan evolucionando. A continuacin se dan varios ejemplos de ese tipo de mejoras que se estn estudiando actualmente. Ya se est contemplando la evolucin futura de las UMTS. La tecnologa de acceso radioelctrico UMTS se mejorar para admitir acceso de alta velocidad por paquetes en los enlaces descendente y ascendente para la transmisin a velocidades de hasta 14,2 Mbit/s. Del mismo modo que EDGE aumenta la eficacia espectral en comparacin con GPRS, HSDPA aumenta la eficacia espectral en comparacin con las IMT-2000 CDMA de ensanchamiento directo. La mayor eficacia espectral y las velocidades superiores no slo permiten nuevas clases de aplicaciones, tambin admiten que un mayor nmero de usuarios acceda a la red, y la HSDPA ofrece ms de dos veces la capacidad. Habr otras tecnologas complementarias que permitirn proporcionar velocidades de datos realmente elevadas y grandes densidades de usuarios, tales como las que se encontrarn en centros de conferencias, por ejemplo las redes de rea local inalmbricas (WLAN), que pueden completar las IMT-2000 en el futuro, y ofrecen velocidades binarias tericas de hasta 54 Mbit/s. Aunque tambin pueden instalarse redes WLAN pblicas independientemente de las redes mviles, stas tienen ventajas para los operadores mviles, en el sentido de que tienen capacidad para gestin de movilidad, gestin de abonados, alta seguridad e itinerancia. Otra mejora es el subsistema multimedios IP (IMS). Permite ofrecer servicios de persona a persona en tiempo real, tales como telefona de voz o de vdeo, por medio de una tecnologa con conmutacin de paquetes en comn con servicios de informacin y de datos, mediante la utilizacin de control de llamada multimedios IP. Permite la integracin e interaccin de servicios de comunicaciones y de informacin, as como el establecimiento de sesiones de comunicaciones simultneas entre varios usuarios y dispositivos. Se estn contemplando asimismo evoluciones adicionales de la tecnologa CDMA2000. Por ejemplo, si se incluyesen nuevos codificadores en modo seleccionable (SMV, selectable mode vocoders) y tcnicas de diversidad de antena, un sistema CDMA2000 1X podra proporcionar una capacidad vocal aproximadamente tres veces superior a la de los sistemas IS-95.11 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO es un perfeccionamiento de la tecnologa CDMA2000 que se ha optimizado esencialmente para ofrecer servicios de datos y permite la transmisin de datos a velocidades ms elevadas. La interfaz inalmbrica CDMA2000 1xEV-DO est concebida para ofrecer un interfuncionamiento completo con redes CDMA2000 1X y proporciona una velocidad de datos mxima de hasta 3,1 Mbit/s en el enlace hacia adelante y de 1,8 Mbit/s en el enlace hacia atrs con un ancho de banda de la portadora de 1,25 MHz. Adems, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO proporciona actualmente multidistribucin/difusin (punto a multipunto) y transmisin punto a punto de voz, datos y contenido multimedios y ofrece a los operadores la posibilidad econmica de suministrar numerosos servicios de datos IMT-2000 a precios asequibles. Los sistemas 1xEVDO ya comercializados12 recogen numerosas caractersticas avanzadas del diseo de sistemas de comunicacin inalmbricos. La elevada capacidad de datos de la tecnologa 1xEV-DO se explica por la incorporacin de sistemas de modulacin de orden superior, tales como 16-QAM, adaptacin de enlace

____________________
11 12

SMV Capacity Increases, Andy Dejaco, Qualcomm Inc., CDG-C11-2000-1016010, 16 de octubre de 2000. Al 1 de mayo de 2003 haba operadores en tres continentes, por ejemplo: SK Telecom (Repblica de Corea), KTF (Repblica de Corea), Monet Mobile (Estados Unidos), Giro (Brasil). Fuente: www.3gtoday.com.

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dinmica, modulacin adaptativa, redundancia incremental, diversidad multiusuarios, diversidad de recepcin, codificacin turbo y otros mecanismos de control de canal13. La tecnologa CDMA2000 1xEV-DV es un perfeccionamiento de los sistemas multiportadora CDMA IMT-2000, pues combina las caractersticas de los sistemas CDMA2000 1X y CDMA2000 1xEV-DO. As pues, ofrece la posibilidad de optar por la capacidad de voz ms elevada de los sistemas CDMA2000 1X o la mayor capacidad de datos de los sistemas CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, o incluso una combinacin equilibrada de alta capacidad de voz y datos en una sola portadora de 1,25 MHz. Igual que el subsistema multimedios IP (IMS) de ensanchamiento directo IMT-2000 permite ofrecer servicios de persona a persona en tiempo real, tales como la telefona de voz o de vdeo, por medio de una tecnologa con conmutacin de paquetes, el dominio de multimedios (MMD) en IMT-2000 multiportadora permite la distribucin a los usuarios de una serie de aplicaciones con un elevado coeficiente de datos y multimedia, tales como VoIP, punto a punto y multidistribucin de imgenes, voz, contenido musical y otros, utilizando una red medular IP comn con conmutacin de paquetes. Todo ello aporta importantes beneficios y capacidades a los operadores que quieren ofrecer una combinacin de aplicaciones y servicios utilizando la misma plataforma de radiocomunicaciones para varios usuarios y dispositivos. El Grupo de Trabajo del UIT-D sobre la Cuestin 18/2 ha preparado una serie completa de directrices sobre la transicin de los sistemas existentes a los IMT-2000. Este Informe figura en el sitio web de la Comisin de Estudio 2 del UIT-D.

I.2.3.1.3 CDMA2000 y EV-DO

I) Introduccin

CDMA2000 es la tecnologa que ofrecen actualmente ms de 193 operadores en 83 pases a ms de 345 millones de abonados14. CDMA2000 representa parte del conjunto de normas IMT-2000 e incluye las tecnologas CDMA2000 1X y CDMA2000 1xEV-DO15. La versin 0 de CDMA2000 1xEV-DO transmite datos a velocidades mximas de 2,4 Mbit/s y a velocidades promedio de 300-600 kbit/s por segundo. La Revisin A de CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, disponible actualmente en el mercado, proporciona velocidades mximas de 3,1 bit/s en el enlace directo y de 1,8 Mbit/s en el enlace inverso. Esta Revisin aprovecha la infraestructura IP de CDMA e introduce mejoras que admiten aplicaciones sensibles a la latencia y que consumen gran anchura de banda como, por ejemplo, el protocolo de transmisin de la voz por Internet (VoIP) y la mensajera multimedios instantnea (IMM), permitiendo adems a los operadores ofrecer servicios integrados de voz, datos y vdeo a menor costo y por numerosas redes. Los equipos correspondientes a la Revisin A de EV-DO ya estn disponibles en el mercado y son compatibles con tecnologas CDMA2000 1X anteriores y con la Versin 0 de EV-DO. La Revisin B de 1xEV-DO permitir la agregacin de hasta 15 portadoras de 1,25 MHz cuando estn disponibles mayores anchuras de banda para proporcionar caudales de datos an ms importantes. La norma correspondiente a la Revisin B de CDMA2000 EV-DO admite hasta 4,9 Mbit/s en cada canal para una velocidad de datos de tres canales combinada de hasta 14,7 Mbit/s por enlace descendente. Dicha norma puede aumentar el caudal de datos a 73,5 Mbit/s por enlace descendente y a 27 Mbit/s por enlace ascendente a travs de numerosas portadoras y del sistema de modulacin por amplitud en cuadratura-64. La tecnologa correspondiente a la Revisin B de CDMA2000 EV-DO prev tambin mejoras considerables en la calidad de funcionamiento y capacidad de la red. QUALCOMM es el primer producto comercial de mdems de ____________________
13

CDMA/HDR: a bandwidth efficient high speed wireless data service for nomadic users, (un servicio de datos inalmbrico de alta velocidad y ancho de banda eficaz para usuarios nmadas), Bender, P., Black, P., Grob, M., Padovani, R., Sindhushyana, N., Viterbi, S., Communications Magazine, IEEE, Volume: 38, Issue: 7, julio de 2000, pginas 70 a 77. www.cdg.org desde marzo de 2007 y database.com/pub/emcdata.nsf/WCIS%20main3 Servicios mundiales de informacin celular (WCIS), wcis.emc-

14

15

CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, o CDMA2000 1xEvolucin-Datos optimizados, se suele conocer como EV-DO. El proyecto de asociacin 2 de la tercera generacin, www.3gpp2.org, tiene la atribucin de normalizar los integrantes del conjunto de las IMT-2000 basadas en CDMA2000. En el marco del 3GPP2, ya se ha llevado a cabo la normalizacin de las revisiones 0 y A de esta tecnologa, conocidas como IS-856.

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datos derivado de la Revisin B de EV-DO, disponible desde fines de 2007, cuyos dispositivos inalmbricos adicionales se comercializaron poco despus. II) Informacin relativa a las normas

Las especificaciones de la tecnologa IMT-2000 se definen en una serie de Recomendaciones de la UIT, en especial la Recomendacin UIT-R M.1457 y las Recomendaciones de la serie Q.174x del UIT-T, que describen respectivamente las interfaces radioelctricas y las redes modulares para el conjunto de normas de las IMT-2000. UIT-2000 es el resultado de la colaboracin entre numerosas entidades dentro de la UIT (UIT-R y UIT-T) y fuera de ella (3GPP, 3GPP2, etc.). III) Capacidades EV-DO calidad de servicio completa y soporte eficaz para una amplia variedad de aplicaciones de datos por paquetes, tales como VoIP, videotelefona, juegos inalmbricos, pulse y hable (PoC, Push to talk Over Cellular), radiodifusin/multidistribucin; compatibilidad con multiportadoras anteriores de hasta 20 MHz; radiodifusin/multidistribucin; dplex flexible; reutilizacin de frecuencias hbridas.

El conjunto de normas EV-DO proporciona las siguientes capacidades/caractersticas esenciales:

Versin 0 de 1xEV-DO Como en los sistemas IS-95 e IS-2000, se atribuye una anchura de banda de 1,25 MHz a las portadoras de la versin 0 de 1xEV-DO, que utilizan una forma de onda con ensanchamiento en secuencia directa (DS) a 1,2288 Mcps. La unidad de tiempo fundamental para las transmisiones de enlace descendente es un intervalo de 1,66 ms que contiene canales piloto y MAC, y una porcin de datos que puede contener los canales de trfico o control, como se indica en la Figura 8. A diferencia de los sistemas IS-2000 donde la trama es de 20 ms, en la versin 0 de 1xEV-DO la trama es de 26,66 ms.

Figura 8: Estructura del intervalo de enlace descendente de la versin 0 de 1xEV-DO

1/2 intervalo 1 024 chips Datos 400 chips MAC 64 chips Piloto 96 chips MAC 64 chips Datos 400 chips Intervalo activo Datos 400 chips MAC 64 chips 1/2 intervalo 1 024 chips Piloto 96 chips MAC 64 chips Datos 400 chips

El canal piloto se transmite a plena potencia para 96 chips en todos los intervalos proporcionando no slo una referencia para la demodulacin coherente de los canales de trfico y MAC sino tambin un muestreo del estado del canal inalmbrico a 1 200 Hz. El canal MAC consiste en un canal de actividad inversa (RA) y hasta canales de control de potencia inversa (RPC). El canal RA de un determinado sector proporciona una retroalimentacin de 1 bit a todos los terminales que pueden recibir ese enlace directo a los sectores indicando si su carga de trfico de enlace ascendente excede un umbral. El canal de trfico es transmitido a cada usuario una vez. En lugar del enlace descendente CDM utilizado en los sistemas IS-2000, la versin 0 de 1xEV-DO utiliza un enlace descendente TDM. La velocidad de datos del canal de trfico utilizado por la red de acceso para la transmisin al terminal de acceso est determinada por el mensaje de control de velocidad de datos (DRC) enviado por la terminal de acceso en el enlace ascendente. La combinacin del mtodo H-ARQ y la diversidad multiusuario mejora la calidad en una variedad de condiciones de canal,

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puesto que el primero da lugar a una ganancia de capacidad en canales de desvanecimiento rpido y la segunda, en canales de desvanecimiento lento. El enlace ascendente en la versin 0 de 1xEV-DO es similar al del sistema IS-2000 pero tiene una diferencia esencial: utiliza el control de velocidad distribuida estocstico con medicin directa del ndice de congestin de la red (RoT, Rise-over-Thermal). El protocolo del canal MAC de enlace ascendente define las reglas utilizadas por cada terminal de acceso y utiliza un algoritmo distribuido sujeto al control de retroalimentacin. Revisin A de 1xEV-DO Las principales mejoras que ofrece la revisin A de cdma2000 1xEV-DO son las siguientes: Una capa fsica de enlace ascendente con soporte del mtodo ARQ hbrido (H-ARQ, Hybrid ARQ), modulacin de orden superior (QPSK y 8-PSK), velocidad mxima ms alta (1,8 Mbit/s), cuantificacin de velocidad ms precisa. Una capa MAC de enlace ascendente con soporte de QoS multiflujo gestionada por contencin, control exhaustivo de la eficacia espectral y el equilibrio de latencia de la red para cada flujo y un mecanismo de control de interferencias ms slido que permite el funcionamiento del sistema a un ndice RoT o carga de trfico ms elevados. Una capa fsica de enlace descendente con velocidad mxima ms alta (3,1 Mbit/s), cuantificacin de velocidad ms precisa y pequeos paquetes que prevn una reduccin en la demora de transmisin y una mejor utilizacin de los recursos del enlace descendente. Una capa MAC de enlace descendente con acceso mltiple por divisin de paquetes (PDMA), reduccin de la demora de transmisin permitiendo la transmisin a terminales que indican una DRC de velocidad cero y seleccin de servidor adaptable compatible que elimina los retardos de transmisin debido a los cambios de servidor del enlace descendente. Con la PDMA, la red de acceso puede transmitir datos a numerosos usuarios utilizando el mismo paquete de capa fsica, mejorando de esta forma no slo la eficacia de empaquetamiento de la capa fsica sino tambin la latencia de transmisin. El establecimiento rpido de la conexin en aplicaciones que requieren conexin instantnea mediante la utilizacin de intervalos ms cortos entre paquetes (que permiten un equilibrio razonable entre el establecimiento de la conexin y el mximo aprovechamiento de la batera del terminal) y un canal de acceso a velocidades superiores.

Enlace descendente Las principales mejoras de la capa fsica y la capa MAC en los enlaces descendentes de la revisin A de cdma2000 1xEV-DO son las siguientes: Paquetes cortos, es decir 128-bit, 256-bit y 512-bit. Velocidades mximas de datos ms altas (3,1 Mbit/s) y cuantificacin de velocidad ms precisa. Asociacin entre ndice DRC y formatos de transmisin de uno a muchos. Acceso mltiple por divisin de paquetes a travs de la utilizacin de paquetes multiusuario. Seleccin de servidor adaptable compatible.

Pueden obtenerse mejoras sustanciales en la eficacia del enlace (o empaquetamiento) mediante la utilizacin de paquetes multiusuario, es decir, transmitiendo datos a numerosos terminales de acceso utilizando el mismo paquete de capa fsica. Esta tcnica permite admitir un gran nmero de aplicaciones sensibles al retardo y de baja velocidad. El planificador de enlace descendente sigue prestando paquetes de usuario nico mediante una planificacin oportunista para explotar en lo posible la diversidad multiusuario.

Cuestin 20-2/2 Enlace ascendente

31

Las principales mejoras en el enlace ascendente de la capa fsica en la revisin A de cdma2000 1xEV-DO son las siguientes: Capa fsica H-ARQ. Velocidades de datos ms altas (velocidad mxima de 1,8 Mbit/s/1,25 MHz) y cuantificacin de velocidad ms precisa. Amplio control centralizado con tara de sealizacin mnima.

Amplio control centralizado La revisin A de cdma2000 1xEV-DO proporciona a la red de acceso varios mecanismos de control centralizado, aparte de los ya proporcionados por la versin 0. En la Figura 9 se observan dichos mecanismos de control.

Figura 9: Mecanismos de control centralizado del enlace ascendente en la revisin A de 1xEV-DO

Control QoS por flujo

Control de capacidad/ equidad/ interferencia explcito Peticin explcita y concesin

Control rpido de bit RA Control mximo por AT TxT2P

Mecanismos de control centralizado en la revisin A de 1xEV-DO

Conversin de flujo HiCap a flujo LoLat Control de transmisin de velocidad mxima PER adaptable al flujo

Configuracin de latencia

Interpretacin de carga de sector especfica del flujo

Revisin B de 1xEV-DO (EV-DO multiportadora) Las normas EV-DO multiportadora son compatibles con sistemas antiguos de la revisin A de 1xEV-DO. Aunque se necesitan terminales ms modernos para una operacin multiportadora, los terminales de portadora nica basados en la revisin 0 o la revisin A de 1xEV-DO pueden funcionar en redes EV-DO modernas que admiten ese tipo de operacin. La revisin B de 1xEV-DO ofrece a los usuarios servicios ms interesantes, responde mejor a las exigencias del usuario y permite disminuir los costos por bit del operador. Las normas EV-DO multiportadora especifican un sistema con anchura de banda de hasta 20 MHz y portadoras de 1,25 MHz cada una, as como terminales que admiten una o ms portadoras. Los operadores pueden prestar servicios basados en esta norma a travs de una actualizacin del soporte lgico a tarjetas de canal de la revisin A de 1xEV-DO. Los dispositivos multiportadora pueden funcionar en modo portadora nica con la norma 1x (IS-2000) o 1xEV-DO o en modo multiportadora con dos o ms portadoras de la revisin A de 1xEV-DO. Los dispositivos EV-DO multiportadora pueden admitir la operacin de canal CDMA no contiguo para ganancias mximas debido a la selectividad de frecuencias de canal y al equilibro de carga en las portadoras.

32 Conceptos fundamentales

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Los conceptos fundamentales introducidos en la norma EV-DO multiportadora son los siguientes: 1 2 3 4 5 Agregacin de canal a travs del protocolo de enlace radioelctrico multienlace (ML-RLP). Modos de funcionamiento simtricos y asimtricos. Equilibro de carga adaptable. Asignacin de portadora dplex flexible. Mayor duracin de las bateras del terminal (mejoras en el tiempo de conversacin y de espera).

I.2.3.1.4 WCDMA y matriz HSPA

I) Introduccin

La tecnologa WCDMA forma parte del conjunto de normas de la UIT sobre las IMT-2000 que, actualmente, ofrecen ms de 134 operadores en 59 pases a ms de 100 millones de abonados16. La versin 99 de WCDMA ofrece la mxima velocidad terica de enlace descendente que alcanza apenas unos 2 Mbit/s. Aunque el caudal exacto depende de las dimensiones del canal que elige el operador, las capacidades de los dispositivos y el nmero de usuarios activos en la red, los usuarios pueden obtener caudales mximos de 350 kbit/s en redes comerciales. La velocidad mxima de la red de enlace descendente es de 384 kbit/s. La velocidad mxima de los caudales de la red de enlace ascendente es tambin de 384 kbit/s en las instalaciones ms modernas, con velocidades mximas para el usuario de 350 kbit/s. La mayora de las redes WCDMA en Amrica del Norte, Europa, Australia, Japn, Corea, Hong Kong, Filipinas, Repblica Sudafricana y Oriente Medio han activado el HSDPA con objeto de ofrecer sistemas de banda ancha inalmbrica completos17. Estudios regulares de la Asociacin de proveedores mundiales de sistemas mviles (GSA) confirman que 147 operadores de red en 67 pases han optado por sistemas WCDMA-HSDPA, 100 redes de los cuales han lanzado al mercado servicios de acceso inalmbrico de banda ancha en 54 pases. Hay ms de 200 dispositivos con HSDPA, 80 de los cuales son telfonos18. WCDMA consiste en un trayecto de evolucin muy preciso que proporciona capacidades de banda ancha mvil manteniendo al mismo tiempo la compatibilidad con sistemas anteriores. En la figura siguiente se observa la evolucin del WCDMA y se enumera una serie de importantes mejoras:

____________________
16

Servicio Mundial de Informacin Celular (WCIS), wcis.emc-database.com/pub/emcdata.nsf/WCIS%20main3 desde noviembre de 2006. Asociacin de proveedores mundiales de sistemas mviles (GSA) en www.gsacom.com Ibid.

17 18

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Figura 10 Evolucin del WCDMA

3G modernas
Versin 99 de 3GPP Versin 5 Versin 6 Versin 7 Versin 8+

Propuesta

Propuesta Evolucin continua de WCDMA en 5 MHz

384 kbps a 2 Mbit/s Red ntegramente IP Soporte UMTS de nuevas frecuencias

Transporte IP

Compatibilidad WLAN-UMTS

Transporte ATM

Anchura de banda flexible

El acceso por paquetes de alta velocidad (HSPA) hace referencia a las mejoras introducidas en la interfaz radioelctrica WCDMA en las versiones 5 y 6 de las normas 3GPP; HSPA+, a las mejoras en la interfaz radioelctrica WCDMA en las fases 7 y 8. El enlace directo o descendente se denomina acceso por paquetes de alta velocidad en enlace descendente (HSDPA) y el enlace inverso o ascendente, acceso por paquetes de alta velocidad en enlace ascendente (HSUPA). HSDPA permite velocidades de transmisin de datos de hasta 14,4 Mbit/s y HSUPA, de hasta 5,76 Mbit/s. HSDPA y HSUPA pueden incorporarse en la norma de la portadora de 5 MHz de las redes WCDMA. HSPA+ ofrecer una mejor capacidad para servicios en tiempo real, tales como VoIP, MIMO y compatibilidad con sistemas anteriores. HSPA+ proporcionar velocidades mximas de 14-42 Mbit/s en enlace descendente, y de hasta 11 Mbit/s en enlace ascendente, segn la aplicacin de caractersticas avanzadas. II) Informacin relativa a las normas

Las especificaciones de la tecnologa IMT-2000 se definen en numerosas Recomendaciones de la UIT, en especial en la Recomendacin UIT-R M.1457 y en las Recomendaciones UIT-T de la serie Q.174x, que describen respectivamente las interfaces radioelctricas y las redes medulares del conjunto de normas IMT-2000. UIT-2000 es el resultado de la colaboracin entre numerosas entidades dentro de la UIT (UIT-R e UIT-T) y fuera de ella (3GPP, 3GPP2, etc.). III) Capacidades WCDMA/HSPA

Versin 99 de WCDMA Mayor capacidad Importantes mejoras en la calidad y capacidad de la seal vocal. Se estima que la capacidad de la seal vocal es aproximadamente de 70 a 100 usuarios19 en un GoS de 2% en un canal de 5 MHz de la versin 99 de WCDMA que utiliza codificadores de seales vocales AMR (7,95 a 12,2 kbit/s). Importantes mejoras en el caudal del enlace descendente y ascendente

Velocidades de datos ms altas

____________________
19

Comparing HSDPA vs R99 Capacity v7, documento interno de QUALCOMM: Thomas Klingenbrunn, enero de 2005.

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Cuestin 20-2/2 La versin 99 de WCDMA ofrece una velocidad mxima de datos por paquetes de 384 kbit/s tanto para el enlace descendente como para el enlace ascendente. Sin embargo, la norma especifica una velocidad mxima de datos de 2 Mbit/s para ambos enlaces. Utilizando velocidades de propagacin variables, la versin 99 de WCDMA define diversos canales de velocidad de datos. Cuanto menor sea la propagacin, mayor ser la velocidad del canal de datos.

La tecnologa de la versin 99 de WCDMA especifica un canal de datos con conmutacin de circuitos que proporciona una velocidad de datos constante de 64 kbit/s. Considerables mejoras en las aplicaciones existentes que responden a las exigencias del usuario. Videotelefona con conmutacin de circuitos. Mayor practicidad en aplicaciones simultneas de voz y datos. Reutilizacin de nodos de red medular GPRS. Admisin de traspasos entre sistemas (WCDMA-GSM).

Mejores servicios y aplicaciones a travs de la QoS

Compatibilidad con sistemas anteriores

Acceso por paquetes de alta velocidad en enlace descendente (HSDPA) HSDPA es una tecnologa que proporciona a los operadores mviles de banda ancha una calidad mejorada de datos en el enlace descendente y permite servicios de datos avanzados. Esta tecnologa, actualmente muy utilizada por los operadores en el mundo, combina datos de alta calidad en el enlace descendente con altas velocidades mximas de datos, una capacidad mejorada del sistema, latencia considerablemente baja as como capacidades de balance y cobertura del enlace superior y alta capacidad de borde de clula. HSDPA es un nuevo canal de transmisin de datos por paquetes a alta velocidad que forma parte de las mejoras introducidas en la tecnologa WCDMA a travs de la versin 5 como superposicin en el nivel superior de los canales regulares de la versin 99 del WCDMA. La portadora de la versin 5 est diseada para admitir el modo HSDPA y los usuarios de la versin 99 simultneamente; como opcin, el HSDPA puede implantarse en su propia portadora exclusiva. Esta tecnologa de acceso ofrece datos a una velocidad mxima de 14,4 Mbit/s en un solo canal, aunque las actuales velocidades mximas de datos comerciales disponibles oscilan entre 3,6 Mbit/s y 7,2 Mbit/s. HSDPA responde considerablemente mejor a las exigencias del usuario de sistemas 3G en materia de datos puesto que ofrece una capacidad de datos tres veces mayor en comparacin con la versin 99 en el enlace descendente y una calidad muchas veces superior en comparacin con las tecnologas GPRS y EDGE. HSDPA logra que WCDMA adquiera un nuevo nivel de calidad elevado puesto que puede admitir aplicaciones de banda ancha ms interesantes con latencias ms bajas, retardos ms cortos, mayor rapidez de respuesta de la red y una mejor calidad de servicio en materia de datos. HSDPA proporciona un operador con una transicin armoniosa y opciones de instalacin flexibles, dado que es compatible con sistemas de la versin 99 de la tecnologa. Las redes HSDPA pueden ampliarse mediante inversiones en la red. Pasar de la versin 99 al HSDPA trae consigo cambios de menor importancia en la funcionalidad del Nodo B y del RNC. El nodo B podr entonces realizar funciones que ya ampla anteriormente el RNC (versin 99) y que proporcionan: Mayor rapidez de respuesta puesto que la operacin del nodo B permitir retardos de ida y vuelta ms cortos debido a una adaptacin y planificacin ms eficaz del enlace. Utilizacin ms eficaz de los recursos debido a una rpida planificacin. HSDPA incorpora H-ARQ, mejorando la eficacia de la retransmisin.

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A continuacin se enumeran las nuevas tcnicas avanzadas incorporadas. Las mejoras que dan lugar a una mayor calidad en el modo HSDPA se deben a los nuevos conceptos y tcnicas avanzadas siguientes incorporados en el diseo de la tecnologa: Nuevos canales fsicos de alta velocidad El modo HSDPA introduce nuevos canales de datos de alta velocidad, llamados canales fsicos compartidos de enlace descendente de alta velocidad (HS-PDSCH), que se asignan a los usuarios en un dominio de tiempo. Hay 15 canales de este tipo que funcionan en un canal radioelctrico WCDMA de 5 MHz. Los recursos son asignados en los dominios de tiempo y de cdigo (canales HS-DSCH). HSDPA admite esquemas de modulacin de orden superior que incluyen QPSK y 16QAM. La modulacin 16QAM aumenta el caudal de datos, en tanto que QPSK est disponible en condiciones adversas. HSDPA utiliza velocidades de codificacin de R = 1/3 a R=1. Segn la seal de recepcin y el entorno del canal, se asigna al usuario HSDPA un esquema de modulacin y codificacin adecuado para maximizar la velocidad de los datos transmitidos. El proceso de seleccionar y actualizar de forma adaptable la modulacin y velocidad de codificacin ptima se denomina adaptacin rpida de enlace. Sobre la base de la informacin recopilada con respecto a la calidad del canal rpido, y los intervalos TTI ms cortos, es posible efectuar una planificacin ms rpida de los recursos en el modo HSDPA. Se asignan a los usuarios recursos de trfico con las mejores condiciones para la radiocomunicacin instantnea, garantizando la equidad entre los usuarios. El planificador puede elegir un usuario con la mejor calidad de la seal instantnea asegurndose al mismo tiempo que cada usuario recibe un nivel mnimo de servicios del caudal de datos. Este mtodo de asignacin de recursos se conoce como planificacin equitativa proporcional. Como las condiciones del canal son diferentes para los distintos usuarios, cada uno de ellos es atendido cuando est en condiciones ideales para la radiocomunicacin. De hecho, este mtodo ayuda a aprovechar al mximo el caudal del sector, dado que la red alcanza una importante diversidad de usuarios y una eficacia espectral considerablemente alta, es decir el caudal del sector resultante ser mayor cuando el sistema tenga ms usuarios y no menos usuarios. La peticin automtica de repeticin hbrida (Hybrid ARQ, Automatic Repeat Request) es un proceso de combinacin de transmisiones repetidas de datos para aumentar la probabilidad de una decodificacin correcta. Esta tcnica se lleva a cabo a travs de mecanismos de la capa MAC en el nodo-B junto con la planificacin y las tcnicas de adaptacin de enlace. Este proceso ayuda a responder de manera ptima a las variaciones radioelctricas en tiempo real en la estacin de base con objeto de aprovechar al mximo el caudal general de datos y reducir al mnimo los retardos. HSDPA introduce por primera vez tramas de datos por paquetes con un TTI muy corto de 2 ms, considerablemente menor que el intervalo de 10 a 20 ms utilizado en la versin 99 de WCDMA. Los datos por paquetes se atribuyen a diferentes usuarios, a los que se asignan uno o ms de estos canales para un TTI corto de 2 ms. La red puede entonces reajustar la manera en que se asignan a los usuarios los diferentes HS-PDSCH cada dos milsimas de segundo. El resultado es que los recursos se asignan en un corto intervalo que permite retransmisiones ms rpidas y un control ms riguroso sobre la asignacin de recursos.

Adaptacin rpida de enlace, modulacin y codificacin superior

Planificacin rpida

Diversidad multiusuario

Retransmisiones rpidas a travs de ARQ hbrida

Tramas de intervalo de tiempo de transmisin (TTI) ms corto

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Acceso por paquetes de alta velocidad en enlace ascendente (HSUPA) HSUPA, modo normalizado en la versin 6, incorpora las ventajas del HSDPA al enlace ascendente. El modo HSUPA introduce un nuevo canal fsico llamado canal especializado mejorado (E-DCH, Enhanced Dedicated Channel), que ofrece esencialmente una serie de mejoras que optimizan la calidad del enlace ascendente. Este mtodo incorpora conceptos y principios similares a los del modo HSDPA que incluyen los siguientes: Planificacin rpida del enlace ascendente. Transmisiones rpidas y eficaces utilizando el enlace ascendente ARQ hbrida. Tramas de intervalo de tiempo de transmisin (TTI) ms corto para el enlace ascendente.

Este nuevo modo para el enlace ascendente logra una calidad notablemente mejorada con respecto al aumento de caudal, a la reduccin de la latencia y a la mayor eficacia espectral. La activacin del modo HSUPA slo requiere cambios de la capa PHY y MAC al nodo Bs, y de la capa MAC a los RNC. El modo HSUPA proporcionar velocidades mximas de datos mucho ms elevadas que alcanzarn hasta 5,76 Mbit/s, y prcticamente duplica la capacidad de la clula del enlace ascendente, disminuye la latencia hasta en un 85% con respecto a un sistema de la versin 99 y logra velocidades de datos notablemente mejoradas para el usuario. Tcnicas adicionales, como la cancelacin de interferencia y la diversidad de recepcin 4-Rx, mejoran la capacidad de la clula de un sistema HSUPA en casi un 400%. El modo HSUPA tambin reduce considerablemente los retardos de paquetes. La combinacin de TTI cortos, la planificacin rpida y la ARQ hbrida rpida, similares al enlace descendente, contribuye a reducir la latencia. Este modo proporciona un control de la calidad de servicio mejorada, permitiendo una mejor utilizacin de los recursos del sistema de enlace ascendente. Con el HSUPA se obtiene un control ms estricto de los recursos del enlace radioelctrico en el nodo B y la rpida planificacin para actualizar el enlace ascendente, caractersticas muy similares a las del HSDPA en el enlace descendente. Los equipos de usuario con HSUPA son compatibles con sistemas de la versin 99 y de HSDPA puesto que se admiten los usuarios de los modos HSUPA y HSDPA, as como los de la versin 99, que utilizan la misma portadora. El modo HSUPA con calidad mejorada del enlace ascendente, adems del modo HSDPA, aportan a la tecnologa WCDMA un nivel enteramente nuevo que permite una mejor admisin de servicios mviles de banda ancha. La combinacin de los modos HSDPA y HSUPA, conocida como HSPA, proporciona mayor compatibilidad en aplicaciones sensibles al retardo como, por ejemplo, VoIP, videotelefona y otras aplicaciones de juegos. HSPA responde considerablemente mejor a las exigencias del usuario en aplicaciones intensivas de enlace ascendente, como el envo de archivos y la mensajera de videos y fotos. Las nuevas mejoras en el enlace ascendente aportadas por el modo HSUPA proporcionan un mejor balance del enlace que, a su vez, se traduce en una mayor cobertura de implantacin en zonas urbanas y rurales con mayor tamao de clula.

I.2.3.1.5 WiMAX
El 18 de octubre de 2007, la Asamblea de Radiocomunicaciones de la UIT tom una decisin de importancia mundial que consisti en incluir la tecnologa WiMAX en el marco del conjunto de normas IMT-2000. Este acuerdo prepara el terreno para la implantacin de una diversidad de servicios de voz, datos y multimedios tanto en dispositivos fijos como mviles. De manera significativa, da lugar a la Internet mvil, atendiendo a la demanda de los mercados urbanos y rurales. La Asamblea de Radiocomunicaciones de la UIT (AR-07) reconoci oficialmente la tecnologa derivada de las normas IEEE 802.16 incorporndola como la sexta interfaz radioelctrica terrenal de las IMT-2000. Es sta la primera adicin a las IMT-2000 desde las cinco originales adoptadas hace aos como parte de las normas para sistemas de radiocomunicaciones 3G utilizadas en todo el mundo e impulsa considerablemente la dotacin tecnolgica de las capacidades de las IMT-200020. ____________________
20

www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2007/30.html

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Las normas IEEE 802.16, tambin conocidas como WiMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access, interoperabilidad mundial para acceso por microondas), permiten velocidades de banda ancha reales por redes inalmbricas ntegramente IP a un costo que favorece su adopcin en el mercado. WiMAX tiene la capacidad de ofrecer velocidades de banda ancha reales y contribuye a que la perspectiva de una conectividad absoluta se convierta en realidad. Actualmente, hay ms de 475 redes WiMAX comerciales en todo el mundo. Se han elaborado normas WiMAX para aplicaciones fijas, nmadas y mviles. WiMAX, que ofrece una combinacin de banda ancha y movilidad, propicia la prestacin de servicios cudruples. La tecnologa WiMAX mvil se basa en la tecnologa de acceso a multiplexin por divisin ortogonal de frecuencia (OFDMA, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access), que tiene ventajas en materia de caudal, latencia, eficacia espectral y soporte avanzado de antenas, gracias a las cuales, en definitiva, puede ofrecer una calidad superior a la de las actuales tecnologas inalmbricas de rea amplia. Probablemente, numerosas tecnologas inalmbricas 4G de la prxima generacin utilizarn OFDMA y todas las redes IP puesto que constituyen el medio ideal para la prestacin rentable de servicios de datos inalmbricos. A travs de redes WiMAX, los usuarios podrn obtener servicios de banda ancha inalmbrica a precios razonables. Con ms de 500 miembros en el Foro WiMAX (www.wimaxforum.org), los productos certificados WiMAX se estn utilizando en todo el mundo. La tecnologa WiMAX favorecer la competencia en el mercado de banda ancha, lo cual reducir los costos asociados a esta tecnologa para los consumidores. Entre las aplicaciones que utilizan esta tecnologa pueden mencionarse las correspondientes a la salud, la educacin, el cibergobierno, el comercio electrnico y la seguridad. En enero de 2006, el Foro WiMAX anunci los primeros productos de la red de banda ancha inalmbrica, que en la actualidad suman 112 productos certificados. Diversos proveedores ofrecen productos certificados WiMAX mviles. Dado que se trata de una tecnologa inalmbrica de banda ancha avanzada, WiMAX puede aplicarse simultneamente en pases desarrollados y pases en desarrollo, lo cual permite tener en cuenta la brecha digital que afecta actualmente a numerosos pases (comprendidos los pases desarrollados). Normas WiMAX: Hay dos normas WiMAX que deben tenerse en cuenta; IEEE 802.16-2004/ETSI Hiperman (Completada en junio de 2004 Para aplicaciones fijas y nmadas). IEEE 802.16e-2005 (Completada en diciembre de 2005 Para aplicaciones fijas, nmadas y mviles). Norma IEEE 802.16-2004, reconocida en la Recomendacin UIT-R F.1763. Norma IEEE 802.16-2005 (llamada tambin IEEE 802.16e), reconocida en la Recomendacin UIT-R M.1801.

Las normas WiMAX son reconocidas en la UIT y estn armonizadas en el ETSI

La norma IEEE 802.16-2004 (aplicaciones fijas y nmadas): Se ha comprobado que la norma WiMAX fija, basada en la norma de interfaz radioelctrica IEEE 802.16-2004, es una opcin de servicios inalmbricos fijos rentable en comparacin con los servicios de cable y DSL. Esto se basa en la versin 802.16-2004 de la norma IEEE 802.16 y en ETSI HiperMAN. Utiliza el modo multiplexin por divisin ortogonal de frecuencia (OFDM, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) y admite el acceso fijo y nmada en entornos con visibilidad directa (LOS) y sin visibilidad directa (NLOS). Los perfiles iniciales del Foro WiMAX se sitan en las bandas de frecuencias de 3,5 GHz y 5,8 GHz. La norma IEEE 802.16e (WiMAX mvil): En diciembre de 2005, el IEEE ratific la enmienda IEEE 802.16e introducida en la norma IEEE 802.16-2004. Esta enmienda aade a la norma las caractersticas y los atributos necesarios para admitir la movilidad. La norma IEEE 802.16e admite servicios fijos, nmadas y mviles. La interfaz radioelctrica WiMAX mvil adopta el modo OFDMA para mejorar la calidad de numerosos trayectos en entornos sin visibilidad directa. Este modo es incorporado en la enmienda IEEE 802.16e para admitir anchuras de banda de canal adaptables.

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El sistema WiMAX mvil aprovecha de la mejor manera los canales de radiocomunicaciones mviles dinmicos y admite traspasos e itinerancia. Utiliza el modo OFDMA, una tcnica de modulacin multiportadora que utiliza la subcanalizacin. El Grupo Tcnico Mvil (MTG) del Foro WiMAX est elaborando perfiles para el sistema WiMAX mvil que definen las caractersticas obligatorias y opcionales de la norma IEEE necesarias para crear una interfaz radioelctrica compatible con dicho sistema y que pueden ser certificadas por ese Foro. El perfil del sistema WiMAX mvil permite la configuracin de los sistemas mviles teniendo en cuenta una caracterstica bsica comn establecida y garantizando de esa forma la funcionalidad bsica de los terminales y estaciones de base que son totalmente compatibles. Algunos elementos de los perfiles de la estacin de base son opcionales y proporcionan una flexibilidad de implantacin adicional basada en marcos de implantacin especficos que pueden necesitar que las diferentes configuraciones sean ptimas en materia de capacidad o cobertura. Los perfiles de la tecnologa WiMAX mvil, versin Wave-1, abarcan anchuras de bandas de canales de 5, 7, 8,75 y 10 MHz para la asignacin de espectro autorizado a nivel mundial en las bandas de frecuencias de 2,3 GHz, 2,5 GHz, 3,3 GHz y 3,5 GHz. Los perfiles de la tecnologa WiMAX mvil, versin Wave-2, incluirn caractersticas avanzadas esenciales, como MIMO y formacin de haces. stas y otras caractersticas aadidas mejoran los mrgenes del enlace, el caudal del canal, y aaden otras mejoras para admitir nuevos servicios de banda ancha. Caractersticas bsicas de la tecnologa WiMAX mvil (IEEE 802.16e) Altas velocidades de datos: Las tcnicas de antena MIMO con sistemas de subcanalizacin flexible y codificacin y modulacin avanzadas permiten que la tecnologa WiMAX mvil admita velocidades de datos mximas del sector DL de hasta 46 Mbit/s, partiendo de una relacin DL/UL de 3:1, y velocidades de datos mximas del sector UL de hasta 14 Mbit/s, partiendo de una relacin DL/UL de 1:1, en un canal de 10 MHz. Calidad de Servicio (QoS): La premisa fundamental de la arquitectura IEEE 802.16e MAC es QoS. En ella se definen flujos de servicios que pueden corresponder a los puntos de cdigo DiffServ o a los indicadores de flujo MPLS que permiten una QoS de extremo a extremo basada en IP. Adems, los sistemas de subcanalizacin y de sealizacin MAP proporcionan un mecanismo flexible para la planificacin ptima de los recursos en materia de espacio, frecuencia y tiempo en la interfaz radioelctrica trama por trama. Con altas velocidades de datos y una planificacin flexible, se puede aplicar mejor la QoS. A diferencia de los sistemas QoS basados en prioridades, con este enfoque se consiguen niveles de servicios garantizados, entre ellos velocidades de informacin concertada y velocidades mximas de informacin, latencia y fluctuacin de fase para diversos tipos de trfico cliente por cliente. Adaptabilidad: A pesar de la creciente mundializacin de la economa, la asignacin de recursos del espectro en materia de banda ancha inalmbrica en todo el mundo sigue siendo muy heterognea. Por ese motivo, la tecnologa WiMAX mvil est concebida para que funcione en diferentes canalizaciones y cumpla diversos requisitos a escala mundial puesto que la intencin es lograr la armonizacin del espectro a largo plazo. De esta forma, las diversas economas podrn aprovechar las numerosas y variadas ventajas de esta tecnologa para responder a sus necesidades geogrficas especficas, tales como dar acceso a Internet en zonas rurales a precios razonables y, como contrapartida, aumentar la capacidad del acceso mvil en banda ancha en zonas metropolitanas y suburbanas. Traspasos e itinerancia: La admisin de traspaso es otra adicin de importancia decisiva en la enmienda 802.16e relativa al acceso mvil. La capacidad de mantener una conexin durante el desplazamiento por las fronteras de la clula, que constituye un requisito previo de la movilidad, se incluye como requisito en el perfil del sistema 802.16e. La tecnologa WiMAX 802.16e admite diferentes tipos de traspasos, del discontinuo (hard) al gradual (soft), cuya eleccin corresponde al operador. Las capacidades de itinerancia por los proveedores de servicio pueden aplicarse tanto en la WiMAX 802.16-2004 como en la WiMAX 802.16e, pero son especialmente valiosas para el acceso porttil y mvil. Admisin de movilidad: Los productos 802.16e son los ms ptimos para la movilidad y admitirn traspasos. Con el soporte de los modos ahorro de energa e inactivo, la batera de los dispositivos mviles de usuario tendr una mayor duracin.

Cuestin 20-2/2

39

Mejor cobertura en interiores: Esto se logra a travs de las ventajas de la subcanalizacin y la opcin AAS de las aplicaciones fijas y mviles, puesto que los usuarios suelen permanecer en interiores o sin visibilidad directa. Mayor flexibilidad en la gestin de los recursos del espectro: La subcanalizacin tambin ofrece la posibilidad de utilizar la inteligencia de la red para asignar recursos a los dispositivos de usuario en caso necesario. De esta forma, se consigue una utilizacin ms eficaz del espectro, que da lugar a un mayor volumen de informacin, a una mejor cobertura en interiores, y, en algunos casos, a la reduccin de los costos de instalacin, lo cual resulta particularmente interesante para los operadores con espectro limitado. Tolerancia al multitrayecto y a la autointerferencia: Se logra a travs de la ortogonalidad del subcanal en ambos sentidos: enlace descendente (DL) y enlace ascendente (UL). Dplex por divisin en el tiempo (TDD): Se define para los perfiles iniciales de la tecnologa WiMAX mvil debido a su eficacia adicional en apoyo del trfico asimtrico y a la reciprocidad de sus canales para dar soporte efectivo a sistemas de antena avanzados. Peticin automtica de repeticin hbrida (H-ARQ): Proporciona mayor robustez con condiciones de trayecto que cambian rpidamente en situaciones de gran movilidad. Planificacin selectiva de frecuencias y subcanalizacin: Dispone de numerosas opciones de permutacin para que la tecnologa WiMAX mvil tenga la capacidad de lograr la calidad ptima de la conexin basada en las intensidades relativas de la seal en cada conexin. Gestin del ahorro de energa: Su objetivo es garantizar que el funcionamiento de los dispositivos porttiles y mviles cargados con bateras consuma poca energa en los modos inactivo y en espera. Servicio de multidistribucin y radiodifusin (MBS): Combina las caractersticas de DVB-H y 3GPP E-ULTRA. Sistema de antena avanzado (AAS): La subcanalizacin y la reciprocidad de canales permite una amplia gama de sistemas de antena avanzados, entre ellos MIMO, formacin de haces, codificacin espacio-tiempo (STC) y multiplexin espacial (SM). Reutilizacin fraccional de frecuencias: Controla la interferencia cocanal (ICC) para la reutilizacin universal de frecuencias con una degradacin mnima de la eficacia espectral. Servicios de banda ancha con valor aadido: En particular, servicios de datos y vdeo, as como servicios VoIP. Cobertura ubicua: En condiciones sin visibilidad directa en una amplia gama de entornos demogrficos. Seguridad: Autenticacin EAP, encriptacin con AES-CCM, autenticacin CMAC, certificados X.509, vinculacin de teclas (key binding), autenticacin mutua, autenticacin de dispositivos y de usuario. Aplicaciones en tiempo real: Baja latencia y calidad de servicio. Interfuncionamiento: Las redes WiMAX mviles sern compatibles con otras tecnologas y admitirn nuevas arquitecturas, como el subsistema multimedios IP (IMS), que permite a los operadores poner a disposicin los mismos servicios y aplicaciones en numerosas interfaces de cable e inalmbricas. La tecnologa WiMAX tiene otras ventajas como, por ejemplo, el enfoque de normas abiertas y un ecosistema sano. Centenares de empresas han contribuido a la evolucin de esta tecnologa. La importante participacin del sector privado y la adopcin de esta tecnologa en todo el mundo garantizar economas de escala que ayudarn a bajar los costos de suscripcin y favorecern la implantacin de una gran variedad de servicios mviles de banda ancha en los mercados de pases desarrollados y en los nuevos mercados.

I.2.3.2 IEEE 802.16 Modo 2k 2000 OFDMA Matriz de Extensin mvil

Se trata de una extensin OFDMA de ETSI EN-301958 (DVB-RCT, DVB-T que se utiliza ampliamente en todo el mundo) por medio de 2K FFT. El modo 2k OFDMA soporta una explotacin fija y mvil conforme a la norma 802.16REVd, an no reconocida en ninguna Recomendacin del UIT-R.

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OFDMA combina sistemas de acceso FDMA y TDMA con concepto de espectro ensanchado. OFDMA divide los recursos de ancho de banda entre los usuarios mediante la asignacin de mltiples subcanales y mltiples intervalos de tiempo por usuario. Las subportadoras estn distribuidas seudoaleatoriamente en todo el espectro para lograr la diversidad de frecuencias. El 2k OFDMA tiene las caractersticas ms recientes necesarias para futuros sistemas BWA IP mviles: elevado nmero de subcanales 80 (factor de ganancia de tratamiento de 19 dB); tara reducida mximo 15%; FFT de grandes dimensiones gran selectividad de frecuencias, soporta el despliegue de largos tiempos de propagacin; para el funcionamiento con grandes clulas y baja frecuencia, gran capacidad de ancho de banda (2,5-28 MHz) y caudal muy elevado (cresta de 4 bit/(s*Hz)) soporta nuevos sistemas de antena como MIMO, STC, AAS (sistema de antena adaptativo) y diversidad de antena MRC regular; tramas cortas para pequeos retardos de ida y vuelta y todos los niveles de movilidad de la UIT (incluidos 250 km); sistemas de codificacin adaptativos eficaces (sistemas Turbo). sistemas ARQ de retardo corto; modulaciones y velocidades de codificacin adaptativas (QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM y 5/6, . 2/3 , 1/3, , 1/6, 1/8, 1/12) que permite extender la gama y funciona con SNR negativa (5 dB); soporte de QoS (varios niveles) que aprovecha la pequea granularidad de los subcanales (6 bytes); control adaptativo de subcanal; transformada discreta de Fourier (FFT) para cubrir agujeros; modo de potencia seguro muy eficaz; APC hacia adelante y hacia atrs; traspaso sumamente eficaz que comprende IP mvil; capacidades de traspaso gradual (SHO) en el nivel PHY (diversidad macro); traspaso suave por encima de la capa 2 (sin prdida de paquetes); red de frecuencia nica para informacin de radiodifusin en toda la red, como vdeo/audio; difusin para convergencia de red de radiodifusin y telecomunicaciones y aplicaciones.

Rendimiento del sistema En la reutilizacin 1 (todos los sectores y clulas utilizan la misma frecuencia) la capacidad es 0,7-1,1 bit/(slo/Hz)/sector utilizando la solucin SISO o MIMO de bucle abierto. Con 6 sectores la capacidad puede ascender a 6 bit/(slo/Hz)/clula y en 24 sectores ms agresivos la capacidad prevista es ~18 bit/(slo/Hz)/clula. Este rendimiento puede obtenerse en condiciones superiores a 95% de cobertura, incluidas condiciones B vehiculares del UIT-R, log-normal 10 dB y desvanecimiento de Rayleigh. El tamao de las clulas es similar al de los sistemas celulares actuales (en distintos casos y potencias de transmisin, pero con velocidades de datos superiores) con dimensiones pequeas y grandes para zonas urbanas, suburbanas y rurales, incluidos en interiores y exteriores. El 2k OFDMA soporta todos los dems requisitos de sistema-seguridad y modo IP. Si se utiliza una antena direccional fija en el lado de usuario, la distancia puede alcanzar 50 km y la capacidad del sistema puede cuadruplicarse.

I.2.3.3 Acceso mltiple de divisin espacial de gran capacidad (HC-SDMA), tecnologa de interfaz radioelctrica y matriz de sistema inalmbrico de banda ancha iBurst I.2.3.3.1 Descripcin general de HC-SDMA
El HC-SDMA es una nueva norma ANSI creada por la Alliance of Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), antiguamente denominada Comisin T1, conforme a los requisitos de acceso a Internet inalmbrico

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41

en banda ancha (WWINA) e incorporado al sistema inalmbrico de banda ancha iBurst, cuya instalacin ya ha sido llevada a cabo en varios continentes. Basada en una tecnologa de rentabilidad comprobada, la norma HC-SDMA especifica la interfaz radioelctrica para el sistema iBurst de banda ancha mvil de rea extensa que ofrece una combinacin de elevada velocidad, amplio alcance y elevada capacidad de estacin base. iBurst es una solucin IP pura de extremo a extremo y basada en normas para datos inalmbricos y de voz, cuyos equipos pueden obtenerse en los principales fabricantes. Los dispositivos de usuario actuales comprenden tarjetas PCMCIA destinadas a ordenadores porttiles, agendas digitales personales (PDA) y unidades de escritorio para el hogar y pequeas empresas. Encaminadores y puntos de acceso que se pueden adquirir en el comercio se conectan directamente con la unidad de escritorio. La solucin iBurst ofrece actualmente velocidades de datos por usuario superiores a 1 Mbit/s. Las estaciones de base iBurst, que funcionan en espectro no emparejado, ofrecen un caudal neto utilizable de 20 Mbit/s en 5 MHz y 40 Mbit/s en 10 MHz. El sistema iBurst se comercializa en Australia y Sudfrica, y se han realizado instalaciones de prueba en Amrica, Asia, Europa y frica. La norma HC-SDMA aprovecha las tecnologas del sistema dplex por divisin en el tiempo (TTD) y de la antena adaptativa (AA) junto con las caractersticas ms recientes de los algoritmos de procesamiento espaciales, lo que da lugar a uno de los sistemas de telecomunicaciones mviles de mayor eficacia espectral en el mundo que presta un servicio de banda ancha mvil implantado en apenas una banda de 5 MHz (no emparejada) de espectro con licencia para servicios mviles. El sistema iBurst est concebido para funcionar en un espectro con licencia por debajo de 3 GHz a fin de ofrecer plena movilidad y una amplia zona de cobertura, que es la ms adecuada para las aplicaciones mviles. Dado que se basa en tecnologa TDD y no precisa bandas emparejadas simtricas separadas por un espacio entre bandas o un espaciamiento entre duplexores apropiado, iBurst puede reconfigurarse fcilmente para distintas bandas de frecuencias.

I.2.3.3.2 Descripcin de la interfaz radioelctrica HC-SDMA

Las principales caractersticas de la interfaz radioelctrica HC-SDMA son las siguientes: TDD/TDMA, separacin entre canales de 625 kHz; velocidades de datos mximas por usuario de hasta 16 Mbit/s en sentido descendente, 5,5 Mbit/s ascendente21; eficacia espectral de 4 bit/s/Hz/clula (20 Mbit/s en 5 MHz); asimetra del caudal descendente/ascendente 3:1; modelacin estructurada en niveles y codificacin de canal para una adaptacin de calidad del enlace; correccin de errores en recepcin (FEC) y peticin automtica de repeticin (ARQ) para un enlace sin error en el marco de la zona de cobertura; banda ancha a peticin, asignacin de recursos dinmicos; procesamiento espacial de antena adaptativa para una calidad mejorada de la seal, gestin de recursos y resolucin de colisiones; soporte de movilidad (traspaso); soporte de calidad del servicio (QoS) con incorporacin de interfaz inalmbrica.

Traspaso de interfaz inalmbrica El traspaso de una sesin IP de extremo a extremo resulta del traspaso, en una red radioelctrica, de una clula a otra mediante el reencaminamiento de la sesin IP del usuario final de acuerdo con la nueva clula. Uno de los tipos de portadora que soporta la interfaz inalmbrica HC-SDMA son datos IP encapsulados mediante protocolo punto a punto (PPP) entre un proveedor de servicios IP y un dispositivo del usuario final, ____________________
21

Las velocidades mximas se logran por medio de la agregacin de portadoras. Las tarjetas PCMCIA y los modelos de escritorio disponibles actualmente admiten una portadora nica correspondiente a una velocidad mxima por usuario de 1 Mbit/s en sentido descendente, 345 kbit/s en sentido ascendente. Se espera que los mdems que agrupan portadoras estn disponibles a finales de 2005.

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por ejemplo un ordenador porttil. El PPP (cf. IETF RFC 1661, et al) es un protocolo de tunelizacin de tara baja uno o dos bytes por paquete IP con las ventajas de una disponibilidad casi universal sobre los dispositivos IP, combinado con una instalacin universal del equipo para la terminacin, abastecimiento, facturacin, clasificacin, etc., del PPP en las redes del proveedor de servicios. Por otra parte, el PPP presenta la ventaja de separar sesiones IP en la red de transporte, por lo que permite espacios de direccin superpuestos tal como los usan las RPV de las empresas. Un tipo de traspaso que actualmente soporta la interfaz inalmbrica es el modelo IP simple y liviano utilizado por el 3GPP2 (cf. 3GPP2 P.S0001-B, Norma de red IP inalmbrica) para micromovilidad, complementado si es necesario por IP mviles (cf. IETF RFC 2002, et al), por ejemplo en los casos de traspaso a redes de acceso diferentes tales como 802.11. El esquema de traspaso denominado construir antes de romper de la interfaz inalmbrica HC-SDMA est centrado en el terminal de usuario (UT). Cada UT controla los canales de radiodifusin desde estaciones de base (BS) cercanas y clasifica a los candidatos basndose en la potencia de la seal y otros factores. Un terminal de usuario puede llevar a cabo esas mediciones as como registrarse con una nueva estacin de base candidata, al tiempo que intercambia datos con su estacin de base actual. El traspaso de los datos de usuario de acuerdo al esquema indicado se efecta dirigiendo una vez ms los datos TCH a la nueva estacin de base tras haberse llevado a cabo con xito el registro. Tecnologa de antena adaptativa (AA) La caracterstica principal de la norma HC-SDMA es la tecnologa de antena adaptativa (procesamiento espacial) que hace extraordinariamente ms eficaz el uso del espectro de frecuencias radioelctricas, lo que da lugar a una mejora excepcional en lo que respecta a la capacidad, cobertura y calidad de servicio de las redes inalmbricas. La tecnologa AA proporciona estos considerables beneficios por medio de la gestin de la interferencia y la mejora de la calidad de la seal. Una estacin de base tpica utiliza una sola antena o un par de antenas para comunicarse con sus usuarios. Una estacin de base con AA utiliza un pequeo grupo de antenas simples, es decir un sistema de antenas que cuenta con un sofisticado tratamiento de la seal que reduce enormemente el exceso de energa irradiada por la estacin de base. Al mismo tiempo, el tratamiento de la seal permite a la estacin de base escuchar a sus usuarios de manera selectiva, con lo que se mitigan los efectos de interferencia producidos por otros usuarios en la red. Por otra parte, el sistema de antenas supone una ganancia en lo que respecta a la potencia de la seal, con lo que mejora la calidad del enlace radioelctrico para la misma cantidad de potencia total irradiada por la estacin de base y el terminal de usuario. Una mejor calidad del enlace supone velocidades de datos ms elevadas, un alcance ms amplio y mayor duracin de las bateras en los terminales de usuario. Mediante la tecnologa AA, cada clula en la red puede utilizar la misma asignacin de frecuencia eliminando la interferencia entre las clulas. De hecho, la tecnologa AA permite a un sistema reutilizar una asignacin de frecuencia varias veces en una clula dada transmitiendo la energa solamente en los casos necesarios. Eficacia espectral de la interfaz radioelctrica HC-SDMA La eficacia espectral calibra la capacidad de un sistema inalmbrico de suministrar informacin, servicios de datos, con una determinada cantidad del espectro radioelctrico. En los sistemas radioelctricos celulares, la eficacia espectral se mide en bits/segundo/Hertzio/clula (bit/s/Hz/clula). Son varios los factores que contribuyen a la eficacia espectral de un sistema, entre ellos, los formatos de modulacin, la tara de la interfaz inalmbrica (informacin de la sealizacin distinta de los datos de usuario), el mtodo de acceso mltiple y el modelo de uso, entre otros. Todos estos factores afectan a las dimensiones de la unidad en bits/segundo/Hertzio. El aspecto de una dimensin por clula puede resultar sorprendente, pero el caudal de una estacin de base de una determinada clula en una red celular es casi siempre sustancialmente menor que el de una clula nica aislada. Esto se debe a la autointerferencia generada en la red, lo que supone que el operador debe asignar frecuencias en bloques separados en espacios de una o ms clulas. Esta separacin se representa por un factor de reutilizacin, en el que un nmero ms bajo es representativo de un sistema ms eficaz.

Cuestin 20-2/2 La eficacia espectral del sistema HC-SDMA aparece representada en el clculo siguiente: portadoras de 625 kHz; tres intervalos de tiempo por portadora; 475 kbit/s de datos de usuario por intervalo; diagrama de reutilizacin de frecuencia efectiva de 1/2; (3 intervalos de tiempo 475 kbit/s/intervalo) / 625 kHz / reutilizacin 0,5 = 4,28 bit/s/Hz/clula Capacidad y economa del sistema radioelctrico

43

el cual arroja la siguiente eficacia espectral:

Una eficacia espectral del sistema HC-SDMA de 4 bit/s/Hz/clula significa que una red radioelctrica HC-SDMA soporta una base mvil de usuario con muchos menos sitios y mucho menos espectro del que sera necesario mediante el uso de otras tecnologas y, por ello, con una enorme reduccin de los costos de capital y de funcionamiento. Con 10 MHz de espectro utilizable, por ejemplo, cada estacin de base HC-SDMA puede proporcionar una capacidad de acceso de 40 Mbit/s. La mejora de la tecnologa AA en lo que respecta a la calidad del enlace o a la intensidad de la seal supone aproximadamente la duplicacin del alcance (o el cudruplo de zona) para el sistema HC-SDMA.

I.2.3.3.3 Arquitectura de la red iBurst

Arquitectura de la red de acceso y transporte comunes En la Figura 11 se presenta una red iBurst de acceso y transporte comunes que permite a varios proveedores de servicios prestar simultneamente servicios particularizados a sus respectivos usuarios finales. Una unidad comercial separada del operador de acceso y transporte puede, por s misma, constituir uno de esos proveedores de servicio.

Figura 11 Red de acceso y transporte comunes

El operador de acceso y transporte agrega una diversidad de tecnologas de acceso del ltimo kilmetro y luego conmuta sesiones del usuario final al proveedor de servicio correspondiente. El elemento principal de este esquema es el conmutador del servicio de paquetes (PSS) que funciona como un punto de agregacin y como una central para encaminar las sesiones del usuario. Las decisiones de conmutacin se suelen tomar sobre la base de nombres de usuario estructurados que proporciona el usuario en el proceso de autenticacin del PPP. Por ejemplo, si el usuario se registra como joe@aol.com, su sesin de usuario se dirigir al sitio de AOL y solicitar autenticacin para el usuario joe, mientras que si el usuario se registra como

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mary@hercompany.com, su sesin de usuario se conectar al sitio de su empresa, quiz para un acceso a la RPV de la empresa, y solicitar autenticacin para el usuario mary. El uso de la tecnologa PSS est muy extendido en las redes de los proveedores de servicios Internet (PSI) y portadoras ms importantes. Adems de sesiones de usuario agrupadas a partir de diversos medios, el PSS presenta estas sesiones de manera unificada a la red del proveedor de servicios, liberndolo as de la necesidad de mantener contenidos y bases de servicio diferentes para cada clase de acceso.

I.2.3.3.4 Pila de protocolos iBurst

El sistema iBurst permite una conectividad IP por PPP de extremo a extremo entre los proveedores de servicios y sus clientes, coherente con el modelo de servicio predominante en el mbito de acceso por cable. En la Figura 12, puede observarse, de izquierda a derecha, cmo se cursa la sesin PPP del usuario por diversos medios y protocolos.

Figura 12 Pilas de protocolo y elementos de la red de datos de usuario iBurst

La Figura 12 muestra servidores AAA y conexiones AAA entre el dominio de acceso y transporte y el dominio de servicio.

I.2.3.3.5 Ofertas del servicio de red iBurst

Oferta de servicio mvil La conectividad mvil se proporciona por medio de una tarjeta de acceso iBurst. Cuando est conectada a un dispositivo mvil como un ordenador porttil o una agenda digital personal, se mantiene en conexin siempre que el dispositivo se desplace dentro de la zona de cobertura de la red. Oferta de servicio fijo/portal El puente de acceso iBurst proporciona conectividad en un modo principalmente fijo. El dispositivo tiene el aspecto de un mdem tradicional. Est conectado a la red elctrica, tiene una pequea antena y puertos para conectarlo por Ethernet o USB. Ofrece pues las ventajas de una conexin en banda ancha fija con el aadido de la portabilidad, y se puede desconectar desenchufndolo simplemente de la red elctrica y enchufndolo en otro lugar para disponer de nuevo del puente de acceso iBurst. Este puente puede conectarse a un solo ordenador para darle acceso o conectarse a una red de rea local o una red inalmbrica para que el acceso se comparta entre diversos dispositivos en un hogar u oficina.

Cuestin 20-2/2 ArrayComm es una marca registrada e iBurst es una marca de ArrayComm, Inc

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I.2.4

Acceso en banda ancha como posible solucin para la radiodifusin de la televisin digital interactiva

El acceso radioelctrico en banda ancha para la radiodifusin de televisin digital interactiva (iTV) presenta las siguientes caractersticas principales: A amplia capacidad de datos: hasta 20 Mbit/por canal de 5, 6, 7 u 8 MHz. (Normas ASTC, DVB, DMB-T, RDSI-T con arreglo a la Recomendacin UIT-R BT.1306); amplia cobertura. Televisin interactiva las tecnologas de acceso en banda ancha tienen gran importancia para las aplicaciones de la televisin interactiva; en principio, el sistema de televisin interactiva es un paquete de microprogramas que conecta al proveedor de servicios de televisin con el televidente mediante dos canales de comunicacin, uno de radiodifusin y el otro, interactivo. Las normas europeas de telecomunicaciones (ETS 300 800 ETS 300 802) del ETSI proporcionan el diagrama de bloques generalizado que mejor ilustra el sistema de televisin interactivo; en el sistema de televisin interactivo, una seal de televisin se combina en el adaptador de la red con los datos del proveedor de servicios interactivos y, mediante el instrumento de distribucin, llega hasta el terminal del usuario final de la televisin interactiva. En el terminal se decodifica el contenido, que comprende vdeo, sonido y datos, y se representa en la pantalla normal del aparato de televisin con extensiones en forma de mens grficos, campos de entrada de consultas, etc.; el usuario final puede elegir un elemento del men con la ayuda de un panel de control a distancia o mediante la introduccin de datos por medio de un teclado inalmbrico; el terminal de usuario de la televisin interactiva (normalmente denominado caja de adaptacin multimedios o STB), que transforma el aparato de televisin habitual en un aparato de televisin inteligente, ocupa el lugar principal en la plataforma. Todas las STB conocidas se dividen normalmente en tres categoras: STB para difusin de televisin, STB de TV mejorada y STB para servicios avanzados. Esta ltima categora se asemeja a los ordenadores de escritorio multimedios. Su potencia es muchsimo mayor y suelen tener un disco duro para registrar informacin de vdeo y de datos; actualmente, el ETSI elabora los protocolos de distribucin, y estn en curso las pruebas de tales protocolos. Tecnologas bsicas de la difusin de televisin las redes de acceso personal inalmbricas (WPAN) se utilizan para la conexin inalmbrica de dispositivos en una estacin de trabajo. Bluetooth es un ejemplo de este tipo de tecnologa; las redes de rea local inalmbricas (WLAN) tiene por finalidad, en primer lugar, proporcionar acceso a las fuentes de informacin dentro de un edificio. En segundo lugar; organizar puntos de acceso destinados a la comunidad comercial (puntos de acceso inalmbrico) en lugares pblicos tales como hoteles, aeropuertos y cafeteras, as como crear redes temporales que funcionarn durante la celebracin de ciertos acontecimientos (talleres, exposiciones y otros). Las WLAN, que se basan en la norma IEEE 802.11, son conocidas tambin como Wi-Fi (fidelidad inalmbrica); redes inalmbricas distribuidas de acceso inalmbrico y redes de cobertura urbana WMAN y WiMAX. (IEEE 802.16); MMDS (servicio de distribucin multipunto por microondas) es una opcin de acceso inalmbrico en banda ancha a las redes de cable.

Se ha establecido una clasificacin de los principales tipos de redes de acceso radioelctrico:

46 B.1

Cuestin 20-2/2 Situacin especfica de WiMAX en las tecnologas de acceso inalmbrico

A diferencia de otro tipo de redes, las redes distribuidas de acceso inalmbrico (tambin conocidas como BWA, WiMAX) son redes a una escala metropolitana o WMAN (red de acceso metropolitano inalmbrica), a escala regional y redes de clase operador. Las redes de esta clase se disean ante todo para otras categoras de usuarios y, en lo que respecta a sus funciones, difieren enormemente, por ejemplo, de las Wi-Fi. Las tecnologas de red distribuida utilizan desde un principio (a diferencia de las WLAN, Wi-Fi), un mtodo de acceso de no colisin gracias al cual el usuario dispone de un canal de transmisin de datos fijo con un retardo fijo (mnima fluctuacin de fase), lo que constituye un requisito indispensable para la creacin de las redes de clase operador. Normalizacin del equipo Hasta ahora, los equipos para construir las redes WMAN funcionaban mediante protocolos de marcas registradas de fabricantes de equipos que no estaban normalizados ni eran compatibles. La normalizacin de los equipos de acceso inalmbrico en banda ancha fabricados surgi en el verano de 2004, cuando se dio a conocer la norma IEEE 802.16 y aparecieron en el mercado distintos equipos con certificacin de los fabricantes. La norma IEEE 802.16 IEEE 802.16 es la primera norma (grupo de normas) aplicada a las redes inalmbricas distribuidas (acceso inalmbrico). La norma se cre para construir redes inalmbricas a escala metropolitana que proporcionan a los abonados todo tipo de servicios modernos accesibles mediante conexiones de cable. Se trata de la primera norma para sistemas inalmbricos de la MAN inalmbrica, clase de acceso inalmbrico en banda ancha. La norma describe estaciones de base y aparatos telefnicos de abonado. Cuadro comparativo del grupo de normas 802.16

La primera versin de la norma abarca la gama de frecuencias de 10-66 GHz y funcionaba segn un modo de frecuencia nica (portadora nica, SC una subportadora). El modo particular de propagacin de las ondas radioelctricas en la banda restringe el funcionamiento de los sistemas debido a los lmites en el alcance de la visibilidad directa. En un entorno tpicamente urbano permite la conexin de aproximadamente la mitad de los abonados. Por regla general, no hay visibilidad directa para el 50% restante. Esto impuls la creacin de un suplemento a la norma 802.16 relativa a la banda 2-11 GHz con lo que, adems del funcionamiento en una sola frecuencia, prev el uso de la multiplexin por divisin ortogonal de frecuencia (OFDM) y el acceso mltiple sobre la base de esta ltima. (OFDMA, modo de acceso a multiplexin por divisin ortogonal de frecuencia.)

Cuestin 20-2/2

47

La transmisin simultnea en el modo OFDM de 256 subportadoras resulta posible al permitir la recepcin simultnea de seales directas o reflejadas o funcionar sobre seales reflejadas slo ms all de los lmites de visibilidad directa. En 2004, el Instituto IEEE ratific la norma 802.16-2004 que reemplazaba a las anteriores versiones 802.16, 802.16a y 802.16REVd. Actualmente, el consorcio WiMAX, que prepara especificaciones para garantizar la compatibilidad de equipos de distintos fabricantes sobre la base de la norma final 802.16-2004, tiene la va abierta en el mercado. As, WiMAX es una tecnologa de clase operador que proporciona a la poblacin servicios multimedios de gran calidad en materia de acceso inalmbrico en banda ancha. Las tendencias actuales en el desarrollo del acceso inalmbrico se caracterizan por la prestacin de servicios mltiples y, por consiguiente, de banda ancha. Tericamente, un usuario moderno no debera tener restricciones en ningn servicio actualmente accesible mediante conexiones de cable, como SDH o Ethernet. Se da por supuesto que los ltimos sistemas con certificacin, como WiMAX, permitirn a los operadores de redes de acceso en banda ancha prestar a los usuarios servicios tales como IP y E1 y sustituir la infraestructura del acceso ADSL y las correspondientes lneas asignadas. Televisin interactiva sobre la base de la tecnologa WiMAX. En la Figura 13 se observa el diagrama en bloques de la televisin interactiva sobre la base de la tecnologa WiMAX.

Figura 13 Diagrama en bloques de la televisin interactiva sobre la base de la tecnologa WiMAX

48 Principales componentes del equipo 1) Equipo de la estacin de base:

Cuestin 20-2/2

mdulo radioelctrico externo con conector de tipo N para la conmutacin de una o varias antenas sectoriales mediante un divisor. La opcin consiste en utilizar varios mdulos radioelctricos con antenas sectoriales correspondientes al nmero de sectores; mdulo de tratamiento de la red interno con un controlador de la estacin de base que controla todos los componentes del equipo de la estacin de base y los dispositivos de los abonados; equipo DVB para la creacin de seales de color en la entrada del equipo WiMAX y una pasarela DVB-Ethernet. mdulo de transmisor-receptor externo con una antena integrada o modelo de transmisorreceptor externo con un conector de tipo N para la conmutacin en una antena con el fin de garantizar la mxima cobertura con una antena individual; mdulo interno con las funciones de un adaptador multimedios de televisin interactiva y las interfaces necesarias para conectarlo con el aparato de televisin del abonado; en el caso ms simple de visibilidad directa desde una estacin de base, es posible utilizar una sola estructura de bloques con una antena incorporada.

2)

Equipo de abonado:

B.2

Tecnologa MMDS Definicin

En los ltimos aos, los sistemas MMDS (servicio de distribucin multipunto por microondas) han experimentado una amplia difusin ya que constituyen una opcin a las redes de cable clsicas en las que la construccin de la red de distribucin se lleva a cabo mediante cables coaxiales u pticos. Hasta el momento, se han instalado docenas de sistemas MMDS proporcionan acceso a Internet, televisin interactiva y otros servicios acceso inalmbrico. Varias empresas en el mundo fabrican equipos velocidad a Internet a cualquier abonado distante dentro de la zona de antena transceptora MMDS. en el hemisferio occidental que de banda ancha con tecnologa de que garantizan el acceso de alta cobertura en la cual se instala una

De acuerdo con el estudio llevado a cabo por el Grupo US, la demanda de servicios de acceso de banda ancha por parte de los consumidores est creciendo y se prev que, en 2006, el nmero de abonados a los sistemas MMDS de Estados Unidos llegue a 900 000 (en 2000 haba solamente 20 000 abonados). Los sistemas MMDS (2,5-2,7 GHz) estn incluidos en el proyecto DVB europeo junto con las redes por satlite, de cable y redes terrenales. MMDS digitales interactivos

El nmero de canales de televisin en los MMDS tradicionales est limitado por la anchura relativamente estrecha de la banda de frecuencias que se encuentra entre 2 500-2 700 MHz, es decir slo 200 MHz. Por ejemplo, en la norma rusa D (8 MHz para cada canal) se pueden admitir hasta 25 canales. La difusin de programas de televisin segn la norma digital DVB permite la transmisin de 5 a 7 programas digitales en cada banda del canal de televisin. En el MMDS digital se utiliza el sistema de modulacin 64QAM adoptado para la televisin digital por cable DVB-C. Para recibir programas digitales, cada abonado a MMDS deber instalar un STB por cable digital. Se trata del nico inconveniente de los sistemas MMDS digitales, ya que cuenta con las siguientes ventajas: 1) 2) 3) 4) un amplio nmero de canales (150 o ms); alta calidad de imagen y sonido; servicios adicionales previstos por la norma DVB: sonido estreo y/o multicanal, gua electrnica, sintona automtica, eleccin de canales de la lista, teletexto, subttulos eliminados, etc.; posibilidad de difusin simultnea de programas analgicos y digitales en un sistema.

Cuestin 20-2/2 MMDS digital interactivo

49

El sistema MMDS puede utilizarse para organizar la difusin de programas de televisin digital interactiva. Para ello, se debe organizar un canal de retorno para el trfico saliente de abonado (canal de llamada). A los abonados de MMDS interactivos se les instala un transceptor en lugar de la antena receptora con un convertidor. Para organizar un canal de retorno se utiliza el canal de retorno MMDS con modulacin QPSK. Aunque la capacidad del canal de retorno es inferior a la del canal directo, garantiza mayor distancia de transmisin con menor potencia del transmisor. En este caso, se instala un receptor y un modulador QPSK en el nodo de distribucin. Tambin es posible aumentar el nmero de usuarios dividiendo la zona de servicio en sectores. Principales componentes del equipo MMDS digital

En la Figura 14 se presenta el diagrama en bloques de la televisin interactiva sobre la base del sistema MMDS digital.

Figura 14 Diagrama en bloques de la televisin interactiva sobre la base del sistema MMDS digital

Equipo Entre los dispositivos del equipo del sistema MMDS digital se incluyen los siguientes componentes: moduladores; transmisores (o un transmisor de grupo a canales N); sumador de canales; sistema de gestin de la red;

50

Cuestin 20-2/2 sistema de reservas automtico o manual; transpondedores de banda ancha (en caso necesario); antenas; equipo DVB para la creacin de seales digitales en la entrada del transmisor MMDS.

El equipo DVB es necesario para la creacin de seales digitales en la entrada del transmisor MMDS y debe ejecutar las siguientes funciones: recepcin de programas digitales desde satlites (demodulacin); decodificacin (desaleatorizacin) de programas codificados; formacin de trenes de datos sin seales analgicas de los estudios de televisin (codificacin MPEG-2); formacin de trenes digitales propios sin programas de diversos trenes de datos procedentes de diferentes fuentes (multiplexin y remultiplexin); regeneracin de la informacin del servicio DVB (tablas de canal, tablas de ajuste, etc.); codificacin (aleatorizacin) de programas de televisin digitales Organizacin de la televisin de pago; creacin de seales de frecuencias radioelctricas (modulacin) sin tren de datos que proporcionar al transmisor.

Equipo de abonado El equipo de abonado del sistema MMDS digital interactivo consiste en un bloque interno, normalmente un bloque de sobremesa (terminal digital de cable DVB-C con un sistema incorporado de decodificacin de contenido de pago) y el mdulo transceptor externo transceptor de abonado con una antena. Para gestionar las aplicaciones interactivas es necesario contar con una unidad de adaptacin multimedios para televisin interactiva.

I.3 I.3.1

Matriz de sistemas de satlite Acceso en banda ancha por satlite

Se considera cada vez ms que la banda ancha y los servicios que propicia son motores de crecimiento econmico en todo el mundo. Sin embargo, las redes terrenales por s solas no pueden ofrecer banda ancha a todos los segmentos de la poblacin. A medida que los pases evalan la amplia gama de tecnologas de acceso y las soluciones disponibles para la implantacin de la banda ancha, la banda ancha por satlite debe considerarse componente esencial de cualquier estrategia en la materia. Los servicios de banda ancha por satlite, adems de las soluciones que ofrecen las redes de retroceso, brindan la posibilidad de ampliar el alcance de la conectividad, y de forma rentable, incluso a las zonas ms aisladas en las que no se dispone de servicios terrenales (por cable o inalmbricos) o es muy costosa su instalacin. Los usurarios optan cada vez ms por el satlite para tener acceso a Internet y a la banda ancha. Dado que los datos se pueden transmitir y recibir directamente por satlite, no se necesita telfono ni ningn tipo de conexin terrestre. Los satlites ofrecen actualmente banda ancha a velocidades entre 200 kbit/s y 5 Mbit/s para las ofertas de servicio fijo, y entre 200 kbit/s y 500 kbit/s para las de servicio mvil. Cuando se creen las redes de satlite de la prxima generacin, las velocidades sern an mayores. Los servicios de banda ancha por satlite ofrecen numerosas ventajas, en particular para las zonas rurales y distantes, a saber: cobertura ubicua de todos los rincones del planeta; soluciones rentables y fciles de instalar, incluso en las zonas rurales y distantes; no se necesita inversin en infraestructura; admiten grandes poblaciones de usuarios finales;

Cuestin 20-2/2 permiten grandes implantaciones de la red; aplicaciones fijas y mviles;

51

servicios fiables y redundantes para situaciones de emergencia que afectan a la infraestructura terrenal.

Habida cuenta de su cobertura regional y mundial nica, los satlites son capaces de ofrecer conectividad inmediata a Internet y a la banda ancha utilizando las infraestructuras y recursos de satlite existentes. Eso proporciona flexibilidad y capacidad para ampliar el alcance del servicio sobre la base de la demanda del mercado, y permite cubrir de manera fcil e instantnea a las zonas rurales. Un aspecto particularmente importante en las regiones en desarrollo es que permite la conectividad de los usuarios finales y las comunidades sin necesidad de enormes inversiones de capital o vastos programas de instalacin. Una vez que un sistema de satlite es operacional, la conectividad se puede ampliar para incluir emplazamientos de usuario con terminales fciles de desplegar e instalar. A medida que aumenta el nmero de usuarios, las economas de escala permiten ofrecer equipos ms baratos, gracias a lo cual los satlites resultan una solucin an ms competitiva. Adems, los servicios de antena pequea y gran densidad que se pueden ofrecer gracias a un aumento de los niveles de la densidad de flujo de potencia permiten una conectividad an ms rentable. La conexin por satlite est cumpliendo una funcin cada vez ms importante en el aumento del alcance y la cobertura de las redes telefnicas mviles en todo el mundo, en particular en los mercados en desarrollo. Los avances de la tecnologa han dado lugar a opciones en materia de satlite ms slidas y rentables, convirtindolas en un componente integral de la instalacin de la red mvil. A medida que los pases tratan de garantizar la conectividad de banda ancha para todos sus habitantes, la conexin por satlite seguir siendo importante en regiones en las que las tecnologas de banda ancha mviles terrenales o de fibra por s solas no constituye una opcin viable desde el punto de vista econmico. La conexin por satlite para ampliar el alcance de los servicios de banda ancha ofrece ventajas con respecto a la cobertura, el costo, la seguridad y la redundancia. Los satlites de la rbita de satlites geoestacionarios (OSG) pueden ofrecer servicios de conexin para una vasta regin con apenas un gasto mnimo en infraestructura. Las opciones de conexin por satlite facilitan a los operadores la ubicacin de sus estaciones de base en lugares en que puedan ofrecer mayores ventajas a los ciudadanos, sin preocuparse por la ubicacin de la infraestructura terrenal. La conexin por satlite proporciona adems redundancia de conectividad. Los daos ocasionados a la red troncal de fibra podran interrumpir la transmisin entre las estaciones de base terrenales y las redes principales, en tanto que la extraordinaria diversidad que ofrece la conexin por satlite garantizar el mantenimiento ininterrumpido de la conexin, aunque la infraestructura terrenal sufra serios daos.

52

Cuestin 20-2/2

Figura 15 Ejemplo de red de conexin por satlite

DV B-S2 TD M

MF -TDM A

Estacin central Sat HUB de satlite

Intercambio trfico Internet Internet P eeringde or V PN /Lease o RPV/lnea arrendada Line

Sat Terminal de satlite Terminal

Antena de 1,2 1,8 m

1.2 .. 1.8 m antenna

DVB-S2: D VB-S 2 : Norma DVB EN 30230 302307 DVB S tandar d EN 7 MF-TDMA: M F-TD MA : Acceso divisin deM tiempo M ultiple-Fmltiple requencypor Time-D iv is ion ultiple Access con multifrecuencia

Adems, la tecnologa de satlite puede utilizarse en combinacin con otras soluciones terrenales. Con el fin de reducir la brecha digital mundial, hoy en da pocas tecnologas para la conectividad a Internet son ms prometedoras que WiFi. Esta ltima permite a los usuarios conectarse a Internet de manera inalmbrica cuando stos se encuentran en zonas de conexin, es decir la zona cubierta por un punto de acceso a Internet inalmbrico. La combinacin de satlite + Wi-Fi puede proporcionar un servicio econmico compartido entre los habitantes de comunidades agrcolas, aldeas rurales y pueblos de montaa e insulares. La conexin por satlite permite aportar Internet a las aldeas, en tanto que los puntos de acceso WiFi amplan el alcance de esa conectividad hasta el hogar, la escuela y los edificios pblicos. Los usuarios comparten los costos de la conexin y los equipos mediante el abono o bien adoptan otros sistemas de pago conjunto. Para aprovechar las comunicaciones por satlite, hay que tener en cuenta la reglamentacin. Dadas las diferencias geogrficas, polticas y econmicas que existen en todo el mundo, es imposible disponer de una poltica de acceso de banda ancha universal. Se alientan las polticas que contemplan las elecciones del consumidor y reconocen las diversas capacidades y caractersticas tcnicas de las opciones de instalacin de la banda ancha. Las atribuciones nacionales de espectro, los marcos de licencias y los programas de servicio universal deben tener en cuenta la funcin que cumplen los satlites y cmo las decisiones en materia de reglamentacin pueden facilitar, o impedir, la implantacin de tecnologas de banda ancha por satlite y la utilizacin de redes de conexin por satlite para ampliar la cobertura a zonas aisladas. Adems de tener en cuenta soluciones de banda ancha por satlite, los pases que prevn la implantacin de sistemas de acceso inalmbrico de banda ancha (BWA), especialmente en zonas que podran beneficiarse del valor aadido de la conexin por satlite, deben tomar medidas para garantizar que las redes de satlite y terrenales puedan funcionar en un entorno libre de interferencias. Por ejemplo, para facilitar una conexin por satlite segura para el BWA en pases ms sensibles a la atenuacin debida a la lluvia (zonas tropicales), la banda de frecuencias de 3 400 a 4 200 MHz asignada al servicio fijo por satlite (SFS) debe ser protegida contra las interferencias perjudiciales causadas por otros servicios, segn las disposiciones del nmero 4.3 del Reglamento de Radiocomunicaciones. Esta proteccin podra incluir requisitos obligatorios de

Cuestin 20-2/2

53

coordinacin interna y transfronteriza para los nuevos usuarios inscritos en esa banda, junto con el mantenimiento de registros actualizados de usuarios nacionales del espectro, para ser aplicados junto con el Registro Internacional de Frecuencias de la UIT, de modo que los nuevos inscritos en la banda conozcan la ubicacin de todas las estaciones terrenas de satlite. Al facilitar un funcionamiento libre de interferencias, los pases en desarrollo podrn garantizar que los servicios por satlite sigan cumpliendo su funcin y la conexin por satlite siga ampliando el alcance de las redes a zonas rurales y distantes. Las propiedades inherentes de las comunicaciones por satlite, es decir su amplia cobertura, su modo de funcionamiento y las posibilidades de multidifusin, les permiten ofrecer comunicaciones Internet de alta velocidad y transmisiones multimedios a larga distancia. En la Figura siguiente (Figura 16) se da una visin general de las diversas ocasiones en que pueden ofrecerse servicios Internet de alta velocidad. Se ha de tener en cuenta que la red global puede abastecer a hogares individuales as como bloques de apartamentos, e interconectarlos con otras redes de telecomunicaciones con miras a realizar economas de escala para usuarios que se encuentran en zonas poco pobladas o de muy poco trfico. La interconexin sin solucin de continuidad con redes terrenales aumentar el xito de los servicios mundiales de banda ancha por satlite proporcionados por los sistemas de satlite. a) Arquitectura de red

En la Figura 16 se ilustran las tres principales posibilidades de instalacin de sistemas mundiales de banda ancha por satlite: Red de acceso que proporciona servicios a usuarios finales. Red de distribucin que distribuye el contenido en los bordes. Red medular que proporciona servicios troncales.

Figura 16 Posible configuracin de redes mundiales de banda ancha por satlite

El trabajo actual trata principalmente de posibilidades de red de acceso mediante la utilizacin de satlites OSG y terminales de satlite fijos. La topologa de la red puede ser en malla o en estrella, como se indica en la Figura 17: La topologa de red en estrella consiste en una disposicin radial de los enlaces entre la estacin central (o punto de acceso Internet) y mltiples estaciones remotas. Una estacin remota slo puede establecer un enlace directo con la estacin central y no puede establecer un enlace directo con otra estacin remota.

54

Cuestin 20-2/2 Una red en malla consiste en una disposicin en malla de los enlaces entre las estaciones, es decir, que cualquier estacin puede conectarse directamente con cualquier otra estacin. La topologa en estrella es un caso especial de la topologa en malla.

Figura 17 Topologas en estrella y en malla

Un sistema mundial de banda ancha por satlite puede utilizar una arquitectura de satlite no regenerativa o regenerativa: Arquitectura no regenerativa significa una sola arquitectura, llamada habitualmente arquitectura acodada. Esta arquitectura no termina ninguna capa de la pila de protocolo de interfaz inalmbrica en el satlite, el satlite se limita a transferir transparentemente las seales de los enlaces de usuario a los enlaces de conexin. Arquitecturas regenerativas son las dems arquitecturas que proporcionan funcionalidades adicionales en el satlite. En esas arquitecturas, las funciones de satlite terminan una o varias capas de la pila de protocolo de interfaz inalmbrica del satlite. Arquitectura de los servicios

b)

La arquitectura banda ancha por satlite (BSM, broadband satellite medium) separa el estrato de transporte en una parte superior que contiene servicios IP normalizados, y una parte inferior que contiene los servicios portadores del sistema global de banda ancha por satlite y los servicios portadores de transmisin de radio subyacentes ilustrados en la Figura 18.

Cuestin 20-2/2

55

Figura 18 Arquitectura del servicio global de banda ancha por satlite

A fin de separar los servicios comunes a todos los sistemas de satlite de los que son especficos de una determinada tecnologa de satlite, la arquitectura de servicio define un punto de acceso de servicio independiente del satlite (SI-SAP, satellite-independent service access point) como interfaz entre las capas superior e inferior. Esta interfaz corresponde a los extremos de los servicios portadores del sistema global de banda ancha por satlite indicado en la Figura 18. c) Arquitectura de protocolo protocolos de red IETF IP; protocolos adaptados del sistema global de banda ancha por satlite, que son independientes del sistema de satlite; protocolos dependientes de la tecnologa de satlite.

El sistema global de banda ancha por satlite identifica tres grupos de protocolos:

La arquitectura de protocolo del sistema global de banda ancha por satlite define la interfaz del punto de acceso al servicio independiente del satlite (SI-SAP) que reside entre la capa de red IP y las capas inferiores. Inmediatamente por encima y por debajo de la interfaz, la arquitectura define dos nuevas capas de adaptacin que contienen funciones del sistema global de banda ancha por satlite asociadas con la interfaz indicada en la Figura 19.

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Cuestin 20-2/2

Figura 19 Arquitectura de protocolo del sistema global de banda ancha por satlite

En la Figura 19 se indica cmo la arquitectura del sistema global de banda ancha por satlite soporta mltiples familias alternativas de protocolos de capa inferior dependientes del satlite. Cada familia corresponde a una tecnologa de satlite diferente, en particular los satlites transparentes y regenerativos, as como las topologas en malla y en red. Todas las familias de capas inferiores dependientes del satlite pueden soportar estas funciones SI-SAP genricas de distintas maneras. Cada familia define una funcin de adaptacin dependiente del satlite (SDAF, satellite dependent adaptation function) que se utiliza para proporcionar la correspondencia hacia la interfaz SI-SAP y desde la misma. La SI-SAP define una interfaz independiente del satlite que se puede utilizar para proporcionar esencialmente los mismos servicios en todas las implementaciones de BSMS. El trabajo actual trata principalmente del interfuncionamiento de la serie de protocolos IP como se indica en la Figura 20.

Figura 20 Interfuncionamiento IP

I.3.2

Matriz de red de los terminales de muy pequea apertura (VSAT)

Las redes de satlite VSAT instaladas en zonas rurales suelen funcionar en la banda 10-20 GHz. Las redes VSAT tienen una topologa similar a la estrella, con mltiples estaciones remotas que comunican a travs de una central con un sistema de acceso FDMA/TDMA DAMA.

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La velocidad de transmisin de datos actual es de hasta 256 kbit/s para la portadora desde la central a las estaciones remotas (salida descendente adelante), con modulacin QPSK y de 38,4 kbit/s para la portadora de las estaciones remotas a la central (entrante hacia arriba retorno) con una modulacin MSK. Habitualmente, se proporciona tambin un puerto LAN Ethernet para comunicar con otros equipos. Los principales componentes de la red VSAT son los siguientes: i) mltiples estaciones remotas; ii) estacin nodal (central); iii) subsistema de pago previo22 y iv) sistema de gestin de red. La Figura 21 es un diagrama simplificado de la red VSAT.

Figura 21 Esquema simplificado de una red VSAT

Las estaciones remotas constan principalmente de dos mdulos: la unidad externa (ODU, outdoor unit) y la unidad interna (IDU, indoor unit), que comprende el VSAT, adems del subsistema de alimentacin en energa y el subsistema de proteccin. La unidad externa (ODU) est integrada por la antena y los elementos de radiofrecuencia que permiten la comunicacin entre la unidad interna (IDU) y el satlite. Entre otros, cuenta con los siguientes componentes: i) una antena cuyo tamao va de 1,2 a 1,8 m23, ii) un convertidor de alta potencia de 500 mW a 1 W24 y iii) un bloque convertidor de bajo ruido. Se pueden proporcionar, entre otros, los servicios25 siguientes: i) voz, ii) fax de baja velocidad (Grupo 3), iii) llamadas gratuitas a centros de emergencia y iv) acceso a Internet en capitales de distrito rurales a una velocidad de 9 600 baudios. ____________________
22

El sistema de pago previo utiliza tarjetas con cdigos (NIP) para efectuar llamadas. El operador debe disponer de un plan de distribucin de tarjetas adecuado y velar por una capacitacin adecuada de la poblacin rural para utilizar el servicio. El procedimiento de llamada se indica al dorso de las tarjetas de pago previo, y en las cabinas telefnicas hay un cartel con indicaciones. Adems, el operador forma a los usuarios sobre la utilizacin adecuada del telfono pblico y del acceso a Internet en su caso. Las dimensiones de la antena dependen de numerosos factores (ubicacin geogrfica, cobertura del satlite, niveles de precipitacin, velocidad de datos solicitada, etc.). En algunos casos se utilizan antenas de mayor dimetro para mejorar el rendimiento del sistema. 1 W de potencia en algunas ciudades de la jungla peruana debido principalmente a la cobertura del satlite y a los niveles de precipitacin. Actualmente, todos los servicios proporcionados por operadores rurales son de pago previo, salvo el acceso a Internet, que por ahora es gratuito.

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Cuestin 20-2/2 (en ingles nicamente)

ANNEX I General Broadband Matters I.1 Social and Economic Benefits of Broadband in Telecommunications

Broadband is extending greater access to the information society, at a lower cost, to more people worldwide. Furthermore, broadband is delivering multiple applications (voice over IP telephony, Internet applications, television/video applications and audio applications) over a single network.26 For developing countries, access to the internet helps to provide previously unattainable services such as e-learning cheap telecommunications and medical know-how, and broadband has the potential to make these benefits even more achievable by bringing down costs and increasing the quantities of information exchanged. The Internet Report The Birth of Broadband27 identifies some of the ways that broadband is impacting societies around the world: The sharing of knowledge is enhanced by ensuring equitable access to the Internet, which is considered as a source of information for educational, scientific, economic, social, political and cultural activities.28 Broadband is becoming a more significant tool that is accessible to all for the attainment of truly pervasive telecommunications. This goes some way towards the fulfilment of access to knowledge for all as a basic human right a goal that has been evoked in a number of regional and international declarations and that forms one of the main tenets of the Principles developed as part of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).29 The development of broadband is also bringing about a paradigm shift in levels of informatization, and therefore, accountability, particularly in government processes. Wider public access to government information, and the opening up of information on public networks, underscores a commitment to democracy and good governance.

In addition to its impact on social issues, broadband is considered an accelerator of economic development. With broadband access, it is very common that worker productivity increases. Broadband creates opportunities for bundling services together and enables telecommunication operators to offer more services to consumers at lower prices, creating added efficiencies in both time and money. In addition, new or offshoot industries are created as a result of broadband. As telecommunication broadband penetration rates grow, there will be resulting demand for computer and home network equipment, as well as wireless handheld devices and other equipment that facilitate broadband use. The economic benefits of broadband also can be attributed to indirect factors, including increased e-commerce applications, reductions in commuting, increased consumption of entertainment, Internet telephony and savings in healthcare as a result reducing the cost of sophisticated telemedicine30. For the distribution enterprise sector, the economic benefits result from efficiencies in the distribution of goods, services and information. Thus, the economic benefits of broadband transcend from both direct and indirect sources. In the United States, for example, several studies have been released detailing the prevailing economic benefits of broadband deployment. A July 2001 study conducted in the U.S. by Robert Crandall and Charles Jackson has estimated the benefit of broadband to the United States to be upwards of USD 500 billion per

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ITU Internet Reports: Birth of Broadband ; International Telecommunication Union; September 2003. This publication has been compiled by the ITU General Secretariat. ITU Internet Reports: Birth of Broadband ; International Telecommunication Union; September 2003. See: www.itu.int/osg/spu/ni/promotebroadband/PB03-PromoteBroadband.doc WSIS Declaration of Principles, www.itu.int/wsis Ben Mackin. The value of Widespread Broadband , Entrepreneur.com, August 13, 2002.

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year within the next fifteen to twenty-five years, if broadband were to become nationally available.31 In addition, the Corporation for Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) projects the benefits of broadband for the state to be quite substantial. Californias One Gigabit or Bust broadband initiative promises to add 2 million jobs and an estimated USD 376 billion growth in gross state product (GSP) by 2010. This would equate to a 17 per cent increase in GDP per capita, as opposed to a mere 3 per cent increase without expanded broadband deployment.32 Many countries and governments around the world may be concerned about the expenses of deploying broadband networks; however, with economic incentives and a favourable regulatory policy, it may be done both cost effectively and efficiently. Potential fiscal incentives for broadband build-out, such as tax credits, grants, subsidized or low-interest loans, support for research and development on broadband technologies particularly for rural and underserved areas can make broadband network deployment a reality.33

I.2

Broadband Applications in Telecommunications

With the advent of broadband technologies, a myriad of applications become possible or are enhanced beyond their current capabilities limited only to dial-up Internet access. Some of the applications include: E-Health E-Working E-Government E-Agriculture E- Learning Public Safety Applications for persons with disabilities Utility applications Small business assistance Information gathering E-Tourism E-Commerce Entertainment

While this is not an exhaustive list, these applications are some of the most important for broadband use. The next section describes some of the most commonly used broadband applications and provides real-life examples of how broadband has been used globally to facilitate these services.

I.2.1

E-Health

E-Health (also referred to as telemedicine) has been touted as one of the primary applications made possible by broadband technology. E-Health refers not only to making diagnoses and treating patients using highspeed telecommunication access with two-way voice, video and data transmission, but it can also refer to the ability of consumers to purchase medical supplies or prescription drugs online. Broadband deployment has led to revolutionary developments in the medical field. E-Health allows patients that are either too elderly, too sick or those in rural or remote areas too far away from medical facilities to see a doctor and receive medical attention using medical equipment and digital imagery technology. Thus, e-health enables improved access and better quality medical care to those who cannot visit a doctor in person, as well as offers early diagnosis and medical treatment. E-health also facilitates medical training for ____________________
31

Robert Crandall and Charles Jackson. The $500 Billion Opportunity: The Potential Economic Benefits of Widespread Diffusion of Broadband Internet Access, Criterion Economics, L.L.C., Washington D.C., July 2001. Corporation for Education Initiative in California. www.cenic.org Broadband Bringing Home the Bits. Washington D.C., National Academy Press, 2002, p. 168.

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persons that can help doctors and patients in the diagnosis process from afar. While not only reducing transportation costs, it encourages the sharing of scarce resources for medical care. Internationally, there are many examples where e-health has had a significant societal impact. The beauty of e-mail is that, with the appropriate technology, it can be performed anywhere. The following are just a few examples of where and how e-health, using broadband technology, has been employed. Tele-radiology in Canadas Buchanan Memorial Hospital used broadband telecommunication technology to help diagnose a problem in a patient over 270 kilometers away, thus allowing for proper patient care without the patient having to be moved.34 Using telecommunication satellite broadband technology, several patients in a remote area in Canada were treated by a dermatologist that was over 900 miles away. Had the technology not been available, those patients would have had to wait several months until the specialist could make it out to this remote area.35 In Ontario, the Canadian Hearing Society has planned several projects using broadband technology in an interactive, broadband technology to support education, employment and telecommunication opportunities for people who are blind and hard of hearing.36 In Russia, the E-health Foundation of Russia is focused on using broadband technology to conduct e-health consultations between Russia and other countries in Europe and North America, as well as within Russias vast borders.37 The Medical Informatics and Technology Applications Consortium (MedITAC38) has made several successful trips to Ecuador in recent years. Teams of medical and technical personnel have completed many projects in Ecuador, including electronic transmission of pre-operative patient data; installation of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) in Ecuador; training of collaborators in entering, exporting, and importing data; transmission of text files from remote villages to larger cities using high frequency radio; and transmission of live hernia surgery from a mobile surgical truck with images from a laparoscopic camera, while surgeons in Richmond identified key instructions.39 In Turkey, MedITAC sent two people to Turkey with Physicians for Peace (based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA) to assemble a multimedia course on landmine victim rehabilitation. The Physicians for Peace mission focused on developing an on-site multimedia curriculum that can be used for landmine relief efforts anywhere in the world.40 In Uzbekistan the Teleconsultation System for the Republican Centre of Emergency Medicine is one of the largest medical centres in Tashkent, the nations capital. The principle long-term e-health goal of the centre is to connect via broadband, the primary Emergency Centre with the National Research Centre of Surgery and all 12 regional branches of the Emergency Centre. Initially, ehealth transmissions will be based on store-and-forward Internet technology. Later, when the countrys telecommunication infrastructure has been upgraded to ISDN, videoconference facilities are also to be implemented. The system will be focused on teleradiology.

For more information on applications for telemedicine and e-health applications, please see the ongoing work under Question 14-1/2, Application of telecommunications in health care.41 ____________________
34 35 36 37 38

Canadian Broadband Taskforce Report, Networking the Nation for Broadband Access, 2001, p. 29. Canadian Broadband Taskforce Report, Networking the Nation for Broadband Access, 2001. Canadian Broadband Taskforce Report, Networking the Nation for Broadband Access, 2001, p. 20. www.meditac.com/MedITAC/Projects/projects_main.cfm Stands for The Medical Informatics and Technology Applications Consortium, which has its headquarters on the Medical Campus of the U.S. Virginia Commonwealth University. www.meditac.com/MedITAC/Projects/projects_main.cfm www.meditac.com/MedITAC/Projects/projects_main.cfm www.itu.int/ITU-D/webdocuments/list_new.asp?question=Q14-1/2&lang=en&period=2002

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1.2.2

E-Working

The ability to work either work from home or from another location, such as a telecentre that is outside of a persons regular office is an important telecommunication broadband application using such technology. E-Working can contribute to time and cost savings for both employers and employees, as well as enable persons with disabilities or others that are physically challenged to work. While E-Working is generally thought to mean working from home, it is not limited to this. It also refers to using virtual or satellite offices to work. In a virtual office, employees may share a reduced office space at a nearby employer facility, use the same facilities on a rotating basis, or participate in a fee-based telework centre arrangement.42 Many people believe that E-Working can significantly change their lives. By using broadband technology for teleworking, people spend more time working and less time commuting to and from work. This becomes particularly important both in high-density areas where traffic and traffic-related pollution are both very high, as well as in remote areas that force workers to travel great distances to get to their jobs. E-Working also can improve employee productivity by reducing the number of distractions that people encounter at the office. This is because it can help eliminate competing priorities and interruptions.43 For many companies, teleworking results in significant advantages for both employers and employees, and it can be a low-cost employee benefit provided by companies. E-Working can contribute to reduced office space rental and parking expenses, as well as save on business travel due to the reduced need to travel to physically attend meetings. It also can provide workers the needed flexibility that may induce well-qualified people, who otherwise may not want to work in particular jobs or areas, to accept certain jobs. E-Working using broadband technology also can facilitate group projects and collaborative projects with professionals in different locations. This helps maximize efficiencies and sometimes-scarce economic and professional resources. With the assistance of videoconferencing, as well as streaming audio and video facilities, teleworking enables employees to collaborate on projects more easily, reduces the need for face-toface meetings, and therefore reduces the necessity to travel, while accomplishing the same goal of seeing people or presentations in real-time. E-Working may also assist persons with disabilities who currently are underemployed or unemployed due to communication difficulties or trouble with transportation to an office outside of the home or other facility. Because the high connection speeds and the facilitation of two-way voice, video and data transmission, broadband enables the presentation of information in multiple formats, such as audio, video, and captioning, which are well-suited for those with certain disabilities. Thus, broadband technology opens up a range of telecommunication choices that help present information in the most appropriate format for peoples needs.44 Another advantage of using broadband to facilitate teleworking is that it can improve employee retention rates, thereby reducing recruitment costs and other costs, such as advertising, interviewing, and training, that are associated with hiring new employees. It also can reduce absenteeism because it allows people flexibility to balance work and home-related activities more easily, thereby reducing the need for people to take time off from work or use sick leave to accomplish the same goals. Overall, E-Working can be a substantial timeand money-saving application for many different industries. Companies, both large and small, can reap the benefits of E-Working. A subsidiary of a large multinational company, Siemens Enterprise Networks, has realized substantial savings by promoting teleworking which became a mainstream part of the business model in 1996. By mid-2002, 20 per cent of the 3 000 employees were dedicated full-time E-Workers, and 40 per cent were mobile workers.45 E-Working enabled the company to decrease office space by 35 per cent nationwide and annual real estate savings have been over USD 3 million in the 3 000-person subsidiary alone.

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42 43 44 45

Positively Broadband Campaign, Anytime, anyplace, anywhere: Broadband and the Changing Face of Work, July 2002, p. 5. Positively Broadband Campaign, Anytime, anyplace, anywhere: Broadband and the Changing Face of Work, July 2002, p. 5. Positively Broadband Campaign, Anytime, anyplace, anywhere: Broadband and the Changing Face of Work, July 2002, p. 5. Siemens Enterprise Networks Facts on Teleworking Products and Practices Press Release, 2001.

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Many smaller companies and individuals have reaped the rewards of E-Working, as well. In order to assist smaller companies in rural U.S. communities, the United States Government is actively promoting the benefits of E-Working in the United States through the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 which was signed into law on May 13, 2002. The law provides grants of USD 500 000 each to rural communities to establish telework sites. Grants will be awarded to non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and Native American tribes. The law also authorizes the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to establish and operate a national rural E-Work institute. This institute will conduct outreach to rural communities and rural workers; develop innovative, market-driven telework projects and joint ventures with the private sector that employ workers in rural areas in jobs that promote economic self-sufficiency; support private sector businesses that are transitioning to telework; and support and assist telework projects and individuals at the State and local level.

I.2.3

E-Government

As an entity that primarily provides services to others, government is in a prime position to reap the benefits of broadband technologies. Governments can use broadband to help transform legacy systems into customerfriendly systems and create a public-centered service for such public. E-Government applications can help citizens solve problems. E-Government allows citizens to get information on basic government services to allow citizens to fill out electronic forms and get information through self-service online. With more citizens accessing and using services online, the more expensive paper, voice and face-to-face transactions are likely to shrink, lowering the cost of providing services.46 This also allows government agencies greater ability to concentrate on providing improved quality of service or expanding the quantity of services they provide. Broadband allows interaction with the government to be more convenient for citizens because it reduces the time necessary to get information. It can obviate the need to make phone calls or visit government offices during business hours because tasks can be performed at the citizens convenience. In addition, those who work long hours or shift work, the elderly and those with mobility problems or other disabilities have the same opportunities as others to get the information they need.47 Examples of some of the services that can be provided using E-Government include: renewing a drivers licenses; registering to vote and voting; one-stop shopping for government services without having to know which government agency handles specific functions; ordering birth, death, marriage certificates; filing and paying taxes; and obtaining business licenses.48 Other services include filing for financial aid, as well as filing applications for certain government housing, education and other programs. Broadband technology -enabled E-Government is a win-win for both citizens and the government itself. Within government, broadband can lead to improved task management, as well as less waste, fraud and abuse. Many internal government transactions can be handled online, including travel reimbursements, changes of address, pension fund modifications, etc.49 Broadband technology also can enable government to save money on mailing, printing and handling costs. Overall, electronic service delivery can change human resource management patterns and improve organizational performance.50

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46

Andrew Leigh and Robert Atkinson, Breaking Down Bureaucratic Barriers The Next Phase of Digital Government, Progressive Policy Institute, November 2001. Andrew Leigh and Robert Atkinson, Breaking Down Bureaucratic Barriers The Next Phase of Digital Government, Progressive Policy Institute, November 2001. M. Cook, What Citizens Want from E-Government, Center for Technology in Government, University of Albany/SUNY, www.ctg.albany.edu/resources/htmlrpt/e-government/what_citizens_want.html Leigh Atkinson, Breaking Down the Bureaucratic Barriers: The Next Phase of Digital Government, November 2001, p. 7. S. Cohen. and W. Eimicke, The Use of the Internet in Government Service Delivery, PWC Endowment for the Business of Government, 2001. See www.endowment.pwcglobal.com

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There are many examples of countries that have employed broadband technology to create E-Government applications.51 The following are just a few: In the Dhar district in central India, the Gyandoot Project has established community-owned, technologically innovative and sustainable information kiosks in a poverty-stricken, tribal dominated rural area of Madhya Pradesh. Information kiosks have connectivity through local exchanges on optical fibre or UHF links. Citizens can use the kiosks to obtain Agriculture Produce Auction Centre Rates; get copies of land records; conduct online registration to obtain income/caste/ domicile certificates; file an online public grievance redress; conduct auctions for land, agricultural machinery, equipment, and other durable commodities; and obtain updated information regarding beneficiaries of social security pension, rural development schemes and information regarding government grants given to village committees and public distributions.52 In Brazil, the state government of Bahia has created Citizen Assistance Service Centres (SAC), using broadband technology, that bring together federal, state, and municipal agencies in a single location to offer the e-services that citizens most frequently need and use. The centres have been placed in convenient public locations, such as shopping malls and major public transportation hubs. They offer citizens significant time savings, while also delivering services with greater courtesy and professionalism. A further benefit has been a reduction in the overhead expenses of government since, in many instances, agencies pay much lower rents for space in the SAC than for the properties they previously rented to interact with the public.53 The Department of Revenue in Karnataka, India, has computerized 20 million records of land ownership of 6.7 million farmers in the state. Previously, farmers had to seek out the village accountant to get a copy of the Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC) a document needed for many tasks such as obtaining bank loans. Currently, for a small fee, a printed copy of the RTC can be obtained online at a computerized land record kiosks (Bhoomi centres) in 140 taluk offices. In the next phase, all the taluk databases are to be uploaded to a web-enabled central database. RTCs would then be available online at Internet kiosks connected through broadband technologies, which are likely to be set up in rural areas.54 A European Commission study, carried out in April 2002,55 on E-Government in Europe shows clear progress. Since the measurement in October 2001, the availability and interactivity of public services on the Internet rose by 10 per cent to reach 55 per cent. The study was part of the European Commissions Benchmarking eEurope initiative and measured twenty basic public services in the 15 EU Member States, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. In this study, a representative sample of more than 10 000 public service providers in the 18 countries was assessed. The survey found that the overall degree of online availability of public services in the countries through broadband technologies was 55 per cent, compared to 45 per cent in October 2001. The categories of public services that were most prevalent included income-generating services, such as taxes and social contributions (79 per cent), followed by registration services, such as registration of cars and new

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See: www.digitalopportunity.org/cgin/index.cgi?root=2822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1%2Eworldbank%2Eorg%2Fpublicsector%2 Fegov%2Fservdel%2Ehtm for other examples. See: www.digitalopportunity.org/cgiin/index.cgi?root=2822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1%2Eworldbank%2Eorg%2Fpublicsector% 2Fegov%2Fservdel%2Ehtm See: www.digitalopportunity.org/cgibin/index.cgi?root=2822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1%2Eworldbank%2Eorg%2Fpublicsector %2Fegov%2Fservdel%2Ehtm See: www.digitalopportunity.org/cgibin/index.cgi?root=2822&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1%2Eworldbank%2Eorg%2Fpublicsector %2Fegov%2Fservdel%2Ehtm See: europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/file.tmp_Foot 1

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Cuestin 20-2/2 companies, and social security. Services related to documents and permits, such as drivers licenses and passports, were the least developed on the web (41 per cent).56

By 2003, the Japanese Governments E-Government Program was expected to result in nearly all applications and procedures being available online.57 The government would like to deploy public Local Access Networks (LANs) that connect schools, libraries, community centres and city halls across the country by 2005. In Canada, the city of Yellowknife now offers many government services online. Citizens can register businesses, obtain lottery licenses, pay parking tickets, book public facilities and find information about local laws. Through a project called CityNET, the city is preparing to offer citizens information through an interactive computerized phone system and an interactive version of cable television.58 In the UK, the www.ukonline.gov.uk portal was created to provide a single access point to UK Government information and services. It was launched in early December 2000 and contains applications and features, such as: a) Quickfind a powerful search engine that guides users directly to the right information, allowing people to cut through the maze of government.

b) Do It Online access to useful online transactions, such as applying for a passport, buying a TV license, paying bills, notifying others of changes of address and filling in self-assessment tax returns. c) e) f) Newsroom providing an easy way to keep in touch with government news, announcements and advices. CitizenSpace a section to make it easy for people to find out about government plans and contribute to the formulation of new policies on which the public is invited to comment. Easy Access pages, which give simpler access to the portal for those who are visually impaired or have low reading skills.59

I.2.4

E-Agriculture

Agriculture is another ideal candidate for reaping the benefits broadband technology. Broadband access creates a link between buyers and sellers, simplifies pricing determination, offers risk management and forward pricing opportunities and can facilitate improved farm productivity and environmental protection. Broadband also makes possible electronic exchange trading of agricultural commodities, and it enables farmers the ability to conduct better production management, inventory control and better marketing techniques for their commodities and products both domestically and internationally. Because of the geographical separation between farmers and their markets, the fact that there are far more buyers than sellers, as well as the fact that commodities are often perishable and fungible by time, broadband can play an important role in bringing farmers and their markets together more quickly and getting products to market more quickly and efficiently. Broadband technology also can provide farmers with an easier ability to earn off-farm income. Because the economics of farming do not allow many farmers to live off the proceeds of farming alone, many farmers need to find additional work to supplement their income. Broadband access can give them an opportunity to use their skills to work from home and not leave the farm. The economic benefits of using broadband in the agricultural sector are significant. According to Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, B2B e-market opportunity (in the United States) for non-equipment agricultural inputs ____________________
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Online public services: Europe making progress on eGovernment, EC Website, Brussels, June 20, 2002. TISP workshop, OECD, Shinichiro Sakata, Deputy Director General for Information and Communications Policy, Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs and P & T, Japan, December 2001. Canadian BB Taskforce Report, Networking the Nation for Broadband Access, 2001, p. 20. UK Online Strategy Action Plan Report: www.e-envoy.gov.uk/oee/oee.nsf/sections/index/$file/index.htm

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such as seeds, chemicals, fertilizers and veterinary supplies alone could be USD 34 billion. Moreover, on the farmers marketing side, efficient B2B e-commerce structures could cut marketing costs by about five cents per bushel for wheat, oilseeds, and feed grains.60 In addition, broadband networks can provide the agricultural community with many additional advantages. For example, broadband enables the creation of Virtual Enterprise Zones (VEZs). These are electronic markets for citizens and businesses that could reap benefits from government assistance. With broadband technology, more rural areas could immediately join existing VEZs or create new VEZs. Precision agriculture is another application made possible by broadband technology. With this, broadband can be used for yield monitoring, soil sample analysis and access to satellite imagery for weather patterns. The information can be stored off-site and analyzed by off-site experts and then relayed back to the farm. Other applications, such as distance agriculture education and technical services via broadband technology, can assist with crop planning, pest management, input management of goods and equipment servicing. Televeterinary applications are also possible with broadband technology. Because of the high cost of door-todoor veterinary services and because many farmers often perform their own routine veterinary care, broadband can deliver more accurate information on health problems in animals and more vital information on insects more quickly. Virtual livestock auctions also are made possible with broadband technology because the potential number of buyers seeing animals increases without having to transport animals from location to location. Furthermore, broadband technology can assist farmers with distributing scarce resources efficiently and effectively in times of draught or crisis by enabling farmers to transmit information quickly about product stockpiles. An additional application of broadband technology in the agricultural sector is using broadband connections to track the identity of agricultural commodities and products. In other words, broadband connections can be used to track the production and distribution chain of various commodities and products. This can be particularly useful when products need to be recalled for health and safety concerns. In addition, broadband technology can play a role in protecting national security because it can make food tampering less effective by using product tracking to expose potential culprits. In Canada, broadband telecommunication networks are being used to assist with farm management and electronic livestock auctions. In fact, over 60 per cent of the beef cattle sold in Quebec are now sold at electronic auctions. The selling cost for producers of grain-fed calves has dropped from CAD 11 to CAD 4 a head, thus increasing profit margins, and the animals do not have to be shipped twice first to the auction site and then to the slaughterhouse.61 In a major step towards improving rural connectivity in Maharashtra, India, the state government has planned an integrated agricultural project using wireless in local loop (WLL) technology to provide extensive and dynamic information to farmers through internet and video-conferencing. Two pilot locations, at Baramati and Pabal, will have one WLL centre each. The proposed project will extend Internet access to surrounding villages within a 25 km radius. The villages in the vicinity of the WLL centres would be provided with Internet kiosks from where farmers can browse agriculture-related websites, download information on various agro technologies, get meteorological information as well as disaster prevention management plan, pest incidents and remedies. Similarly, farmers will be able to access global and country-wide market information, various government schemes, facilities, agro-processing and marketing information, communicate directly with scientists and other farmers and utilize e-commerce in agriculture.62 One example of an agriculture portal is Agmarket, an Indian agriculture website that aims to establish a nation-wide information network for speedy collection and dissemination of market information for its efficient utilization.63 Agmarket offers computerized data on market fees, market charges, total arrivals, arrivals by agencies, prices (variety wise / quality wise), storage, dispatches with destination, mode of ____________________
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The Importance of Next Generation Internet Access to Agriculture and Rural America, World Perspectives, Inc., April 13, 2000, p. 2-3. Canadian Broadband Taskforce Report, Networking the Nation for Broadband Access, p. 22. Maharashtra draws up plan for WLL-versed villages, The Economic Times, 21st April03, www.economictimes.com www.agmarknet.nic.in/

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transportation, costs, sold and unsold stocks, sources of supply with destination, method of sale and payment. It also ensures the flow of regular and reliable data to producers, traders and consumers to derive maximum benefit of their sales and purchases. In the United States, the Freedom to E-File Act directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make its programs accessible via the Internet. USDA officials estimate that up to two million farms could save, at minimum, the one-hour drive from the farm to government office building to fill out forms.64 In addition, the 2002 U.S. Farm Bill included a specific section on the promotion of rural broadband telecommunication access. Section 601 states that the loans and loans guarantees should be provided to aid in the construction, improvement and acquisition of facilities and equipment for broadband telecommunication service in eligible rural communities. Up to USD 20 million will be made available for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2005, and USD 10 million each for fiscal years 2006 and 2007.

I.2.5

E-Learning

E-Learning is one of the most widely touted applications of broadband technology. Broadband technology enables students of all ages and from any geographic location to take advantage of educational opportunities in schools, universities and other kinds of educational institutions. Broadband can provide students the opportunity to see and interact with professors in real-time, collaborate on group projects when participants are located in different geographic locations, and give the poor, underprivileged, or disabled technology the opportunity to learn a multitude of subjects without the burden of costly and time-consuming travel to educational institutions. Many nations and localities have used broadband technology to provide distancelearning opportunities for their citizens. Below are several examples to illustrate some successful examples. In Denmark, Sektornett65, which was established in 1993, is an electronic network for primary, lower and upper secondary schools, vocational schools and institutes of higher education. In addition to Internet access, a number of services are offered, primarily high-security Sektornett manager training at schools and technical support. By 2002, there were more than 3 000 institutions on the Sektornett. Nearly all upper secondary schools, higher preparatory courses, adult education centres, vocational schools and institutes of higher education are now connected through broadband technology. Also in Denmark, the Research Network (Forskningsnettet) was established in 1997 for the purpose of interconnecting Danish research institutions using high-speed transmission of text, sound, images and video. The Research Network supports applications such as videoconferencing, distance education and telemedicine.66 A virtual university in Pakistan is providing students with an opportunity to learn computer skills. The USD 40 million project provides distance learning using the television, video conferencing and Internet, and it is intended to train nearly 60,000 computer science graduates so that they can help develop an information technology industry in Pakistan. In order to control costs and make the program affordable, educational centres are being set up where students can view the courses and access the Internet.67 The Cisco Networking Academy Program evolved out of internal Cisco efforts to meet the training needs of students and teachers in schools being wired, having telecommunication networks installed, and being connected to the Internet. The Academy program focuses on training students in the skills necessary to design, implement and operate computer networks. It utilizes web-based learning to facilitate rapid evolution and dissemination of up-to-date curricula. It can also provide widespread availability of information on the strategy and the programs that support it. Currently, the Networking Academy program includes partnerships with many organizations, in addition to ITU, has been established in almost 8 500 locations in over 130 countries, including 28 of the UNs officially designated Least Developed Countries.68 ____________________
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The Importance of Next Generation Internet Access to Agriculture and Rural America, World Perspectives, Inc., April 13, 2000, p. 6. www.fsk.dk/fsk/publ/2001/broadband/fromhardware.doc www.fsk.dk/cgi-bin/theme-overview.cgi Alfred Hermida Teaching Goes Virtual in Pakistan, BBC News Online, May 13, 2002. World Telecommunications Development Conference.

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I.2.6

E-Tourism

Broadband enables people to visit tourist spots without having to travel long distances to see attractions in person. Broadband technology connections (video application in particular) can enable people to view art treasures, exhibits, historical landmarks and other types of tourist attractions. In addition, broadband technology can assist fans of sporting and other major events, like the World Cup or the Olympics, to see the events as they would in person in real time. This is particularly useful for events that may be too far to travel to and where significant time-zone differences may not enable real-time viewing of these events.

I.2.7

E-Commerce

Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce) is the term associated with buying and selling products and services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. Recently, with widespread Internet usage, e-commerce has grown extraordinarily. E-commerce has become a general concept given the wide variety of applications that it enables including mobile banking, ticketing, coupons, payments and money transfers. E-commerce has witnessed steady growth, especially with the launch of high profile device launches including smartphones. There has been a growth in sophisticated mobile web applications that resemble the full web experience equivalent to PC-based online shopping. Mobile banking in particular has proven to be extremely relevant in developing countries where banks seek to provide convenient services to bankers but face poor banking infrastructure (including poor fixed broadband network infrastructure). The following are a few examples illustrating e-commerce applications that would operate productively through a broadband connection:69 Launched in 2007, Pay-Buy Mobile, a MNO (Mobile Network Operator) worked with the GSM Association (GSMA) to use mobile phones to make fast, secure payments in a retail environment using wireless technology. The GSMA has been working with a variety of key stakeholder groups including operators, financial institutions and handset and point-of-sale device vendors. In January 2008, U.S. Bank, MasterCard and Nokia introduced a mobile payments pilot program in Spokane, Washington. Programme participants received a new Nokia 6131 mobile phone equipped with MasterCard PayPass payment functionality, which allows them to pay for purchases with a tap of their mobile phone, instead of sliding a card through a magnetic stripe reader, handing it over to the cashier, or fumbling for cash and coins. In late 2008 it was announced that a mobile payment pilot in South America is being launched in Guatemala by Visa with Banco Industrial and Banco Uno. The trial will last for six months. 200 Visa customers will have their credit card details placed on to their mobile phones and will be able to make small value purchases at hundreds of merchants by tapping their devices against Vivotech VivoPay in 5000 payment readers. Indias Bharti Airtel chairs the GSMAs Mobile Money Transfer steering committee, and Western Union agreed with the GSMA in October 2007 to develop a commercial and technical framework that mobile operators can use to deploy services that enable consumers to send and receive lowdenomination, high frequency money transfers using their mobile phones. MoneyBoxAfrica is an initiative from Nigerias leading technology focused investment and financing institution, Integrated Capital Services. The service is based on Payboxs Mobiliser Platform and the Money Mobiliser product. The service targets the 80% of Nigerians who are unbanked or under banked. MoneyBox is a new savings and payment service based on scratch cards and e-pins and enabled by any mobile phone. IT offers a fast, safe, secure and reliable cash-like way to remotely save, spend and transfer money. With MoneyBox, one can open an account, save money, pay utility bills, buy insurance, send money to friends and relatives, withdraw money at agent locations, banks or ATMs, get access to credit and make investments. MoneyBox offers

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Mobile Commerce Prospects for Payments, Ticketing, Coupons and Banking 2008 2013 Juniper Research.

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Cuestin 20-2/2 banking functions at agent locations by providing deposit, transfer and withdrawal services unrestricted by location or proximity to a bank.

In April 2008, Etisalat announced the start of a pilot service for Mobile Money Transfer from the UAE to India. The service enables Indian expatriates in the UAE to transfer money to their relatives back home through Idea Cellular, with Tata Communications to the central hub for the service. HSBC India is the banking channel for the funds transfer in India with Mashreq the banking partner in the UAE. Customers enrolling for Mobile Money Transfer service are provided with a mobile wallet which can be loaded by transferring money from a partner bank account. The money transfer is a simple menu driven process. Transactions are secured using a PIN.

I.2.8

E-Environment

E-environment70 is defined as a) The use and promotion of ICTs as an instrument for environmental protection and the sustainable use of natural resources; b) The initiation of actions and implementation of projects and programs for sustainable production and consumption and the environmentally safe disposal and recycling of discarded hardware and components used in ICTs, and c) The establishment of monitoring systems, using ICTs, to forecast and monitor the impact of natural and man-made disasters, particularly in developing countries, LDCs and small economies. The contribution of ICTs for dealing with environmental issues can be broken into categories such as71: Environmental observation Environmental analysis Environmental planning Environmental management and protection Impact and Mitigating effects of ICT utilization Environmental capacity building

The effect of broadband and related applications on the environment: Similar to several recent studies, a study in the USA72 investigated the use of advanced technologies, including broadband services and telecommunications technologies and their specific effects on energy use and the environment and indicated that there are significant savings that broadband technologies can bring in terms of reduced green house gas (GHG) emissions. The study concluded that the greatest potential for GHG reductions over the coming 10 years in the USA would come from the use of e-Commerce, followed by telecommuting, teleconferencing and paper reduction. If the green house reductions noted in this study were converted into energy saved, we forecast that IT applications could save 555 million barrels of oil a year, or roughly 11 per cent of the oil imported into the USA today. Similarly, a study on the role of ICTs and broadband on GHG emissions and climate change commissioned by Telstra, the incumbent Australian telecommunications operator, stated that according to a survey of Australian business, their ICT use amounts to 7.9 Megatons of CO, amounting to roughly 1.4% of national emissions. Telstra has recently launched the Smarter, greener, together website after reviewing a study showing that the telecommunications industry is capable of helping Australia reduce its yearly carbon emissions by approximately 5%, amounting to roughly 27 million carbon tons by the beginning of 2015. Many reports have shown how broadband usage and (ICT) can have a huge environmental impact by reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. A November 2008 report by GeSI, the Global e-Sustainability Initiative, estimates that ICT can reduce emissions in the U.S. by up to 22 percent by 2020 through environmentally friendly practices such as smart ____________________
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Derived from the text in the Geneva Plan of Action (2003) from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Action Line C7: E-environment (http://www.itu.int.wsis/docs/geneva/official/poa.html#c7-20). ITU.2008. ICTs for e-Environment Guidelines for Developing Countries, with a Focus on Climate Change. Fuhr, J.P. and Pociask, S.B. 2007. Broadband services: economic and environmental benefits. The American Consumer Institute.

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logistics, smart buildings, a smart power grid and reducing travel through videoconferencing and tele-work. The assessment of smart grid has many implications including broadband since broadband equipment contributes to electricity consumption. A 2007 American Consumer Institute (ACI) study found major reductions are possible over 10 years: Telecommuting reduces office space and car commutes, saving 588 million tons of emissions; Widespread teleconferencing could eliminate one-tenth of all flights, saving 200 million tons; E-commerce will reduce warehousing and long- distance shipping, saving 206 million tons.

The GeSI and ACI studies show how widespread adoption of high-speed broadband service could reduce up to 36 percent of U.S. oil imports each year and eliminate a billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 10 years. An additional study by GeSI73 indicates that while there is expected ICT and broadband growth in developed markets, the most significant growth will occur in developing countries. Currently 1 out 10 people in China owns a PC. This is expected to increase to 7 out of 10 by 2020, comparable to the PC ownership in the United States today. In approximately 12 years, half the Chinese population will a phone and half of all households will have broadband access. By 2020, almost a third of the global population will own a PC, half will own a mobile phone and one in 20 households will have a broadband connection. These statistics are indicative of a parallel increase of mobile phones, chargers, internet protocol TV (IPTV) boxes, home broadband routers and telecom infrastructure in the coming years. The telecoms devices (excluding infrastructure) global footprint was 18 Million Tons CO2 (MtCO2) in 2002 and is expected to increase almost threefold to 51 MtCO2 by 2020,74 driven mainly by increases in the use of broadband modems/routers and IPTV boxes. Telecom infrastructure growth is attributed to an increased demand for telecom devices, broadband and mobile accounts, video and game sharing and other peer-to-peer content exchange. The telecoms infrastructure footprint, including ongoing energy use and carbon embodied in the infrastructure, was 133 MtCO2 in 2002 and expected to more than double to 299 MtCO2 by 2020.75 The OECD is currently76: Developing a framework for analysis of ICTs and environmental challenges. The aim is to comprehensively model environmental effects of ICT production, use and their application across industry sectors. Analyzing existing indicators and statistics on the relationship between ICTs and the environment with the aim of improving availability and comparability of official statistics. Identifying priority areas for policy action including life cycle analysis of ICT products and impact assessments of smart ICT applications. This work covers the potential of sensor-based technologies and broadband networks to monitor and address climate change and facilitate energy efficiency across all sectors of the economy.

In a recent paper77, the OECD notes that governments can encourage the usage of Green ICTs by enforcing rules that can be voluntary Codes of Conduct (CoC) or mandatory national laws. For example, the EC has formulated two CoCs fo relevance for Green ICT: In the EU Codes of Conduct for Broadband Equipment, companies must commit to reduce energy consumption of broadband equipment (EC, 2008a). The EU Codes of Conduct for Data Centers sets energy efficiency goals and measures standards for data centre providers (EC, 2008b). ____________________
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SMART 2020: Enabling the Low Carbon Economy in the Information Age. Energy Usage of Mobile Telephone Services in Germany, Schaefer C., C. Weber and A. Voss (2003), Volume 28, Issue 5, pp 411 410. Energy Usage of Mobile Telephone Services in Germany, Schaefer C., C. Weber and A. Voss (2003), Volume 28, Issue 5, pp 411 410. http://www.oecd.org/document/30/0,3343,en_2649_34223_42906974_1_1_1_1,00.html OECD Toward Green ICT Strategies Assessing Policies and Programs on ICT and Environment, May 2009.

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The following example illustrates an E-environment application using broadband: Coral disease, bleaching, climate change and pollution are harming the health of the Great Barrier Reef which stretches for thousands of square kilometers. In order to monitor and measure the health of the various factors damaging the reef, data needed to be collected and transferred back to research facilities, a challenge when dealing with over 70 kilometers offshore with no fixed line infrastructure. Telstra, Australias 3G operator offered a solution that could transmit data from remote offshore locations that was scalable, cost-effective, fast and secure. Sensor buoys containing 3G modems were placed at various locations on the Great Barrier Reef to capture data in real-time and proceed to transmit it back to land. The signal connects to a fixed line IP metropolitan area network on the 3G network via a wireless port. The data is then relayed back to a research center for analysis. By bolting the 3G modem onto a sensor buoy, it can be deployed in less than a day.

I.2.9

Telecommunications for Public Safety, for Disaster Prevention and Disaster Relief

The use of broadband technology to support public safety initiatives, disaster prevention and disaster relief are increasingly important applications. Since 11 September 2001, U.S. public safety officials and members of the international telecommunications community have focused on the uses of broadband technologies to effectively protect public safety and security in the event of another similar terrorist attack. The ability to roll out and quickly deploy broadband wireless links in order to provide essential telecommunication connectivity to public safety agency was recognized by the entire nation. Broadband technology can be used in a variety of ways to assist with public safety protection. Some of these applications include: biometrics screening at designated entry points into a country or locality and at sensitive facilities; enhancing remote surveillance of borders, airports, ports, and train stations to complement local surveillance; restoring public services and public confidence by enabling public officials and their staffs to telework in the event of damage to or destruction of normal work spaces; providing remote access to information systems necessary for either public or private business activities in the event of biochemical threats, attacks or quarantines; marshalling geographically dispersed medical expertise and support at crisis scenes; and supporting or replacing letter mail services with high capacity electronic service in the event of a disruption caused by destruction, contamination or quarantine of mail facilities. Moreover, broadband telecommunication networks, and particularly wireless networks, can assist police, fire and specialized law enforcement members in many situations. Large data and image files can be quickly and wirelessly transferred, enabling images and fingerprints of wanted or missing persons, video clips of robberies, maps and layouts to be downloaded into police vehicle mobile computers as they leave their precincts. The same technology also can allow wireless uploads of videos, images and reports from the police vehicle to the command centre, enable command centres to employ full motion video for remotecontrolled robotics in terrorist and other highly dangerous operations, and monitor officers or suspects in high risk situations to allow on-scene decision making and assistance based on video transmissions.78 In addition, broadband networks can supplement conventional circuit-switched wireline and wireless telephony services with survivable, dynamically routed Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications capable of TV-quality videoconferencing and other applications. Broadband also can assist federal and local officials taking part in safety training to do so more cost effectively enabling training without the expense of the travel associated with going to seminars, etc. Broadband technology can be particularly useful in times of crisis or before, during and after disasters. With broadband technology, individuals can instantaneously alert family and friends about a persons status. Broadband connections using position location technology, particularly in rural and remote regions, can assist rescuers in recovering victims of accidents or natural disasters. Broadband, particularly wireless or satellite broadband, can assist first-responders in receiving area maps, provide videos on situations like how to pry open a rail passenger door or how to safely shut off electrical power in a facility expectation of a

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78

Motorola. 4.9 GHz Allocation to Public Safety: Motorola White Paper for Submission to FCC, July 31, 2001.

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disaster and it can enable all involved responders from numerous agencies to view the same image and data and assist before, during and after the disaster.79 Broadband technology also can be used to facilitate mobile robotics. In such cases, robots can be used to help rescue people from hazardous areas, conduct automated inspections of non-accessible areas, and assist with hazardous material, bomb disposal and landmine clearing. Firefighting is critical field that can use broadband technology very effectively. Broadband technology can help reduce personal risk to firefighters lives. Using a multitude of detectors, a firefighters vital signs, as well as high-resolution signals from both visible light and infrared sensitive cameras, can help off-site managers make decisions that can save lives. In addition, the technology can provide accurate threedimensional positioning used to determine the exact location of a firefighter inside a burning facility. In January 2001, two international standards development organizations, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), finalized the first international standardization partnership project agreement involving users and organizations from the public protection, disaster response and civil defense sectors (also known as PPDR). The partnership, called Project MESA80 (Mobility for Emergency and Safety Applications), brings together users, industry and researchers to facilitate advanced, dependable, secure, efficient, effective and interoperable equipment specifications and service applications that are primarily involved with public safety-oriented broadband telecommunication needs. The result of this Public Safety-oriented activity will be harmonized specifications for broadband terrestrial mobility applications and services, driven by common scenarios and spectrum allocations. MESA deliverables are being transposed, as necessary, into regional standards involving nextgeneration mobile broadband technology for public safety, security and emergency response (before, during and after the disaster) professionals. With the recently Tsunami disaster, this application becomes more than a necessity.

I.2.10 Small Business Applications

For small business owners, broadband technology can assist entrepreneurs with the ability to obtain information about how to establish a small business, apply for permits and licenses online, enable business owners to conduct Internet market research, advertise their products and services and correspond with customers and suppliers more easily. Broadband technology also can enable small business owners to find supplies and purchase materials faster and without the need to spend excessive time and money travelling to various locations to accomplish the same goals.

I.2.11 Entertainment Applications

Many people have used broadband to further personal hobbies, browse the Internet for fun, play games, gamble, and download music, videos and movies. In addition, position location technology, combined with broadband, can enable people to obtain restaurant information, local area maps, and museum and tourist information.

I.2.12 Information Gathering

One of the most popular applications for which broadband technology is used is to access and search for information. The always-on, high-speed broadband telecommunication connection allows users to access more information faster than with slower narrow-band connections. Thus, broadband technology can encourage more people to search for more information online and improve their ability to learn new things.

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Motorola. 4.9 GHz Allocation to Public Safety: Motorola White Paper for Submission to FCC, July 31, 2001. See: www.projectmesa.org/

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I.2.13 Capacity Requirements for Selected Applications

While telecommunication bandwidth requirements are subject to change based on technological advancements, the chart provides a general idea of the necessary speeds to perform a variety of applications, many of which are discussed in this Report in great detail.

Capacity: Required bit rate capacity per application81

Tele-working Video Conferencing Tele or E-Learning Tele-medicine Video Telephony Near VoD Movies-on-demand Audio-on-demand Telegames Home Shopping Electronic Banking Elect. Newspaper Digital TV

10

100 Kilobits/second

1,000

10,000

1.5 Mbps

NOTE Depending on a variety of compression or other techniques, the speeds mentioned in the above table may change.

I.3

Broadband Technology Deployment

Potential factors negatively affecting the widespread deployment of broadband access technologies are numerous. Not only do operators face extreme difficulties in installing a network, but acquiring customers and running a profitable business are additional challenges. Attempts at deploying and providing a profitable broadband telecommunication service are difficult for a number of reasons including:
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expensive access technology lack of awareness of broadband access technologies lack of regulatory framework conducive to network build out and deployment continued monopolies and low levels of competition lack of competition in the last mile state subsidies that produce market distortion excessive cross-ownership between telephone and cable TV networks as this reduces the potential for inter-modal competition environment with little or no basic infrastructure such as electricity and roads high maintenance and operational costs, including security, administrative and labour costs high equipment prices
Chouinard, Gerald; Rural & Remote Broadband Access (RRBA), Communications Research Center of Canada, www.crc.ca/broadband/

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Cuestin 20-2/2 the imposition of excessive caps on volume that could be downloaded within a flat rate lack of technical personnel in area of service difficulty in dealing with subscribers with bad debt problems poor distribution, sales and customer service presence in area of coverage low usage and average revenue per subscriber small potential markets lack of localized content and applications in national languages besides English theft of infrastructure equipment such as cables

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I.3.1

Analysis of Broadband Access Questionnaire: Main Findings

A questionnaire was distributed following the Second Rapporteurs Group meeting for Question 20/2: Examination of access technologies for broadband communications questionnaire in March 2003. The questionnaire requested Member States, Sector Members, relevant organizations and industry to identify relevant wireless and wireline broadband access technologies and their attributes. The questionnaire also aimed to identify economic, technical and development factors influencing the effective deployment and accessibility of broadband access technologies and applications. Below represents the summarized results of the responses received by the ITU-D Secretariat by June 2003. An external expert was contracted by BDT to conduct the analysis. By mid-June 2003, fifty-five responses were received from forty-nine countries from the six ITU regions. Main Findings The questionnaire was organised into several sections and the main findings from these sections can be summarised in brief, as follows:

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Section Technology

Main findings The current dominant technology for delivering broadband services over wire line networks is DSL, closely followed by more traditional E1/T1, fibre and cable connections. (NOTE Cable-TV is ahead of DSL in North-America because of a few years lead in the market.) Satellite, fixed wireless, IMT-2000, and wireless local area networks are leading solutions used to deliver wireless broadband solutions especially where wireline solutions are inappropriate. Other solutions include ISDN, Ethernet, laser free space optics and GPRS. Only four countries did not permit competition in Internet services. 28 countries have competition in the local loop and 21 do not. 10 respondent countries did not have competition between differing broadband technologies. There is no regionally dominant technology broadband solutions vary from country to country depending on operator offerings, local economics and historic investment. There are huge differences between developed and developing nations when viewing access to broadband services on a business, household and rural telephone subscriber basis. Many developing (and some developed) countries estimate that rural subscriber access to broadband, if it exists at all, is often measured in fractions of a few per cent of the potential subscriber base. Despite the variance in size and nature of the economies of those countries which responded to the question there is a general convergence on the average price for Internet dial up accounts across ITU-D six Regions. However broadband prices show a marked variation between these Regions especially in terms of large bandwidth capacity based services with average broadband access costs being five times as high in the Africa region than in Europe. Unlimited usage plans offered by operators did not show a marked regional bias but rather were governed by the domestic situation facing individual operators. Pricing and Usage models varied between operators, technologies and regions though broad models were identified. Deployment costs are the single largest barrier followed by lack of demand for broadband service applications. Of the issues limiting the spread of broadband identified by respondents, the most common was that the monthly associated fee was too high. High monthly fees, high installation costs and lack of personal computers when combined result in insufficient demand to justify infrastructure costs and make the business case for deploying broadband services more difficult. The majority of respondent countries do not provide loans or support to enable broadband deployment. Average downstream speeds for DSL, cable and wireless vary based on technology constraints and pricing usage model employed. The fastest growing broadband technology area was identified as Wireless, with business applications (e.g. email and access to corporate extranets) as the main adoption driver though personal use (web browsing etc) was a close secondary driver in both developed and developing countries.

Competition

Access

Pricing and usage

Barriers to broadband deployment

Quality of Service Miscellaneous

Additional and detailed information on the broadband questionnaire are given in Annex II: Analysis of the replies to the questionnaire.

I.3.2

Gender Issues Surrounding Broadband Technology Deployment

Advanced telecommunications technologies such as broadband, when democratically employed, constitute powerful instruments that can contribute to securing the advances in human rights, such as fuller participation of women in all spheres of activity. Nonetheless, access to these technologies may be unequal in different geographic regions and social groups. This is in part a result of womens economic position within their households and communities. This inequality contributes to increasing the gap between those who have access to abundant information resources and those who are deprived of this access, thus

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reinforcing the marginalization that already exists in terms of development and technical resources. In this context broadband technology, because it promises the delivery of information at lower cost, has the potential to erode financial constraints and narrow the gendered digital divide. Women in particular, tend to be under-represented in terms of access to these technologies, and especially women from developing countries and from marginalized groups. Ironically, women from these social groups are precisely those who make up the work force that produces computer components, in working conditions that are often damaging to their health; similarly, women in low-grade technical and service jobs also make up the largest group of computer users, while many others have lost their jobs to increasing automation. In contrast, women are less present than men in fields such as computer systems administration and in technical development. They are also proportionally under-represented as users of broadband technologies. Many womens organizations have come to appreciate the importance for their work of creating and participating in regional and world- wide information exchange fora that enable them to share ideas, proposals, documents and information. Broadband technologies can help make this exchange of information possible. Many portals or exchange networks have arisen on diverse issues of concern to women. For example, womens networks and organisations at the national and regional levels are promoting applications related toe-health, agriculture, distance learning and e-commerce, etc. More specifically, some womens organizations have noted that certain applications, such as telemedicine-health, while virtually reducing distances, can speed up access to health care and increase the health and economic well-being of women in poor communities. E-commerce applications also positively impact on the welfare of women across economic backgrounds. For example, in Cameroon ASAFE uses ICTs as a tool through which to address the needs of disadvantaged women in the urban and rural sectors by building the capacities of small women-owned businesses. Similarly, SEWA (Self-Employed Womens Association) in India works with women involved in micro enterprises and craft production to market their products internationally. There is increasing recognition that the development of such telecommunication networks will contribute to advancing the cause of gender equality and to promoting greater participation in worldwide fora and decision-making processes. Many women and womens organizations are therefore eager to access and appropriate this technology. Nonetheless, they often face obstacles that make this endeavour more difficult for them. Such obstacles include: less access to resources (financial and technological), reduced access to training and technical assistance or non-gender sensitive methodologies, social and cultural barriers for women and girls to access technology, educational short- comings, misconceptions about technology and its use, language barriers, etc. Special efforts are required to overcome these problems. One such organization in the US, Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT). Since its founding in 1979, WICT has remained steadfast in its resolve to advance the position and influence of women in technology through proven leadership programs and services at both the national and local level. WICT embraces a spirit of collaboration within its organization and throughout the industry. They partner with cable and telecommunications industry leaders to provide leadership programs and services, and challenge these companies to create professional advancement opportunities for women.82 Another organization, WomensNet, is developing a pilot Womens Online Resource Centre (WORC), an information community building project.83 WORC will be the place to find gender-related training materials relevant to individuals and organizations active in the struggle for gender justice. It is intended to serve as an online clearinghouse for gender-aware training materials in the area of ICT training, as well as a range of other fields for which there is an expressed need. The goal of WORC is to promote the inclusion of gender analysis in ICT and other areas of training, with a view towards enhancing the quality of training in support of gender justice available at global, regional, and local levels. The Association of Progressive Communications (APC) is an international network of civil society organisations dedicated to empowering ____________________
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www.wict.org www.womensnet.org.za

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and supporting groups and individuals working for peace, human rights, development and protection of the environment through the strategic use of information and communication technologies. Gender Experience: Broadband adoption is booming in the US with women leading the way According to figures from Nielsen/NetRatings, as of May 2003, nearly 40 million internet users in the US now connect via broadband networks, up 49 per cent in the last year.84 The fastest adopters are women, seniors, students and affluent social groups. Women outpace men in broadband adoption slightly at 51 per cent versus 48 per cent. There are still more men (20.1 million) who access the internet via broadband than women (18.9 million), and there continues to be more females (37.8 million) who access the internet via narrowband than males (31.8 million).85

I.3.3

Access to Broadband Services for Persons with Disabilities

An estimated 10 percent of the worlds population (around 650 million people) is living with a disability, representing a significant communication challenge.86 The ITU is committed to addressing this issue. This year, the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) adopted the theme: Connecting Persons with Disabilities: ICT Opportunities for All to address the special requirements of persons with disabilities. Furthermore, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), through the Geneva Plan of Action, urged Member States to address the special requirements of persons with disabilities in their national e-strategies and encouraged the design and production of ICT equipment and services suited to their needs, including adherence to the Universal Design Principle and use of assistive technologies. Additionally, the Doha Plan of Action endorsed the Tunis Commitment of building ICT capacity for all, including people with disabilities, through the promotion of universal, ubiquitous, equitable and affordable access to ICT. Increased accessibility through the effort of policy makers, regulators, operators and industry would not only ensure an inclusive information society but would also enable Member States to meet their obligations under Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2006. Access to broadband for persons with disabilities is vitally important for successful integration into society. Without the speed of broadband there are many problems in providing accessibility features such as real time captioning over the web for meetings and conferences. Examples are Video IP relay services for deaf or voiceless persons require the inclusion of sign language as well as real time text. Without broadband, there would be great difficulty in participating in distance learning and video conferencing. Persons with disabilities require applications and services in real time without delay. The ITU Recommendation Total Conversation (Real Time Text, Video and Voice) over the internet would suffer delay and errors if broadband were not deployed. The lack of real time services and the expenses associated with broadband impacts all levels of society but especially persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities in developing countries may not have the income to support using the internet or may lack access altogether. This would prevent them from benefiting to modern broadband enabled applications related to e-commerce, e-heath, e-medicine, e-emergency and e-disaster preparedness and relief. Therefore the speed of broadband and accuracy without delay is especially important for persons with disabilities.

I.3.4

Strategies for Promoting Broadband Deployment

Economies that have been successful in facilitating broadband access technologies have several factors in common such as: measures to inform the public about the advantage of broadband technologies effective use of broadband through applications and content, an environment that fosters broadband innovation, a competitive market structure that keeps prices low, and government policies and programs that focus on the broadband technology environment. ____________________
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Broadband Adoption is Booming in the US, www.onlinepublishingnews.com/htm/n_olpn20030620.538206.htm ibid. http://www.itu.int/themes/accessibility/

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Two viable methods for promoting broadband include connecting schools and using community access centres to give users access to broadband without the vast fixed costs of wiring to homes. Economies must also make best use of the existing networks since financial resources to build new networks may be scarce. Other countries have addressed broadband through government initiatives including e-government, e-health, and e-learning applications. Projects include initiatives that focus on teaching teachers how to interact and deliver material via computers and broadband connections. Establishing an appropriate regulatory framework is also essential to promoting the deployment and market adoption of high-speed data applications. Effective strategies of promoting broadband technology demand and supply as well as the importance of technology flexibility and universal access policies are further described below.

I.3.4.1 Promotion of broadband applications87

There is no single method of promoting broadband applications. Promotion strategies and policies will prove most effective when various initiatives and projects are incorporated simultaneously, encompassing all stakeholder groups, and adjusted to contextual and environmental factors. Some central reasons for promoting broadband applications include: Benefits to users: increased speeds and always-on nature of broadband technology enables the exchange of richer content, facilitates improved, expanded and more rapid telecommunication, and allows the sharing of a connection with multiple users. Benefits to the economy: broadband connectivity encourages innovation, stimulates growth in an economy, and attracts foreign investment. Returns on investment: broadband technology holds the promise of new applications and services that will attract users and help recover infrastructure development costs.

Promoting Broadband Demand In general, there are certain actions that a particular country or region can follow in order to foster a more conducive environment for broadband deployment and expansion. A successful broadband application economy can emerge if the following actions are taken: Keep the public informed about broadband technology and applications It is important to make users aware of the benefits that broadband technology and its application can provide. Both governments and the private sector can play an active role in marketing the benefits of broadband. Users should be made aware of the advantages to be gained by adopting key broadband technologies and integrating them into their daily lives. Business and government cultures can also embrace and encourage ideas such as E-working and online transactions. Promote technological innovation It is important to promote policies and incentives which serve to foster the development of broadband content and applications. Economies must offer an environment that fosters broadband development by giving careful consideration to intellectual property rights, support for sectors that participate in developing new, high-bandwidth applications, methods for diffusing technology, and measures to ensure security for users. Support broadband usage with compelling applications and content The types of applications that are available across countries make a big difference in the adoption rates for broadband technology. Applications that have been meshed into successful broadband economies include IP telephony, video chat, audio over broadband and online gaming. Furthermore, application developers must take into consideration the need for content in multiple languages. ____________________
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ITU/SPU, Promoting Broadband Background Paper, April 2003.

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Open and fair competition in broadband will help drive down prices to an affordable rate, thus stimulating greater demand. While other mechanisms, such as subsidies, grants, and regulatory measures help to foster the development of broadband technology, a truly competitive market will be the key stimulus for increased demand. Consumers will only adopt broadband when they can justify its cost in terms of the value it adds. Promoting Broadband Applications Supply A broadband application economy, which affectively promotes broadband supply, can be characterized by: a) Competition Multiple providers offering multiple broadband technologies is key to driving prices down and increasing the broadband options available to users. Furthermore open access policies can help promote service competition. It is also beneficial to have players in the market that are capable of rivalling the incumbent operator. b) Maximum utility of current networks and new network investment Existing networks must be utilized to their full extent alongside new network investment. Innovative broadband networks such as wireless, satellite, railway and electrical can be used to supply broadband applications. Schools, hospitals, and community access centres can serve as initial broadband anchors in areas, eventually becoming the network access points from which future networks.

I.3.4.2 Flexibility
Establishing an appropriate regulatory framework is essential to promoting the deployment and market adoption of high-speed data applications. The convergence of services, such as data and voice should not lead to additional unnecessary regulations. The importance of technology flexibility is further described below. Importance of Technology Flexibility Technology flexibility (also known as technology neutrality or operator choice) is an important aspect in promoting broadband deployment. Technological flexibility in the policy arena means that policies and incentives do not create a preference for any specific technology platforms or modes of providing broadband applications (e.g. satellite, wireline, wireless, etc). Also within a given platform or mode of providing a service, technology neutral policies and incentives do not create a preference for any specific technology products or standards e.g., circuit- or packet-switched networks, various mobile or cellular telecommunications standards, etc. If possible, it is important that service providers have the flexibility to independently choose the most suitable technology based on commercial and competitive considerations. A transparent regulatory framework, in which the market selects the most appropriate technologies for deployment, may encourage competition, spur innovation and accelerate the deployment of advanced services.

I.3.4.3 Universal Access

A transparent universal access policy aims to promote the availability of quality services at just, reasonable, and affordable rates, increase access to advanced telecommunications services and to advance the availability of such services to all consumers, including those in low income, rural, insular, and high cost areas. It is important that countries continually evaluate their universal access strategies in the face of technological advances and changing market conditions in order to maximize the size, scope, variety and efficiency of telecommunication networks. It is also important that universal access policies encourage the availability of affordable education and health and safety applications to citizens, businesses and government. Universal access policies that are competitively neutral do not favour any one participant or group of participants. As no one technological solution is necessarily appropriate for an entire country or region, the variety of available technology platforms gives new and innovative alternatives to expanding access to services in developing countries.

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I.3.4.4 Public Role in Promoting Broadband

a) Government programs that serve to accelerate broadband supply Several government sponsored programs at the local, national and regional levels have been successful at increasing the overall supply of broadband. Specifically, governments can invest directly in broadband infrastructure as well as provide tax credits, low-interest loans and subsidies to the industry players looking to provide broadband networks in underdeveloped areas. It is important that in promoting development of broadband for all to avoid any direct or cross-subsidy by the country which would give an unfair advantage to some market stakeholders. Governments are invited to assist with the provision of broadband infrastructure and services in areas that are not served by the public sector due to unfavourable market conditions. b) Public institutions as effective anchors for broadband demand

In areas where individual household connections are not yet viable, schools, hospitals, and community access centres can be utilized to offer broadband connections. The network can then expand incrementally from these key points as the technology and economy allows. Wireless broadband also offers a viable community economic alternative to fixed line solutions such as broadband via DSL or cable modem. c) Government participation at all levels

National, regional and city-wide initiatives and community participation projects have been successful in expanding access. In some cases, governments have chosen to provide, or to subsidize, infrastructure to stimulate the economic development of a particular area. d) Best Practice Guidelines for the Promotion of Low-Cost Broadband and Internet Connectivity

In December 2004 the Best Practice Guidelines for the Promotion of Low-Cost Broadband and Internet Connectivity were produced at the Global Symposium for Regulators (organized by the ITU-D on a yearly basis). These guidelines describe what the foundation for an enabling regulatory regime should be and how governments can help to stimulate growth in the telecommunications market for broadband applications. (Full guidelines can be found in Annex IV.) Some of these are as follows: We encourage political support at the highest government levels with such support expressed in national or regional policy goals. These include an effective, separate regulator insulated from political interference, a transparent regulatory process, and adoption and enforcement of clear rules. We encourage regulators to set policies to stimulate competition among various technologies and industry segments that will lead to the development and deployment of broadband capacity. This includes addressing barriers or bottlenecks that may exist with regard to access to essential facilities on a non-discriminatory basis. We encourage regulators to allocate adequate radio spectrum to facilitate the use of modern, cost effective broadband radiocommunications technologies. We further encourage innovative approaches to managing the spectrum resource such as the ability to share spectrum or allocating on a license-exempt non-interference basis. We urge regulators to conduct periodic public consultations with stakeholders to inform the regulatory decision-making process. We recommend that regulators carefully consider how to minimize licensing hurdles. We encourage regulators to provide a clear regulatory strategy for the private sector in order to reduce uncertainty and risk, and remove any disincentives to investment.

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ANNEX II Technology Matrices (Standardization in Progress) II.1 Canopy Solution for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Matrix

For many businesses, domestically and, especially, internationally, reasonably priced broadband is not readily available, sometimes not at any price. The expense of building out new DSL networks, re-working or conditioning the lines that exist, or converting existing cable plants to carry two-way traffic might be expensive. This section provides information on BWA technology characteristics which make this broadband approach accessible. The majority of the world is still unable to receive reliable high-speed data and/or voice connections. The promising access medium to meet this need, broadband wireless access (BWA), accounts for less than five per cent of the total broadband access connections. Nevertheless, BWA is developing new approaches to solving the issues that had previously stalled its growth. A big issue for service providers, for example, has been the lack of ability to avoid RF interference. This has resulted in higher costs due to additional equipment and an inability to meet service agreements with their customers. The key challenge to making BWA ubiquitous broadband access is interference. Customers must be assured that the technology chosen is hassle-free and always available. With BWA, the number one threat is interference. When licensed bands are designated for BWA, typically a limited number per region are granted. On the surface, this means that BWA will only be deployed in those places where the license fee can be recouped and only by a few players. Such a situation effectively reduces the number of potential competitors and, hence, reduces options available to the end customer, freezing out competing BWA options. The rules should be designed to allow multiple networks to co-exist with minimal interference, enabling multiple operators to serve a given geographic region. The bands below in Figure 22 are examples of such use on a national level in a few countries. Broadband Wireless Frequencies Licensed Bands Figure 22 Global Frequency Bands

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The overriding design goal of the Canopy technology has been to deliver an interference robust simple-touse BWA system. Interference lies at the heart of the reliability design challenge, and interference in the license-exempt bands can be a much greater factor than that faced by licensed band systems. To that end, it is critical that BWA solutions designed for the license-exempt bands address this issue head on. It is also clear that in order to do so, proper design at a very detailed level must be accommodated in the core of the product. Solid, reliable BWA networks do not happen by chance; they are a result of keeping a focus on the issues and delivering the right solutions. The BWA Canopy solution has the following characteristics: Access Method: TDD/TDMA Modulation: High Index BFSK (Optimized for interference rejection) Data Rate: 10 and 20 Mbit/s (signalling rate) Frequency Band: 2 400-2 483.5 MHz, 5 250-5 350 MHz, 5 725-5 850 MHz Channelization: 3 non-overlapping channels at 2 400-2 483.5 MHz (18 overlapping channels) 3 non-overlapping channels at 5 250-5 350 MHz (11 overlapping channels) 6 non-overlapping channels at 5 725-5 850 MHz (22 overlapping channels) Network Standard: IPV4, UDP, TCP, ICMP, Telnet, HTTP, FTP, SNMP Transmitter power: Meets FCC ISM/UNII EIRP limits. Employing BFSK for modulation. With this modulation the C/I ratio necessary to operate properly with an error rate of 1 104 bits per second is only 3 dB; i.e. the wanted signal needs to be only 3 dB higher in power than the unwanted interferers. A system operating with 16 QAM at these levels would require a C/I ratio of roughly 12 to 14 dB. Deploying networks in a cellular topology; the performance of the antenna in rejecting unwanted signals from behind is an important feature. The Canopy system, with its integrated antennas at the AP, has a front-to-back ratio of 20 dB. Coupled with the excellent C/I ratio, this means a Canopy AP receiving a signal at threshold (the weakest signal it can still detect) can be hit with an interfering signal from behind, either internal or external, on the order of 60 dBm and still support connections at an acceptable error rate. Delivering tight synchronization across potentially hundreds of square miles. With the Canopy system, designed for large scale, dense network deployments, TDD synchronization is a critical requirement. This has been solved with the use of a GPS signal. These precise satellite signals are used for timing and, ultimately, transmit/receive synchronization, thus tying all sectors in a Canopy network to the same clock.

The interference effectiveness of Canopy is accomplished by:

Recognizing the dilemma of combining TCP/IP with wireless networks and the attendant error rates, the Canopy system solves the problem with a feature called Automatic Retransmission request or ARQ. ARQ actually inspects the RDPs that come into the receiving SM and looks for errors. If an error is detected, the SM (or AP) will send a request to the sending entity to re-send the RDP.

II.1.1

Airstar: A Multi-Service Broadband Fixed Wireless Access System

Summary of the airstarTM system airstarTM is a point-to-multipoint fixed wireless access system specially designed for residential, Small Offices/Home Offices (SOHO) and Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) users in urban, suburban and rural areas. airstarTM is a high capacity solution for service providers that effectively handles applications ranging from toll-quality voice and data transmission to mobile base station backhaul on a single platform. Operating in the 3.5, 10, 26 and 28 GHz frequency bands, the system uses an ATM/TDMA/FDD air interface with dynamic bandwidth allocation delivering a high level of Quality of Service (QoS) for voice and data.

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airstarTM is a field proven solution: more than 80 systems have been deployed in 37 countries and are in operation for now more than 5 years. Applications The airstarTM system is a high flexible platform that supports multiple applications. 2G/3G mobile backhaul. Mobile operators upgrading to 3G technologies face significant increases in the capacity requirements of their transmission networks, as well as a need to migrate from TDM to ATM and IP. The system provides the transmission link to backhaul 2G and 3G mobile base stations from a single customer premises equipment. In addition, the native ATM air interface provides a futureproof backhaul infrastructure solution for supporting future 3G mobile services. Access for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Given the large variety of equipment and applications within a typical SME, delivering multiple services is an essential part of any service providers business case. The system enables the delivery of E1/T1-based voice, Internet access, virtual private network (VPN), and Frame Relay services from a single Customer Premise Equipment (CPE). Multi-tenant unit access. In residential multi-dwelling units, the system provides scalable and versatile solution for multitenant unit access and enables the delivery of Internet access and toll-quality voice or VoIP services. Wireless local loop backhaul. At 3.5 and 10.5 GHz, it provides backhaul links up to 20 Kms, enabling remote towns and villages to be served with the wireless local loop and backhauled to a larger city for connection to the Public Switched telephone Network (PSTN). Wi-Fi hotspot backhaul. The system also provides backhaul for Wi-Fi hotspots using the CPE 10/100 Mbit/s Ethernet interface. All backhaul links are aggregated over the airlink and delivered on a single ATM network connection at the base station. The ATM QoS implemented on the airlink guarantees the necessary bandwidth for Wi-Fi hotspots. Architecture Figure 23 represents an example of the Architecture of airstarTM system.

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Figure 23 AirstarTM Architecture

Main features and benefits Service flexibility The platform efficiently supports the following voice and data services, enabling service providers to offer personalized solutions to their customers: Voice Services: E1 Lease Line Both unstructured and structured modes are supported. For structured E1s, only provisioned time slots are carried over the air. PRI-ISDN with dynamic bandwidth allocation on a call by call basis. Voice over IP/FR/DSL with statistical multiplexing gain and differentiated QoS to enable POTS and BRI-ISDN services.

Data Services: Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation is provided for all data services. Internet Access Without the need for external router LAN to LAN Interconnection Through bridged Ethernet or a Frame Relay service Frame Relay Over E1 or X.21/V.35 Serial interfaces VLAN For providing IP services to dozens of end customers while maintaining individualized QoS. 4xE1 Leased Line For an AirStar CPE, the incremental cost per customer is less than 20% for providing 2xE1 per building or 4xE1 per building.

Unique Service Offerings via Wireless

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Cuestin 20-2/2 8 Mbit/s IP Service With the 3000 Series SAS-XP, the AirStar system can deliver near wirespeed throughput on the SAS Ethernet interface. The Wireless Quick to deploy Low initial costs Easy to maintain + ATM benefits High speed switching and transport One network for all traffic types Simple network management Long architecture lifetime

Flexible and scaleable Bandwidth sharing of services

Service level agreement The platform enables service providers to reserve bandwidth for their different customers according to the service level agreement they have purchased.

Service availability equivalent to fibre Features such as base station redundancy and error correction algorithms are combined to achieve a high level of reliability. This allows the system to provide up to 99.999% availability.

Ease of deployment CPE configurations can be pre-provisioned prior to installation to accelerate the deployment. Efficient spectrum utilization The system features dynamic bandwidth allocation to enable dynamic bandwidth sharing over the airlink for the delivery of bandwidth-on-demand applications such as voice and Internet traffic.

Airstar TM technical characteristics Access method: TDMA Modulation: 4 or 16 QAM Frequency bands: 3.5, 10, 26 and 28 GHz with Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) channel arrangement multiple frequencies can be deployed from the same base station platform, and aggregated onto a single network interface. A single base station can cover 40 km2 at 26 to 28 GHz, and up to 400 km2 at 3.5 and 10.5 GHz, enabling hundreds or thousands of potential customers to be addressed from a single base station. up to 28 Mbit/s of capacity per radio channel from 2 to 12 sectors (48 at 10 GHz) a total capacity of 384 E1s or 1 STM-4s with only 28 MHz of available spectrum. capacity is provisioned based on average utilization rather than peak utilization as is the case with fibre enabling a wireless base station configured for an STM-1 to provide the same effective capacity as an STM-4 fibre ring. User Interface: E1/T1 lines, 10/100BaseT port, Serial Port Radio Interface: TNC connector for coax cable carrying transmit and receive IF signals, radio DC power, reference clock signal and telemetry control channel. Indoor equipment operating temperature: 0C to +40C Outdoor equipment operating temperature: 33C to + 55C

Base station capacity:

Subscriber Access System:

Environmental specifications:

Cuestin 20-2/2 Power: all system components operate from a nominal 48 VDC source. Subscriber Access System: 38 W ( 48 VDC) A scalable carrier-class suite of tools that allows operators to easily manage their networks. Typical Power consumption: Network management:

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II.1.2
TM

angel: A Non-Line-Of-Sight Broadband Fixed Wireless Access System

angel is a point-to-multipoint fixed wireless access system specially designed for residential, Small Offices/Home Offices (SOHO) and Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) users in urban, suburban and rural areas. It is the first and only field-proven access network solution to use Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology to deliver carrier-class voice and data services up to 1 Mbit/s per subscriber on a single platform. Therefore it is a natural evolutionary path to WiMax using also NLOS OFDM technology. Over 100 000 subscriber lines connected to over 500 base stations are commercially operational today in the US as well as in the world. Operating in the 2.3 and 3.5 GHz frequency bands, NLOS technology provides up to 95% predictability of coverage and penetration in a given cell, while, thanks to OFDM, layouts can range from 1 to 30 km radius cells, resulting in reduced operational and installation costs . Architecture Figure 24 represents an example of the Architecture of angel.

Figure 24 Angel Architecture

Main features and benefits Non-line-of-sight technology to maximize coverage and revenues OFDM technology enables angel to provide 95% predictability of coverage in a given cell, which ensures high installation success rates and controls deployment costs. Thanks to this NLOS

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Cuestin 20-2/2 technology there is no requirement for a direct, unobstructed view of the base antenna. More customers can be served and precise alignment of the Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) antenna with the base antenna is unnecessary. High base station antennas are not required, allowing deployments in markets that have zoning restrictions on tower heights.

High spectral efficiency The net spectral efficiency of the system is 3.4 bit/s/Hz. For maximum spectral efficiency, the system adapts its modulation to the channel conditions it supports. The maximum throughput is typically available even at the edge of the cell, which enables the system to offer high data rates in smaller 1 MHz channels. Because frequencies can be re-used in adjacent cells, operators can deploy hundreds of base stations in a city or region using only 4 MHz of spectrum.

Flexible services The system enables operators to significantly enhance their revenues by providing a variety of voice and broadband data services to subscribers. As well as providing carrier-class voice that is equal to the quality and reliability of wireline service, the system supports revenue generating CLASS services, such as Call Waiting, Call ID, Three-way Calling and Voicemail. Broadband data connectivity provides Internet access for multiple IP devices from a single subscriber unit, without impacting voice traffic. It also provides broadband data support for PCs and IP devices and enables subscribers to use standard modem and fax protocols for interoperability with legacy devices.

Grade of Service levels Service providers can offer multiple Grade Of Services (GOS) that can be customized to meet residential, SOHO or small business customers unique needs. The data channel can be partitioned into as many as four sub-channels, called service grades. Each service grade utilizes a portion of the available channel and can be tailored to the size that the operator chooses. Each subscriber is provisioned a maximum data rate (such as 64 kbit/s or 128 kbit/s, up to 1 Mbit/s), and is assigned to one of the grades. Thus, rigid, simple Grades of service enable operators to easily develop data products that can be targeted to specific segments of their diverse subscriber base. For example, a channel could be divided between business and residential subscriber products.

V90 over Data IP A unique MAC architecture and voice coding enables the system to transmit modem traffic over packet data portion of the wireless channel. While traditional modem solutions use precious bandwidth even during idle periods, the angelTM solution frees that bandwidth for other modem and data subscribers. The amount of bandwidth used for a voice call and a modem are virtually identical. This means that the voice capacity of the airlink remains constant, regardless of modem usage. Constant capacity is imperative for the delivery of reliable voice service.

Technical characteristics Access method: Access method:cteristicswidth for other modem and data subscribers. The amount of bandwidth used for a voice call and a modem are virtually identity of coverage in a given cell. Modulation: 64-, 16-, 8-QAM, and QPSK:r modem and data subscribers. The amount of bandwidth used for a voice call and a modem are virtually identity of coverage Modulation: 64-, 1annel (NAC/HCC) is always QPSK modulated for robustness. Modulation: 64-, 1annel (NAC/HCC) is always QPSK modulated for robustness.ount of bandwidth used for a voice c Modulation: 64-, 1annel (NAC/HCC) is always QPSK modulated for robustness.ount of bandink-by-link basis if necessary.

Modulation: 64-, 16-, 8-QAM, and QPSK:

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Frequency bands: 1annel (NAC/HCC) is always QPSK modulated for robustness.ount of bandink-by-li Base s3 600 Voice lines or up to 12 Mbit/s of data per Base Station using as little as a single 4 MHz pair of frequency blocks. Up to 4 sectors with cell radius of up to 30 km. Channels can be configured to support voice-centric, data-centric or combined voice and data networks. Installation without line-of-sight between the base station and the CPE. Data rate: Over 3 Mbit/s symmetric data rate (aggregate). Up to 1 Mbit/s downstream, 256 kbit/s upstream per Customer Premise Equipment. Ethernet data interface. 1 to 6 POTS per CPE. 312 active calls per base station.

Base station capacity:

Customer Premise equipment (CPE):

Voice capacity:

Fax, V90, CLASS services, dial-tone from the V5.2 switch. IP access: Up to 5 IP addresses per CPE. Battery back-up. Base station: 2000 W, 176-264 VAC or 48 VDC. Subscriber Integrated terminal (SSU 4000): 25W, 85-264 VAC or 176-264 VAC. Indoor equipment operating temperature: 5C to +50C (Base station ABS 3000). Outdoor equipment operating temperature: 40C to +60C (Single Subs. Unit). A scalable carrier-class suite of tools that allows operators to easily manage their Fixed Wireless Access network.

Power consumption: all lines active:

Environmental specifications:

Network management:

II.1.3

SR 500-ip: A Broadband Fixed Wireless Access System for Remote Areas

Brief description of the SR 500-ip system SR 500-ip is a broadband, high-capacity wireless access system for operators and service providers serving rural and remote areas. It is the first point-to-multipoint (PMP) microwave system to economically combine highly scalable voice capacity with broadband Internet access. With SR 500-ip, service providers can evolve their rural networks to offer leading edge services such as ADSL at 1.5 Mbit/s, while preserving scarce spectrum resources through efficient handling of voice traffic. SR 500-ip makes broadband access in lowteledensity areas a reality and enables service providers to comply with universal access initiatives at the lowest cost. With ADSL capability it is the ideal solution to bring broadband Internet and voice services to rural communities. It can also overlay or replace legacy access networks to add capacity or provide broadband Internet access.

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As a packet-based PMP microwave access system with network repeater capability, the system can be configured in star, branched or linear network topologies, see Figure 25. The base station (BS) provides the network interfaces to connect to the core network, and communicates will all remote radio nodes. Network interfaces are PPP over Ethernet for Internet services and V 5.2 over E1 for voice-band services. The base station can accommodate up to two 4 Mbit/s air links for a total system bandwidth of 8 Mbit/s. The Network Termination Node (NTN) provides the subscriber interfaces. The NTN is a multi-line, multiservice, outdoor unit that serve a large number of subscribers through copper loops. Subscribers connect to the network using a 2-wire equipment, including ADSL modems, standard or payphone sets, as well as V90 modem and faxes. Subscriber capacity can be increased using an extension cabinet that is cabled directly to the main NTN. The Network Repeater Node (NRN) is an outdoor unit that is used when line-of-sight between the SR 500-ip Base Station and NTN is compromised by rough terrain, man-made objects or distance. The NRN can also provide subscriber services using an expansion cabinet. The system is centrally managed by insight NMS, which handles all operation, administration, maintenance and provisioning (OAM&P) and support over-the-air software downloads.

Figure 25 Architecture of SR 500-ip

Main features and benefits Wide Area Coverage The system offers log-range microwave links and network repeaters to ensure coverage in difficult to reach areas spread over hundred of kilometres. Broadband IP access The system enables service providers to meet universal Internet access mandates and promote development in rural communities.

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With full CLASS support, transparency to fax and V90 modem traffic and payphone support, the system enables service providers to maximize voice service revenue. Flexible dial-up and ADSL interfaces offer service provider a choice of high-speed Internet solutions. Future proof Based on a packet switch architecture, the system is a long-term solution for IP-based services that reduces operators technical and financial risk. With such a system, service providers will have access to future IP-based subscriber services while maintaining network stability. Low cost of ownership The system offers high capacity and linear scalability, which results in decreased costs on hardware and support. Standard interfaces facilitate network integration, while minimal infrastructure requirements reduce capital costs. In addition, SR 500-ip is centrally managed by insight Network Management System (NMS) to maximize staff productivity and reduce travels to remote locations. High availability and field-proven reliability SR 500-ip builds on the technology of SR 500, the most widely deployed rural wireless access system in the world. Reliable in-service performance ensures subscriber satisfaction and preserves revenues streams while minimizing maintenance expenses. Technical characteristics General Capacity: Frequency bands: Access method: Duplexing technique: V5.2 PSTN interface: IP interface: Voice: up to 2 air links / 8 Mbit/s per base station 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 10.5 GHz TDMA FDD Complies with ITU-T recommendation G.965 PPPoE over 10Base-T 2-wire VF Payphone: standards and prepay (12 or 16 KHz) services Dial-up Internet: Broadband Internet: V.90 modem support (up to 56 kbit/s) 2-wire ADSL, always-on, bandwidth-on-demand 48 VDC 48 VDC 48 VDC or 120/240 VAC (+/ 12 VDC optional). Radio Base station: 110 W (average DC per sector 1.5 GHz, 30 dBm, all trunks busy) Network Repeater: Termination node: 59 W (average DC at 1.5 GHz, 30 dBm, 25% traffic load) 43 W (average DC at 1.5 GHz, 30 dBm, 10% traffic load) 48 lines All 2-wire 48 lines 48 lines 5 lines

NTN Services and Capacity

Power Base station Network repeater node: Network termination node:

Power consumption:

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Radio Base station (Indoor) operating temperature: 0C to + 45C, forced air cooling Repeater and termination nodes (Outdoor) operating temperature: 40C to + 55C Ethernet: V 5.2 PSTN: IEE 802.3, 10Base-T ITU-T G.965 Voice: ITU-T G.711(PCM voice coding), G.726 ADPCM 32 kbit/s voice coding A-law and -law, G.165 echo cancellation.

Standards Compliance:

ADSL: Safety: EMI/EMC: Environment:

ITU-T G.992.2 IEC 60950 ETSI EN 300 385 ETSI EN 300 01.

Technology Section Conclusion A similarity of services and applications across different systems is beneficial to users, and this has stimulated the current trend towards convergence. Furthermore, a broadly similar user experience across different systems leads to a large-scale take-up of products and services, common applications and content and an ease and efficiency of use. However, such convergence should not preclude opportunities for competitive innovation. Access to a service or an application may be performed using one system or may be performed using multiple systems simultaneously (e.g. a digital broadcast channel and a return channel using IMT-2000). The increasing prevalence of IP-based applications is a key driver for this convergence and facilitates the establishment of relationships between previously separate platforms. What form these relationships will take depends on market requirements, but they might include, for example, hardware integration within a device, network interworking, common access, authentication, accounting, common man-machine interfaces, portals, roaming and handover between systems.

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ANNEX III Country Experiences III.1 Africa

III.1.1 Deployment of Broadband Wireless Access in Mali, Africa

Mali is a landlocked country in western sub-Saharan Africa with 80 per cent of the more than 11 million people living in rural areas. The country experiences extreme climate changes, very arid to a heavy rainy season. It also is very hot and humid. The cost of bandwidth in this country is very high and traditional hardwire solutions for delivering high-speed Internet often leads to higher support costs and disgruntled customers, both of which can affect the bottom line. It also makes the availability of Internet service to residential customers almost non-existent. Afribone Mali began installing Motorolas Canopy 5.8 GigaHertz radios in 2003 for business and non-government offices. By deploying Motorolas Canopy solution, Afribone Mali SA was able to increase quality of service, keep customers satisfied, and reduce radio frequency cable problems. Afribone is now working on sharing bandwidth with other companies.

III.1.2 Deployment of Mobile Broadband Wireless Access in South Africa

Wireless Business Solutions (WBS) is a dynamic South African company established to provide mobile data network services to meet corporate, government and domestic requirements. It was licensed by SATRA in 1997, to provide National Mobile Data Services and is South Africas fourth Telecommunication licensee. WBS has deployed a wireless packet switching network with 700 point-to-multipoint radio base stations. This network currently supports over 8 000 radios with which WBS has been providing a service to Uthingo, for the data telecommunications of their Lotto terminals to the Host system. A VSAT network is used to backhaul the traffic from the base stations to the Network Host. Having gained knowledge and success by being the backbone network behind the National Lottery and providing nationwide wireless data services covering 95% of the population, WBS is rolling out a commercial mobile wireless broadband data network using iBurst technology (see Section II.2.3.3.3). This network will provide customers with high-speed access to the Internet and corporate information wherever and whenever they want. By using the iBurst system, WBS intends to unshackle broadband and to liberate data telecommunications in the same way the mobile phone liberated voice telephony. WBS operates as a wholesale provider of iBurst connectivity, concentrating on its strengths of establishing and managing the infrastructure. It will rely on its channel partners to disseminate the service to the community. This will be the second implementation of iBurst in the world following the successful launch in Australia by Personal Broadband Australia early in 2004.

III.2

Americas

III.2.1 Brazil
1) Introduction Recent poll shows that Brazil has reached 10 million broadband accesses88. Considering that Brazil has a population around 180 million inhabitants living in 45 million homes89, its noticeable that this kind of Internet access hasnt spread much in Brazil. This is true, even knowing that Brazil had a 48% growth in the amount of access in relation to the first half of 2007, as suggested by the research.

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88 89

Barmetro Cisco Banda Larga, 10th Edition, 2008, August 20. Demographic Census conducted by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatstica, available at www.ibge.gov.br

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Data available on the National Telecommunication Agency Anatels web site show that, by the first half of 2008, more than 50% of access in Brazil had transfer rates up to 512 kbps90. Less than 10% is at 2 Mbps and above, as shown in Figure 1. Therefore, few Brazilians are taking advantage of new applications available on the web (that requires high rates, like streaming video and voice and file exchange).

Access evolution for various transfer rates.

Although Brazil has been experiencing a sharp growth in the amount of broadband access points over the last years, there is still a digital divide scenario present. This paper has the goal of describing some of the broadband access technologies that are reverting this situation. Also, it aims to present actions continuously taken by the Brazilian Government and by the companies acting in the country with means to promote the development and use of these technologies. Current Broadband access scenario in Brazil I) Wireless Access Brazilian regulation defines telephony processes as those that permit communication between determined fixed points, with voice and other signals, making use of transmission technique modes 3.1 kHz-voice or 7 kHz-audio or up to 64 kbit/s unrestricted, by wire, radioelectricity, optical means or any other kind of electromagnetic signals91. Therefore, as Brazil does not define a specific lower boundary rate for broadband access, for the purposes of this study, broadband shall be understood as the service that offers capacity of transmission, emission and reception of multimedia information, using any means, with transfer rate above 64 kbps (56kbps, discarding less significant bit). In Brazil, wireless technologies capable of delivering broadband access and currently in use are the ones based on: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE 802.11 b and g (Wireless Fidelity Wi-Fi), 802.16 (Fixed Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access WiMax), Multipoint ____________________
90 91

Sistema de Coleta de Informaes SICI, available at http://sistemas.anatel.gov.br/sici Regulamento do Servio Telefnico Fixo Comutado, approved by Resolution n 426; 2005, December 9.

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Multichannel Distribution System MMDS, Direct To Home DTH, High-Speed Downlink Packet Access HSDPA, Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution EDGE, Fixed Wireless Access FWA, amongst others92. II) Wired Access Wired access capable of delivering rate above 64kbps and currently in use in Brazil are: G.992 family (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ADSL, ADSL2/2+), Hybrid Fiber Cable HFC, Cable Modem, Fiber To The Home FTTH, Power Line Communication PLC93. Those last two on an experimental state. III) Number of Access Points Consulting broadband access data available at Anatels website (www.anatel.gov.br) and the demographic data available at the Brazilian Geographical and Statistical Institute IBGEs website (www.ibge.gov.br), its possible to obtain some statistics about broadband penetration in Brazil. If all Brazilians could use the Internet at the present scenario (180 million inhabitants and 10 million access points), each 18 inhabitants should share the same broadband access point [3]. This is not a high mean, considering that approximately 23% of the Brazilian population has already access the Internet, while the world average rate is around 21%94. But, the majority of the population is concentrated in the southeast region (So Paulo and Rio de Janeiro mostly). Regions like the north (Amazonas, Acre, Rondnia etc) and the northeast (Maranho, Piau etc) have a less dense population. This means that those regions are less economically attractive for telecommunication companies. Therefore, the number of broadband access points tends to be unequally distributed throughout the Brazilian territory. For example, the State of So Paulo has a mean value of 11 inhabitants sharing the same broadband access point, while the State of Maranho has a mean value of 118 inhabitants/access points95. 2) Technologies

Regulatory strategies for promotion of broadband access technologies amongst less populated areas and small and home offices The reduction of prices of radio equipment operating in some frequency bands has allowed the emergence of small providers of broadband access, offering telecommunications services where the main operators do not provide them. In these locations, considered, in generally, as being less economically attractive for big companies due to high cost of deployment of a new network, there are a growing number of small offices trying to absorb this demand for broadband access. I) Regulations applied The use of radiofrequency ranges 2,400-2,483.5 MHz and 5,725-5,850 MHz are free of charge if the equipments, certified as of Limited Radiation Equipments, operate under several conditions established by Brazilian Regulations. Brazil defines Limited Radiation Radiocommunication Equipments as those that use radiofrequencies for several applications in which emission creates an electromagnetic field bounded by Brazilian law96. However, this legislation imposes some restrictions depending on the coverage of the telecommunication service: restricted or collective. Collective interest services are those that must be provided to any interested person on a non-discriminatory basis, satisfying the interests of the community. Restricted interest services ____________________
92 93 94

Ibid. Ibid. Regulamento sobre o Uso de Equipamentos de Radiocomunicao de Radiao Restrita, approved by Resolution n 506; 2008, first of July. Sistema de Coleta de Informaes SICI, available at http://sistemas.anatel.gov.br/sici Regulamento sobre o Uso de Equipamentos de Radiocomunicao de Radiao Restrita, approved by Resolution n 506; 2008, first of July.

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are those designed for personal use or provided to certain groups of users, selected by the provider through criteria established by itself97. When the telecommunication activity, using radio communication stations, surpasses the limits of a building or property and these stations operate at frequency ranges 2.400-2.483,5 MHz or 5.725-5.850 MHz using Spread Spectrum or other Digital Modulation technology, the following rules are applied: i) When the operation of these stations is associated with the rendering of collective interest telecommunications services, an authorization for the provision of the corresponding service is required. The licensing of stations is also required if these stations are intended to: a) interconnect with the network of another telecommunication service provider; or b) interconnect with another station of the same network and that other station operates with at least one equipament that is not classified as of Limited Radiation. ii) When the operation of these stations serves as support for telecommunications network designed to support restricted interest services, no telecommunication service authorization is required. However, if these stations operate in accordance with subparagraphs a or b of item I above, they must be registered in the database of the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency Anatel. In this case, no licensing is necessary. Especially for the 2.4 GHz band, all stations, including terminals, have to be licensed, regardless of coverage of the telecommunications service, if the equipment operates with e.i.r.p higher than 400 mW and at locations with population greater than 500,000 inhabitants. II) Main Users In Brazil the bands mentioned above are intended primarily for providing broadband access in less populated areas and for private networks. Small and home offices offer broadband access using those radiofrequency bands in locations poorly supplied with access points and with little bandwidth available from large companies. This kind of telecommunication service depends on an authorization of the Brazilian Government and on licensing of the radio stations in accordance with Brazilian Regulation98. To promote digital inclusion and universal access to broadband services, Anatel has understood that municipal governments could provide their own network and offer the community a telecommunication service, always free of charge, limited to the municipality area 99. 3) Proposal

The Brazilian administration is open to contributions from other countries in order to exchange experiences on the best practices in the matter, and would like to suggest further discussions to examine how other countries are dealing with the challenges of increasing broadband access through new technologies.

III.2.2 Canada
1) Broadband for Rural and Northern Development Pilot Programme

Canada is taking steps to provide broadband Internet access for all Canadian communities, including those in rural and northern communities. The Broadband for Rural and Northern Development Pilot Programme aims to fulfil this commitment through partnership with local communities, the provinces, territories and the private sector. The programme is being delivered through two rounds of business plan development funding, followed by two rounds of implementation funding. In a recent announcement (October 2003) by the Government of Canada, it was stated that a total of 33 organizations have been selected to receive financial assistance from the Department of Industry (Industry Canada) in deploying broadband or high-capacity Internet to their ____________________
97 98 99

Regulamento dos Servios de Telecomunicaes, approved by Resolution n 73; 1998, November 25. Lei Geral de Telecomunicaes, federal law n 9,472; 1997, July 16. Ato 66,195; 2007, July 27.

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communities. These organizations, representing an estimated 768 First Nations, northern and rural communities across Canada, will have access to funds from the Broadband for Rural and Northern Development Pilot Programmes first round of implementation funding. The deadline for submission of business plans to compete for the second round of implementation funds was November 2003, and the results were announced in April 2004. The business plans selected for implementation funding were based on the following criteria: level of community engagement, assessment of community need, experience and/or ability in project management, technology and implementation, and sustainability of business plan. For more information, visit: www.broadband.gc.ca. 2) National Satellite Initiative

An announcement was made by the Government of Canada (October 2003) to provide funding, over a period of 10 years, for the provision of broadband access to remote communities over satellite channels. Some 400 communities were initially identified for this programme. The objective of the National Satellite Initiative is to acquire satellite capacity (and possibly) some satellite ground infrastructure to provide remote broadband connectivity to rural, remote or isolated communities. This will bring broadband access to the remote communities at a cost that is comparable to that in the southern urban areas. Services that will be supported by this programme will principally be telehealth, e-business, distance learning and access to the Internet. This programme includes two C-band (4-6 GHz) public benefit transponders managed by Industry Canada (the first one became available in 2002 and the second one in 2003), Ka-band (20-30 GHz) satellite transmission capacity on the ANIK-F2 satellite (to be launched in mid-2004) as service credit to the Canadian Space Agency, and further satellite transmission capacity to be purchased on the open market. 3) Promoting Broadband: The Case of Canada

Under the New Initiatives programme of the Office of the Secretary General of the ITU, a series of Telecommunication Case Studies were produced. One of the cases studied was an examination of Canadas experience in promoting broadband. The study, prepared by Eric Lie, Project Manager, International Telecommunication Union, is entitled Promoting Broadband: The Case of Canada. The report of this study provides comprehensive information on the countrys background, an overview of the origins of the Internet in Canada, the distribution of Internet and broadband infrastructure in the country and the demographics of Internet and broadband usage, the broadband market, the regulatory environment, and main strategies and initiatives that have been put in place by communities and governments to promote broadband. For more information, visit: www.itu.int/osg/spu/ni/promotebroadband/casestudies/canada.doc. 4) Fixed wireless access systems in the 900 MHz range

In Canada, the band 953-960 MHz is shared by Studio-to-Transmitter Links (STLs) and fixed wireless access systems on a geographical basis. The operation of STLs had been limited to the band 956-960 MHz. With the introduction of digital radio broadcasting (DRB), there was a need for additional spectrum for STLs in the band 953-956 MHz, particularly in urban areas where there may be a large number of AM, FM and potential DRB stations. The deployment of these STLs will not be extensive in rural areas. The spectrum in these areas could be utilized by other radio applications to ensure efficient use of the frequency spectrum. In this regard and with the objectives of making information and knowledge-based infrastructure available to all Canadians, the band 953-960 MHz was also designated for radio services such as fixed wireless access systems (FWAs) that could be deployed outside of the areas of intense use of STLs. In order to facilitate sharing between STLs and FWAs on a geographical basis, certain criteria were used including the establishment of geographical zones to give priority access to STLs where the future use of STLs could be most intense. As well, as a general practice, the provision of new STL licences begins from the upper frequency limit of the band 953-960 MHz, whereas the provision of new FWA licences begins from the lower frequency limit of the band. The band 953-960 MHz is divided into 55 RF channels with 125 kHz spacing between centre frequencies. For FWA applications, a minimum of five contiguous 125 kHz channels are necessary. The transmitter

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power delivered to the antenna input is limited to 5 watts per RF carrier. Specific spectrum mask and FWA subscriber antenna characteristics also apply. For more information, visit: www.strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/insmt-gst.nsf/vwGeneratedInterE/sf01613e.html and www.strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/insmt-gst.nsf/vwGeneratedInterE/sf02144e.html. 5) Subscriber radio systems in the 1.4 GHz range

Fixed wireless systems in the 1 427-1 525 GHz bands are deployed in many rural areas of Canada to provide access to voice and data services. These systems are based on point-to-multipoint TDMA/FDD technology using 3.5 MHz channel bandwidth to provide a payload capacity of 4 Mbits/s per central station equipment, and up to 28 Mbits/s per system (7 central stations). A typical system consists of central stations, repeaters, and terminal stations that can be configured in radial, branched, or linear topology with a maximum range of up to 720 km. A typical central station has capacities of 400 to 600 subscribers depending on the grade-of-service objective and type of data service, which could be n 64 kbit/s dedicated lines. Some systems also have integrated sub-systems that operate in the radio frequency band of 950 MHz. 6) Wireless communication systems in the 2.3 GHz and 3.5 GHz range

A spectrum auction took place in Canada in early 2004 for the Auction of Spectrum Licences in the 2 300 MHz and 3 500 MHz bands. Five licences in each of 172 service areas across most of Canada, totalling 848 licences, were auctioned for companies to provide innovative wireless services, such as highspeed Internet. In each service area, one WCS licence will be available, totalling 15+15 MHz in the band 2 305-2 320/2 345-2 360 MHz. Four licences will be available in the band 3 475-3 650 MHz in each service area, three licences of 25+25 MHz plus one licence of just 25 MHz. The purpose of this licensing process was to facilitate the growth of Wireless Communications Services (WCS) in the 2 300 MHz band and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) in the 3 500 MHz band in both rural and urban areas, as well as to facilitate the implementation of new and innovative services. Equipment in these bands is typically capable of providing data rates from 64 kbit/s to 1.5 Mbit/s or more to each subscriber. Many of these products are also capable of providing traditional telephone services. Where there is a direct line-of-sight from the base to the subscriber station, these systems may be capable of providing service at ranges of 20 km or more. Some of these systems are also capable of operating without a clear line-of-sight, albeit at significantly reduced ranges. For further information: www://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/insmtgst.nsf/vwGeneratedInterE/sf05472e.html. 7) 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz wireless access systems including radio local area networks

Wireless access systems deployed in 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (5 250-5 350 MHz, or 5 470-5 825 MHz) are increasingly being used in urban areas for local area network connections as well as hot spot applications. However, many of these systems are also being used in rural areas. For example, in the band 5 7255 825 MHz, some companies deploy point-to-point or point-to-multipoint systems in rural parts of Canada with e.i.r.p. as high as 4 Watts (consistent with Canadas domestic technical rules). In other cases, companies are taking advantage of using 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz technologies to form a comprehensive network that provides the transmission range necessary to reach some of the rural communities. In particular, in one case, 2.4 GHz systems are being used as the last mile connection to homes and offices, while the access points are interconnected using the 5 GHz IEEE 802.11a technology. The 5 GHz transit links are part of a self-configuring wireless mesh network. This enables a wireless backhaul network to be deployed quickly with increased network reliability and at reduced infrastructure costs. 8) Research and development efforts in Canada

To support the government of Canadas priorities for connecting Canadians, the Communications Research Centre (CRC), an agency of Industry Canada, established an R&D programme called the Rural and Remote

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Broadband Access (RRBA) Programme. The Programme began in April 2002 and will run until March 2007. The RRBA Programmes mandate is to conduct innovative R&D on technologies and systems that will facilitate rural and remote access to interactive broadband multimedia services. The RRBA Programme focuses on finding technological solutions in areas of satellite communications, terrestrial wireless, fibre optics, etc., that can extend broadband services to rural and remote areas in a cost effective manner; especially where there is currently little interest by the private industry because of the perceived small return on investment. Proof-of-concept systems and subsystems will be developed with the participation of public- and private-sector partners to demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of broadband access in rural and remote areas. Collaborative demonstrations of broadband applications will also be conducted. Participation in international standards activities will take place with the aim of lowering the costs of broadband equipment through harmonized operating rules and large-volume manufacturing. A number of critical issues have been identified by the programme; these include equipment cost, flexibility, reach, spectrum availability and interference, standardization and potential international markets. This results in the need to support a variety of R&D projects dealing with: Terrestrial wireless technologies such as WiFi, WiMax and other similar technologies for transport and last mile access. Wireless broadband access using frequencies below 1 GHz for better reach in rural and remote areas due to better propagation characteristics. Broadcast transmission technologies such as the use of DTV and an adequate wireless return channel for broadband access. Satellite broadband access technologies, especially related to low cost bidirectional Ka-band (20-30 GHz) terminals. Other broadband technologies such as distribution of RF signals over optical fibre and application of Software Defined Radio to flexible broadband access terminal.

More details are available from the programme website: http://www.crc.ca/broadband. 9) Nemiah Valley, British Columbia, Canada100

The Nemiah Aboriginal Wilderness Reserve, in isolated mountain-rimmed Nemiah Valley in central British Columbia, Canada is the homeland of the Xeni Gwetin (pronounced Awney Gwateen) Native American Indian community. Within the Reserve, the community government prohibits construction of paved roads, electric power and telephone pole lines, and commercial logging. To replace the sole narrowband radiotelephone link then available to community government and residents, the Canadian and British Columbia governments two years ago jointly funded deployment of wireless medium-speed Internet access (including feeder/backhaul) to the medical clinic, the school, the community and tourist office (www.xnigwetin.com), and to several clusters of residences. Telus Communications deployed by helicopter solar-plus-batterypowered broadband wireless equipment that included one 40-mile, 3.5 GHz feeder/backhaul link, and four 950 MHz Mbit/s WL500 multi-sector, point-to-multipoint fixed-access links. The government and many residents now enjoy Internet services plus multi-channel fax and voice applications. Telus Communications mobile business recently announced a USD 20 million expansion to bring high-speed mobile voice and data communications to 90% of Canadian communities.101 10) Wi-Fi in Ontario Canada102

In rural and remote areas where population density prohibits the cost-effective use of wireline broadband distribution, inexpensive wireless solutions have been used to create broadband access networks of sufficient ____________________
100 101

Loi, Linda and Kreig, Andrew, International Wireless Broadband Success Stories, WCAI, July 2003. TELUS Mobilitys Heartland Expansion brings digital wireless phone and data service to small and remote communities in British Columbia, Canada English Newswire, July 16th, 2003. ITU/SPU, Reynolds, Tad, Promoting Broadband, Background Paper, 2003. www.itu.int/osg/spu/ni/promotebroadband/PB03PromotingBroadband.pdf

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size to achieve the economies necessary to sustain the network. Being scaleable, portable, and easy to deploy, fixed wireless in particular has proven to be a popular technology choice for a number of demand aggregation community initiatives such as those in Leeds and Grenville Country, South Dundas and Simcoe County in Ontario. Although still in a nascent state of deployment, cooperative solutions based on Wi-Fi technology present a possible avenue through which high-speed network access can be deployed at low cost. 44 Informal Internet access-sharing cooperatives, grounded in websites, at which information on participating is exchanged and provided, have already sprung up in a number of cities in Canada. Examples include cooperatives such as the Waterloo Wireless project, whose users have attempted to create a mesh of uninterrupted connectivity via a dense clustering of nodes, or hot spots, and the BC Wireless project which, alongside the usual node maps and do-it-yourself deployment instructions, has declared an interest in using high-gain antennae to create point-to-point intercity links that would cobble together community networks into an interconnected system 45. Current attempts in Canada to extend Wi-Fi networking to the 10 km and even 20 km range on a point-to-point basis indicate the possible extension of Wi-Fi as an alternative means for remote communitydwellers to aggregate demand and share backbone connectivity. Stretching the reach of Wi-Fi technology in a point-to-multipoint arrangement is also being investigated by CRC. One appealing approach is to down-convert Wi-Fi transmission to lower frequencies in the UHF range to take advantage of better RF propagation characteristics (see subsection 8). Conclusion A number of programmes and initiatives are being carried out in Canada to deliver wireless broadband connections to Canadians in rural and remote communities. Government programmes such as the Broadband for Rural and Northern Development Pilot Programme and the National Satellite Initiative are only two of the many programmes that Canada has initiated to promote broadband connections in rural communities. A number of frequency bands are currently being used, in Canada, for broadband transmission to rural areas including the 900 MHz, 1.4 GHz, 2.3 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 3.5 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Nonetheless, a number of issues including cost, climate and propagation (the need for spectrum with propagation characteristics more suitable for rural areas) can be challenging in the deployment of systems in rural areas.

III.2.3 Ecuador
Broadband Wireless Point-to-Point Enterprise Network, Banco del Pichincha, Machala Zone, Ecuador The Banco Del Pichincha, the largest bank in Ecuador, has established 200 branch offices spread across Ecuador. To interconnect these, the bank has deployed an extensive private network, containing many wireless links. The bank stipulates that each link be available 365 days of the year, 24 hours per day, with reliability at least 99.96%. For many critical links, the bank has deployed VIP 110-24 broadband wireless links offered by Wi-LAN. Installed in 2001, these wireless links now have demonstrated reliability exceeding that stipulation. The VIP 110-24 product incorporates routers, are called anypoint-to-multipoint, or VINE routers, which have enabled Banco Del Pichincha to adopt a deployment approach wherein any endpoint or repeater node already in the network can become the centre of one or more point-to-multipoint branches. This approach minimizes up-front costs for its evolving network.

III.2.4 Mexico
Fixed Wireless Access, Mexico City, Mexico Mexico City, containing 20 million residents, is one of the densest, largest urban markets in the world. Fast Internet access (Mbit/s) has not been readily available within much of the metropolitan area. MVS Comunicaciones, for many years a principal deliverer of TV programming throughout the metropolitan area and the nation, now is delivering high speed fixed wireless Internet access within the city, across 220 sq. miles encompassing approximately 10 million of its residents, and including its central business district. Within Mexico City, many prospective customers are located down in high-building street canyons or mountain-ridge canyons, and many behind extensive foliage, thus not within wireless line-of-sight of current and prospective base stations. Hence MVS sought a NLOS wireless technology effective in demanding

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terrain. It deployed the MMDS-band 2.5-2.686 GHz broadband NLOS wireless equipment. Within forthcoming months, the MVS Mexico City network likely will become the worlds largest NLOS network.

III.2.5 Peru
USE OF VSAT SYSTEMS FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE RENDERING IN RURAL AREAS IN PERU Introduction In August 1998, the Guidelines for Telecommunications Market Opening in Peru were approved through the Supreme Act No. 20-98-MTC, which defined the universal access as a group of essential telecommunications services to promote the development and integration of the furthermost areas in Per. Additionally, the following universal access goals were defined until the year 2003: The installation of 5 000 public telephones in an equal number of rural towns lacking this service, capable of transmitting voice, fax and data at a low speed, as well as making free calls to emergency centres. The installation of Internet access in 500 rural district capitals103 comprised in the 5 000 towns previously mentioned.

The Telecommunications Private Investment Supervising Organization (OSIPTEL) through the Telecommunications Investment Fund (FITEL) designed a series of projects under these guidelines, which aimed at providing fixed telephone services through public telephones and Internet access in district capitals. FITEL called for International Public Bids, in which participating bidders committed themselves to oversee: i) installation, ii) operation and iii) maintenance of specific services utilizing the most efficient technology to allow them to comply with technical specifications. Peru has particular characteristics that include a great geographic unevenness. Rural operators in charge of selecting the most adequate technology to comply with technical requirements took this into consideration. In the end, satellite technology through the implementation of VSAT networks was chosen by participating bidders. This document presents a general perspective of the deployment of VSAT networks in Peru through FITEL. Description of the VSAT network The VSAT satellite network implemented in Perus rural areas operates in the band 10-20 GHz, with a 11,7 to 12,2 GHz up-link and a 14 a 14,5 GHz down link, utilizing a PAS-1R satellite. The VSAT network has a star-like topology, with multiple remote stations that communicate through a Main Hub with a FDMA/TDMA DAMA access scheme. Current data transmission speed reaches 256 kbit/s for the carrier from the Hub to the remote stations (Outbound up link), with QPSK and 38,4 kbit/s modulation for the carrier from the remote stations to the Hub (Inbound down link) with a MSK modulation. Additionally, a LAN Ethernet port is included which can reach speeds of up to 10 Mbit/s. Among the VSAT networks main components we can mention the following: i) multiple remote stations, ii) nodal station (Hub), iii) prepayment104 subsystem, iv) network management system. Figure 26 shows the simplified diagram of the VSAT network. ____________________
103

According to the definition of the IT and Statistics National Institute, district is the smallest territorial division in the country. It is generally subdivided into urban and rural areas. The prepayment system uses cards with codes (PIN) to make calls. It is necessary for the operator to have an adequate card distribution plan, as web as ensuring adequate training for the rural population to use the service. The procedure to make a call can be found in the back of the prepayment cards, and a procedure poster can be found inside the telephone booths, and also the operator trains users on the proper use of the public telephone and Internet access (if necessary).

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Figure 26 Simplified scheme of the VSAT network

Remote stations are constituted basically by two modules: the external unit (Outdoor Unit ODU) and the internal unit (Indoor Unit IDU), that includes the VSAT. Apart from the energy subsystem and protection subsystem. The external unit (ODU) is comprised of the antenna and radio frequency elements that enable communication between the internal unit (IDU) and the satellite. Some of its components include: i) an antenna that varies in size from 1,2 to 1,8m105, ii) a high potency converter, with potency that varies from 500 mW to 1 W106 and iii) low noise converter block. Services107 currently being provided include the following: i) voice, ii) fax (Group 3) low speed data, iii) free calls to emergency centres and iv) Internet access in rural district capitals at a speed of 9 600 Bauds. Rural operators As a result of the International Public Bids the subprojects have been awarded to two operators: Gilat To Home Peru S.A. (formerly named Global Village Telecom.) and Rural Telecom. S.A.C. Table 2 shows the distribution of subprojects per rural operator.

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105

The size of the antenna depends on many factors (geographic location, satellite coverage, precipitation levels, speed of data requested, etc). Depending on the case, antennas with a greater diameter are used to improve the systems performance. 1W of power in some towns in the Peruvian jungle mainly due to the satellites coverage and precipitation levels). Currently, all services rendered by rural operators run through prepayment platforms, except for Internet access, which is being provided freely to this date.

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III.2.6 United States

1) Fibre to the Home Rural Community Project, Grant County, Washington, US108

The Grant County Public Utility District (GCPUD) is building fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) in a rural community in Washington State. According to the GCPUD, FTTH is assisting small business, educational institutions, medical facilities and others where other telecom services are offered in a limited capacity. In March 2000, Washington State passed a state law that allowed public utilities to build fibre-optic networks. As of March 2003, more than 10 000 meters were passed, and more than 9 200 homes were passed by the fibre build-out in Grant County. The Grant County Public Utility District had a 43 per cent penetration rate, with about 4 000 subscribers, as of March 2003. Nearly 100 per cent of the homes have Internet access. And, nineteen ISPs, two video companies, one telephone company and one security company are providing highspeed voice, video and data applications. As a result of its broadband buildout, the economic impact has been significant. Over 100 new jobs have been created as a result of the network, creating a USD 9 million economic benefit for the region. As a result of the network, 25% of people with access have purchased a new computer or related equipment, 72% of people with access have purchased goods or services online and 62% believe that broadband access improves their childrens education. A local chemical plant has reduced executive visits to Sweden from once a month to twice a year because of video conferencing. Point-of-service entities, like gas stations, have decreased credit card processing time. Farmers are using the applications to track the market prices of their products and do livestock and crop research. County schools are using the FTTH connection for distance learning, distributing programming, financial aid information and advising information. Medical facilities are transmitting more medical information to doctors and patients faster. GCPUD also estimated that every 300 new employees attracted to the region as a result of the FTTH networks would translate into USD 72 million for the local economy because of the multiplier effect of consumer spending.

High Speed Satellite Broadband Service for Medical Purpose, Columbia, South Carolina, US109 On July 1, 2002, Hughes Network Systems, Inc. (HNS), the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), and the Columbia Eye Clinic launched a high-speed, satellite broadband service linking medical professionals at the Columbia Eye Clinic with patients at Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Community Health Centre in Ridgeland, South Carolina. The service allows clinic experts to screen the eyes of patients over 100 miles away for diabetic retinopathy. In the coming years, they plan to screen patients in other parts of South Carolina and then expand to screenings for glaucoma and other anterior segment diseases. Broadband access will facilitate the collection of epidemiological data and aid in patient education. 2) Municipal Fibre Optic Network, Kutztown, Pennsylvania, US110

The city of Kutztown, Pennsylvania built Pennsylvanias first municipal fibre-optic network. It is a USD 4.6 million project, which the city began building in 2001. The network has created competition for high-speed Internet access, cable TV and telephone service in Kutztown. Kutztown is one of only a handful ____________________
108

Donna Keegan. Great Needs: Fiber-to-the-home drives development in Grant County, Wash, Opastco Roundtable, July/ August 2002, pp. 50-51.
Healthcare Groups and Broadband Satellite Provider Collaborate to Help Save Eyesight in Rural South Carolina, HNS Press Release, July 1, 2002. Wired in Kutztown Municipality sells Internet, cable TV and phone service through its own lines, Christian Berg, The

109

110

Morning Call (online), August 4, 2002.

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of US cities to run fibre to every home and business. The network offers speeds up to 100 megabytes per second. The network provides residents the ability to monitor home security, pay water and sewer bills and track their electricity use. Officials also envision video-on-demand and music-on-demand, distance learning and e-health as applications to be deployed using the new fibre-optic network. In addition, the network will provide Kutztowns electric utility the ability to automatically detect the location of power outages and equipment failures. It also will let the utility use automated meter reading technology. That will eliminate the need for time-consuming manual checks of the boroughs several thousand electric meters each month. 3) Point-to-point Wireless Broadband Program Turtle Mountain & Fort Berthold, ND & Fort Peck, MT, US111

Fast Internet access (Mbit/s) has become available within but few of the U.S. Native American Indian Reservations. To accelerate availability, the U.S. National Science Foundation, through its EDUCAUSE (www.educause.edu) affiliate and AN-MSI project (www.an-msi.org), recently funded deployment of wireless fast Internet access to community colleges at several reservations, including necessary feeder/backhaul. At three, including Fort Peck Community College (MT), the Fort Berthold Community College (ND), and the Turtle Mountain Community College (ND), the AN-MSI project, led by Dandin Group CEO Dewayne Hendricks, deployed U-NII band (5 GHz) Canopy broadband wireless equipment offered by Motorola, both 20 Mbit/s feeder/backhaul links and 10 Mbit/s access links. Each network soon will be extended to more community sites, perhaps then households. 4) Example of Fixed Broadband Wireless Implementation in the United States

The city of Forth Wayne, Indiana, is the second largest city in the state of Indiana. The local government and private sector of this city concluded that it was necessary to establish a regional capability to provide businesses and residents in the metro area access to high-speed broadband services at reasonable cost as such a capability was essential to economic development. It was considered that ubiquitous broadband deployment would bring valuable services to businesses and consumers, stimulate economic activity, improve local productivity, and improve education. This was accomplished through the Indiana Data Centre. The criteria for the technology to implement this were: 1) No public financing, but use of public facilities; 2) digital structure; 3) Always on and ubiquitous, 4) able to evolve new users; 5) able to address interference issues. After much evaluation of alternative technology solutions, the Motorola Canopy product was selected. This BWA concept: Uses a cellular-like concept with more access points close to the ground. Mitigates interference in unlicensed bands. Provides a modular design for expanding the system with ease of installation (one day). Very cost effective. Scaleable bandwidth on demand up to 2 Mbit/s.

III.3

Asia

III.3.1 Australia
1) Networking the Nation Broadband Program and Regional Mobile Phone Program

Also in Australia, the government took a step toward creating demand for broadband-delivered applications through its Networking the Nation program. Part of the overall Commonwealth of Australias National Broadband Strategy, the Networking the Nation Program Australia program that provided nearly AUUSD 180 million Australian dollars to non-profit organizations to support activities and projects designed ____________________
111

Courtesy of Motorola and Linda Loi, WCAI.

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to address a range of telecommunications needs in rural, regional and remote Australia.112 It included a strategy for deploying public Internet access, videoconferencing facilities to the general public and female health facilities, training, building parts of a new telecom backbone, helping municipal and county councils provide government services, and providing money for community telecommunications centres that will assist people with disabilities to access the Internet.113 Another initiative by the Australian government designed to improve the level of telecommunications services in rural and regional Australia is the Regional Mobile Phone Program. This AUUSD 50.5 million program provided AUUSD 20.4 million improved 3rd Generation CDMA mobile voice and high-speed data coverage to 31 towns that currently have inadequate coverage and to 24 towns that have no existing coverage. Other mobile phone coverage provided under the USD 50.5 million Regional Mobile Phone program includes: 2) spot coverage for selected regional highways; funding to improve mobile phone coverage in the south west of Western Australia under the Wireless West project; and a satellite mobile phone handset subsidy scheme. Telstras Broadband Acceleration Program, Australia

Telstra, a major telecommunications operator in Australia, has established a broadband policy which allocated up to AUUSD 30 million in cash and bandwidth to accelerate the development of technology that will stimulate broadband growth in Australia.114 Under the deal, Telstra will contribute AUUSD 10 million in cash, AUUSD 20 million in bandwidth, and it has committed to match equivalent industry contributions to the program with further support of up to AUUSD 15 million over five years. The goal of the Telstra Broadband Strategy is to stimulate and accelerate the development of new and innovative applications, tools or technologies with wide appeal for broadband delivery to Australian businesses and consumers. This in turn will stimulate subscriber growth and ultimately mean more revenues for Telstra resulting in a win-win situation for both consumers and the private sector.115 3) Reach for the Clouds Broadband Program, Melbourne, Australia

In Melbourne, a local initiative of GreenPC, called Reach For The Clouds, aims to deliver to each of 770 homes in the low-income housing project called Atherton Gardens a refurbished computer completely free of charge and the chance to get online. All of Atherton Gardens has been wired with an ADSL broadband system. Residents are able to use e-mail and a community intranet service free, but they pay to connect to the web. The project is using refurbished computers to enable a whole community to access the web. The projects aims are to provide all residents with free access to a PC in their own home, establish a local community computer network (Intranet), provide access to Internet telecommunications (Internet), train residents in computer use, enable community management of the network and establish social enterprise opportunities. If successful, GreenPC will deploy similar networks in Melbournes 13 other poor housing developments. 4) Personal Broadband Australia

In March 2001 the Australian Communications Authority (ACA) conducted an auction of 2 GHz (3G) licenses covering all major cities in Australia and applying for 15 years from October 2002. ACAs 2 GHz spectrum allocation was consistent with the ITUs recommended frequency arrangement for spectrum ____________________
112

See: www.dcita.gov.au/Article/0,,0_1-2_3-4_106337,00.html and www.newconnections.gov.au/download/0,6183,4_113958,00.doc for more information. OECD Report, Broadband Infrastructure Deployment: The Role of Government Assistance, November 14, 2001. Telstra Sets Up Broadband Fund, www.dialelectronics.com.au/articles/8f/0c00e78f.asp, June 21, 2002. See: www.broadbandfund.telstra.com/about_home.htm for more information, as well as a list of funded projects.

113 114 115

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identified for IMT-2000116 and adhered to their technology neutral spectrum policy that allows Australian licensees to deploy any technology that meets the adopted emissions and coexistence requirements. The ACA awarded five licenses as a result of this auction, including a license to CKW Wireless which was established in February 2001 with the objective to roll out the iBurst technology across Australia. By June 2002, CKW had been renamed Personal Broadband Australia (PBA) and formed into a consortium partnership that includes Ozemail, Vodafone, Crown Castle, TCI, UT Starcom as well as the shareholders. After a one-year trial that was successfully completed in November 2003, a soft launch was initiated in December 2004 and the fully commercial iBurst service was launched on March 19, 2004. PBA is delivering a new paradigm for access to the Internet and corporate information where people are able to rely on secure high-speed connectivity wherever they are and whenever they want. Not only does this greatly enhance the utility of many existing data applications, it enables the development of exciting new applications that could not exist until iBurst came into existence. PBA is a network builder and service provider. Its iBurst network offers the first commercially available service of its kind in the world. Based on patented technology from ArrayComm and using equipment supplied by Kyocera Corporation, the iBurst network uses state of the art High Capacity-Spatial Diversity Multiple Access (HC-SDMA) technology that is being standardized by the Alliance of Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), an ANSI-accredited standards development organization. HC-SDMA systems make far more efficient use of radio spectrum than previously developed mobile radio telecommunications systems, allowing each radio node to provide up to 1 Mbit/s broadband service to thousands of users simultaneously. With PBAs iBurst service subscribers can maintain their connection whether moving between rooms or between suburbs the network supports seamless handover between radio nodes at vehicular speeds, thereby providing a fully mobile service. PBA is a wholesale provider of iBurst connectivity, concentrating on its strengths of establishing and managing its network infrastructure. It re-sells its service via selected Channel Partners who are specialists in the provision of ISP and mobile services. PBA is positioned to be the market leader for mobile broadband Internet services in Australia. With its unique iBurst technology, PBA is able to offer connectivity to the Internet or corporate data at a cost and quality that has previously only been available though fixed connections.

III.3.2 Bangladesh: Access technologies for broadband telecommunications

Foreword Bangladesh is a developing country situated in south-east Asia, where telecommunication is one of the booming sectors. Being a densely populated country, Bangladesh has the advantages of greater coverage. Bangladeshi people are very enthusiastic to know about the recent developments in any sectors especially in telecommunication. They try to adopt new technologies when rolled out. Infrastructure The infrastructure for accessing broadband technology in Bangladesh is not satisfactory though more than 75% people lives in the rural and remote areas. The city dwellers are getting the advantages of all the latest technologies but the rural people are deprived still. It is not possible for a country to move ahead, leaving this large number of rural people unconnected. Bangladesh has 6 Mobile operators and 13 PSTN operators. Among them 5 (five) mobile operators uses GSM technology and 1 (one) uses CDMA technology. The BTS coverage area of the different operators is more than 90% of Bangladesh. Technologies It will be better if Bangladesh goes for air interface technologies like Broadband wireless Access (BWA) and Third Generation (3G) network. At present, most of the mobile operators are ready to migrate to 3G technology. The existing mobile operators in Bangladesh use 2.5G networks. It will not be a tough job for ____________________
116

See ITU-R Recommendation M.1036, Frequency arrangements for implementation of the terrestrial component of International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) in the bands 806-960 MHz, 1 710-2 025 MHz, 2 110-2 200 MHz and 2 500-2 690 MHz.

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the operators to migrate their existing 2.5G network to 3G. Operators just need to have an overlay on the existing 2.5G network. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has already started working on 3G licensing guidelines. BTRC will issue the 3G license(s) to the operators after the completion of 3G guidelines. A new access technology which is suitable in Bangladeshi context is Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) or WiMAX. BTRC has already awarded 4 (four) BWA licenses and they have already started working to meet the roll out obligations. Wi-Fi is another access technology used in Bangladesh which is cheaper then WiMax and it is becoming popular day by day. People can easily use this technology because most of the latest communication devices are Wi-Fi enabled. At present the metropolitan cities and towns in our country are cluttered with hazardous overhead optical fibre / cables. Use of multiple optical fibre / wired networks in the same area by the multiple ANS operators causing duplication of effort using national resources. Therefore, to de-clutter the city areas and towns, minimizing the duplication of national resources, the license of Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network has been awarded to 1 (one) company. The incumbent operator Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) has started providing DSL service in Bangladesh.Bangladesh will continue to work to develop the access technologies for broadband telecommunications, especially for the rural people. ITU can help Bangladesh in this regard.

III.3.3 China: The Development of Broadband Services and Applications in China

Broadband Service Development in China Vigorously driven by such leading Chinese broadband operators as China Telecom and China Netcom, the Chinese broadband service market is progressing from the phase of market cultivation to one of rapid expansion. According to statistics provided by Chinas Information Industry Ministry, there were only 3.34 million broadband subscribers in the entire telecom market in 2002. A year later, however, the figure had shot up to 11.15 million, and a further 6.58 million new subscribers were added in the first six months of 2004, bringing the total up to 17.73 million (source: www.mii.gov.cn/mii/hyzw/tongji/yb/tongjiyuebao200406.htm), with some 80 per cent of them being ADSL subscribers. Thanks to the strong impetus given by China Telecom, China Netcom and other broadband operators, the Chinese broadband market is rapidly entering a period of fast growth, as evidenced by: the broadband subscriber base having topped the ten million mark by the end of 2003; Chinas Internet international gateway bandwidth having reached 27 GB in 2003; the gradual spread of broadband applications, including numerous varieties of high-capacity video software, gaming applications, etc.; the diligent efforts on the part of Internet application suppliers and operators in search of a cooperative mechanism, which have led to the mushrooming of businesses specialized in broadband application content, the emergence of an eco-chain for the broadband Internet industry, and considerable progress in the quest for an operating model for value-added network services.

The subscriber base explosion has fuelled the expansion of the broadband equipment market, where operators have found incentives to engage in volume procurement that has resulted in constant cost-cutting. The price per ADSL line has fallen consistently, from as high as 1 800 RMB yuan (about USD 200) in 2000 to 1 000 RMB yuan (about USD 120) in the second half of 2001, and thereafter to 600 RMB yuan (USD 72) in the first half of 2002, 550 RMB yuan (USD 66) in the second half of 2002, 430 RMB yuan (USD 52) in the first half of 2003, and finally to as low as 320 RMB yuan (USD 39) in the second half of the same year. The low price of broadband equipment has led to a significant reduction in the operating costs of the operators, leaving room for them to cut prices and thus further whet the appetite of consumers. It is evident that the Chinese broadband subscriber base has embarked on a period of self-sustainable growth. According to a report by the Academy of Telecommunication Research under the Information Industry Ministry of China, the number of subscribers nationwide is expected to reach 51.15 to 58.40 million in 2006, representing a 358 to 423 per cent increase over the 2003 figure.

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Table 1 Forecast of Chinese broadband subscriber growth in the period 2004-2006 in millions
2004 Optimistic estimate Conservative estimate Broadband access users Annual growth rate Broadband access users Annual growth rate 25.28 107% 23.19 90% 2005 40.79 61% 36.32 57% 2006 58.40 43% 51.15 41%

Source: Academy of Telecommunication Research under the Information Industry Ministry of China.

Broadband application development in China Several years of stiff competition in the Chinese broadband market have brought home to operators the fact that the key driver for broadband service development is the application side rather than access alone, and that it is therefore imperative to put in place an integrated broadband industrial chain model to enable sound and sustainable development of the broadband market. Out of the competition and consolidation that took place in both 2003 and 2004, there emerged in the Chinese broadband market a broadband value chain composed of equipment suppliers, telecom operators, value-added service providers and content suppliers. During 2003 and 2004, the Chinese broadband industrial chain made good progress with China Telecoms ChinaVNet, China Netcoms TTZX and other broadband brands and operating models introduced and brought into operation, and with the broadband market shifting its focus from increasing access to developing broadband applications. The consolidation of the broadband industrial chain implemented by both China Telecom and China Netcom, two leading suppliers in the Chinese broadband market, will have a decisive impact on the development of that market. China Telecoms ChinaVNet

As a nationally unified application service brand and a charging model for information and application services, ChinaVNet (www.chinavnet.com/chpage/c1/), by making use of a mutually beneficial model, helps value-added Internet service providers, content providers and telecom operators achieve their business value together. By taking full advantage of its subscriber, network and application support platform resources as well as its sales network, customer service and promotion channels, China Telecom hopes to create a friendly ecosystem for Internet industry development, develop a new business model for Internet services and provide its Internet users with a rich array of content and information application services by consolidating the content and applications from its partners, with a view to bringing benefit to all parties concerned, namely users, ChinaVNet partners and China Telecom itself. Aiming to be at the same time entertaining, informative and of practical use, ChinaVNets content and applications cover a wide range of trades and sectors, including entertainment, education, securities, consulting, e-commerce, public services, business applications, etc. Advocating the concept of sharing resources, drawing on each others strengths and working for the common good, and adhering to the principle of openness and consolidation, ChinaVNet has created a win-win business model through which the service providers and a host of other partners who make up the links in the industrial chain are able to fulfil their own business targets. Meanwhile, China Telecom has also made publicly available its resources, such as its network, subscriber base, charging channel, extensive sales network, customer care and promotion channels, and has provided service providers with such services as user authentication, authorization and fee collection on their behalf. Moreover, China Telecom will do all it can to deliver to service providers a package of convenient services including, among others, network access, IDC, media distribution network and media exchange.

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Since China Telecom declared it ready for commercial use on 15 September 2003, ChinaVNet has been commissioned in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and other provinces and municipalities. By the end of December 2003, China Telecom had become the largest operator in the domestic broadband market, with a total of 7.35 million broadband subscribers of whom nearly 3 million were registered ChinaVNet subscribers. Over 260 partners have entered into contract with ChinaVNet. Of the 263 SP partners nationwide, 28 work directly with ChinaVNets national centre. In 2004, ChinaVNet will access more than 100 SPs via its national centre platform and give priority to the launch of four product lines, namely broadband entertainment, online gaming, instant communications and enterprise applications, to which end it will build the largest broadband entertainment platform, online movie supermarket and music library in China, establish a unified online gaming prepaid credit system in an endeavour to bring under its coverage 80 online games from operators including the top 40 online operators in China by the end of 2004, and intensify efforts to develop services such as instant communications, e-mail, online anti-virus protection and distance learning. China Netcoms China Byte

As a countermeasure in response to China Telecoms ChinaVNet, China Netcom joined forces with a number of investment companies to set up the China Byte Corporation in Beijing in February 2004. TTZX, a broadband portal built through meticulous effort on the part of China Netcom, went into operation at the same time, marking the initial move by China Netcom towards broadening its value-added broadband service strategy. The TTZX website targets ordinary Internet users and delivers specialized broadband information services through a TV-channel-like mechanism with unique content that is TV-centric, entertaining, family-based and high in quality. What TTZX aims to achieve is, first, to address the needs of ordinary consumers and home users; second, to develop a service and specialized content delivery system that is as easy to operate as TV channels, in order to facilitate user network access; and third, to supply an ever-increasing number of broadband multimedia video services. China Byte is a limited liability company incorporated by China Netcom, IDG and a number of other worldrenowned investment companies, mainly providing such services as Internet content, broadband content, game channels billed to calling parties, the channel-based China Netcom broadband portal and value-added telecommunications. The China Byte Corporation will offer three categories of service, namely broadband portal, value-added voice services (such as the nationwide voice service mainly accessed by a centralized number 116XX, telephone commerce, calling centre and telephone information inquiry service, etc.) and value-added wireless services (mainly SMS and meeting coordination services), of which the voice services and the broadband portal will be launched first. China Byte will adopt the same operating approach as China Mobiles Montenet and will partner with numerous SPs across the country in an effort to supply a massive amount of multimedia information in addition to the narrow-band information already delivered, thereby fully reflecting its business concept of giving overriding importance to the application side in rendering content service. Following the principle of taking on projects on a selective basis, China Netcom has been diligently looking for a cooperation model of benefit to all. Apart from TTZX, it has explored other ways of cooperation in its search for still greater breakthroughs in broadband applications. Cooperation model 1: In the light of the market situation and service capabilities, China Netcom is engaged in further development of the already consolidated software, modem and other products from user-end equipment suppliers in order to provide a better quality of service to broadband access users. In conjunction with well-established computer and terminal vendors, China Netcom has started to develop simple network access terminals to lower the access threshold for users. As a result, China Netcom and its partners have introduced co-branded computers with embedded broadband access capabilities, bundling the sales of terminal equipment with that of broadband services. Cooperation model 2: China Netcom cooperates extensively with the outside world and gives full consideration to user needs in its development, upgrading and management of content channels. Cooperation model 3: By creating an industrial chain, China Netcom and the provincial communications companies will jointly build a centralized network service platform to provide access, authentication and

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billing services to other enterprises, and to promote bundled sales of terminals and broadband services in cooperation with ICPs/ISPs and terminal manufacturers.

III.4

Europe

III.4.1 eEurope Action Plan 2005

The eEurope initiative was first proposed by DG INFSO (Direction Gnrale Information Society) at the end of 1999 and endorsed by the European Council in Feira in June 2000. The main objective of eEurope is an ambitious one: to bring every citizen, school and business online and to exploit the potential of the new economy for growth, employment, and inclusion. The first eEurope Action Plan, 2000-2002, had three aims: a cheaper, faster, more secure Internet; investment in people and skills, and greater use of the Internet. It consisted of 64 objectives and nearly all were successfully reached by the end of 2002. The second stage is the eEurope 2005 Action Plan, which was endorsed by the European Council in Seville, 2002. The eEurope 2005 objective is that Europe should have modern online public services (e.g. E-Government, eLearning, eHealth) and a dynamic eBusiness environment. As an enabler for these, there needs to be widespread availability of broadband access at competitive prices and a secure information infrastructure. eEurope 2005 objectives The objective of the new Action Plan is to provide a favourable environment for private investment and for the creation of new jobs, to boost productivity, to modernise public services, and to give everyone the opportunity to play a role in a global Information Society. eEurope 2005 aims to stimulate secure services, applications and content based on a widely available broadband infrastructure. The challenges of eEurope 2005 The Information Society has a vast untapped potential for improving productivity and quality of life. This potential is growing due to the technological developments of broadband and multi-platform access, i.e. the possibility of connecting to the Internet via other means than the PC, such as digital TV and 3G mobile phones. These developments are creating significant economic and social opportunities. New services, applications and content will create new markets and provide the means to increase productivity and, as a direct result, growth and employment throughout the economy. They will also provide citizens with more convenient access to information and communication tools. The targets of eEurope 2005 eEurope 2005 applies a number of measures to address both sides of the equation simultaneously. On the demand side, actions on eGovernment, eHealth, eLearning and eBusiness are designed to foster the development of new service. In addition to providing better and cheaper services to citizens, public authorities can use their purchasing power to aggregate demand and provide a crucial pull for new networks. On the supply side, actions on broadband and security should advance the roll-out of infrastructure. One of the key areas covered by eEurope 2003 is broadband: Currently, the most common way to access the Internet is through dial-up connections, a narrowband service, which uses the existing local telephone network and is mostly charged on the basis of time. The main challenge ahead is to accelerate the transition from communications based on narrowband networks to communications based on broadband networks, providing high-speed and always-on access to the Internet. While large corporations have completed their transition to broadband, the focus must now be on the mass market to ensure that broadband becomes available to all homes and SMEs. Broadband stimulates the use of the Internet and enables the usage of rich applications and services. Its benefits spill over to the areas of e-business, e-learning, e-health and e-government, improving the functionality and performance of those services, and further extending the use of the Internet. As such, it is considered the crucial infrastructure for realising the productivity gains that a more effective use of the Internet can deliver.

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To reach everybody, broadband policy must also take into account the potential of the emerging alternative communication platforms such as 3G and digital TV. This multiplies the channels through which people can access broadband and benefit from it, contributing to the achievement of an Information Society for all. Measures taken under the eEurope 2005 Action The eEurope action plan is based on two groups of measures which reinforce each other. On the one hand, it aims to stimulate services, applications and content, covering both online public services and e-business. On the other hand it addresses underlying broadband infrastructure and security matters. (see www.europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/index_en.htm) heEurope Action Plan Implementation in Spain: Program Internet Rural In March of 2002, the European Council of Barcelona put together a strategic plan for the development of an Information Society throughout Europe by the year 2005. In June of 2002 the plan of action for eEurope was approved and at this time the program Internet Rural was established. The goal of this project was to install a series of public internet access points that would permit all citizens within their given regions to access the internet, preferably using a broadband connection. The objectives of project Internet Rural are to establish the following: Connectivity to broadband internet services Centrally located public access points Installation and maintenance services Central command and control centre Service portals for rural areas Optional extensions for connectivity Financial Resources. Simulation was carried out in municipalities that are not covered by ADSL or Cable To guarantee the coverage of no less than 40% of the population that does not have present access to Broadband Internet This study and the above criteria were established for municipalities of 1 200 inhabitants or greater. In the event that municipalities were smaller, such as 800 or 500 inhabitants, expectations were lowered with regards to the 40% or more coverage target.

A simulation of Internet Rural was conducted based on the following criteria:

The total impact of the program is summarized in the following figure 27:

Figure 27
Present State Without DSL Population Municipalities 5.177.305 6.414 Implementation of the Program 3.808.231 1.853 % Implemented 73.56% 28.89% Final State Without Access to Broadband 1.369.074 4.561

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III.4.2 Ireland
South West Regional Authority Broadband, Ireland117 The South West Region of Ireland comprises an area of 12 100 sq. kilometres and has a population of 580 000 people, over half of whom live in the City of Cork and its immediate environs. As with many modern economies, a high level of the regions commercial and industrial activity is centered in the regional capital and its Metropolitan Area. The agricultural economy is under pressure and the sector no longer provides a means of sustainable livelihood for many farmers, particularly those in the more remote areas. In regions such as these telecom companies have concentrated on the core populated areas since they provide the best commercial or financial returns. The South West Regional Authority (SWRA) has twenty four elected representatives and has responsibility to promote the coordinated delivery of Public Services in the region. In the course of its work in the development of the Information Society, the SWRA recognized that even with completely free market operations, telecommunications providers are not likely to be prepared to bring broadband to marginalized areas since the chances of profitability are slim. They also realized that financial incentives to attract new market entrants are also not always successful, particularly when the rural market is small. These were the circumstances which moved the South West Regional Authority to try and do something for itself something different. Its research pointed to the slow rollout of DSL technology only planned for towns with a population in excess of 6 000 persons. Since the majority of towns in South West Ireland have populations far less than 6 000, the SWRA further looked at the growing preference for wireless around the globe, and the availability of broadband from satellites. The SWRA decided to try and combine both, with an intelligent interface. In late 2002, the Regional Authority made a proposal to the European Space Agency to undertake a research program relating to the combined usage of Satellite and wireless technologies, the results of which would be of value to many regions experiencing difficulties in getting broadband to remote towns. This proposal was accepted and the SWRA began work on the South West Broadband Project, in February, 2003. The proposal was to test satellite as a means of accessing broadband, to validate the technology across a range of field trials in areas of e-government, business support, e-Medicine and Distant Education. SWRA was fortunate to receive many offers from major players in the satellite and wireless communications field to participate in the program. Fourteen field trials are now operational and satellite technology is used in conjunction with wireless local area networks to provide broadband access. A principal economic advantage of its program is that typically a satellite/ wireless system can be installed in just a few days and the total cost of creating a satellite fed wireless LAN is of the order of 25 000. The SWRA contrasted the rollout of this technology with that of fibre where the cost of laying a plastic duct is of the order of 150 000 per kilometer and then further substantial costs are involved in providing the fibre, lighting it and then making the last mile connection to users. The economics of SWRAs approach are such that the annual cost, including installation, of operating a satellite/wireless local area network, can be as low as 20 000 per annum. On this basis with a total of 40 customers, connection charges can be as low as 25 per month for home users and 60 per month for small businesses. The SWRA market approach is one of product and service sustainability, on a not for profit basis, reinvesting revenues from the service into the rollout of Satellite and Wireless Broadband to even smaller communities. The SWRA has also adopted a highly inclusive approach with local communities, who will partner with them in each town, to develop and agree on terms and conditions of service, in consultation with local community representatives. The Local Authorities in the region are also partners and provide premises for housing the equipment. The success of the broadband program undertaken by the South West Regional Authority has led the agency to seek its own telecom operator license and one of its main conclusions is ____________________
117

McAleer, John, Local communities providing broadband for themselves, www.swra.ie/broadband, jmcaleer@swra.ie, June 2003.

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think about doing it for yourselves and advises any interested partners to speak to them for more information.

III.4.3 Norway
1) eNorway Action Plan

Also in Norway, according to the eNorway Action Plan, the governments goal is that broadband is available on the market in all regions of Norway. Primary schools, public libraries and local authority administrative services shall be given the option of broadband connection at a competitive price during the course of 2005. By the end of 2003, all colleges of secondary education shall also be offered an equivalent scheme118. A key priority of the government also will be to stimulate broadband rollout in Norwegian municipalities for use by local authorities. The public sectors extended use of broadband communication is supposed to significantly contribute to a well-functioning broadband services market, making the broadband services more available for small and medium-size enterprises, as well as consumers.119 2) Modalen Project, Norway

In Norway, the Modalen Project, which was started in 2000-2001 by a consortium of information technology companies in Modalen, Norway, provides Internet through broadband networks. Because the closest major city to Modalen is over an hour away, the projects intent was to provide every family, company, public department, organization, school and institution in the 400-person city access to broadband technology using the TV set as its user interface. As a result of the project, a May 2001 Gallup poll showed that Internet access on the job, at home and at school was higher in Modalen than in the rest of Norway, and Modalen residents were online more than the rest of Norway.120

III.4.4 Sweden
Sweden has a long and strong tradition in IT and Telecommunication. It was an early user and a leader in fibre optics in the end of 80:ies and beginning of the 90:ies very much depending on efforts made by Ericsson and Telia in cooperation with University Research. Sweden was early in using PC :s at home and has today one of the highest PC penetrations per capita in the world. In mobile communication Sweden was one of the early adopters together with the other Nordic countries and Ericsson together with Nokia from Finland are among the leading suppliers in mobile system and terminals. During the 90:ies the government took a number of steps to deregulate the market in telecommunication and Sweden is today one of the most deregulated countries in the world with the market supervised by the regulating authority PTS (Post och Telestyrelsen). The situation in Sweden today is characterized by a fierce competition in the broadband marketplace, 20% of the private households have got broadband and the biggest operator is TeliaSonera with a market share of 42%. TeliaSonera uses dominantly DSL and has almost monopoly on the cupper access network but must by law offer it to its competitors. The second largest operator is Bredbandbolaget with 23% and the biggest FTTH network in Sweden. In the enterprise sector TeliaSonera, Song Network and Telenor are the major players. Sweden has more than 200 operators, the majority of them are owned by communities or their energy companies serving the local city region. The major access technologies are DSL (market share of 55%) and FTTH, (almost 20%, based on LAN and Ethernet technology). In connection with the government supported broadband program a separation exists between the role of being a network owner and a service provider i.e. an end user can choose between many different service providers and vice verse. Sweden is on the threshold to introduce a multi service converged network offering Internet, telephony and TV, triple play, all based on IP. Some DSL operators include VoIP in their service package today and are ____________________
118 119 120

See: www.odin.dep.no/archive/nhdvedlegg/01/03/eNorw040.pdf. See: www.hoykom.net. Norwegian Gallup Presentation, OECD workshop on broadband, December 5, 2001.

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even discussing TV, the TV operators on the other hands that today offers normal TV and Internet access have started to implement VoIP over their coaxial network. FTTH access with triple play services is available for some small scale commercial operations. Broadband access is in Sweden a cornerstone for implementing 24 h e-governance services, to be able to rationalize the health sector by e-health, to offer remote education and to strengthen the local democracy and access to local information. The introduction of triple play has opened up a market for companies developing IP based Set Top Boxes and Home Gateways as spin off from Ericsson and Telia research activities. As example 42 networks together with Ericsson developed an end-to-end broadband access solution for the connection of various types of subscriber equipment to the Internet. The move to a broadband network based on IP that is a convergence between Internet, Telecommunication and Broadcasting creates of course a number of challenges for the research community. To verify the service and infrastructure requirements various testbeds with real end users have been implemented in Sweden. As example the research institute Acreos national broadband testbed involves more than 15 vendors, more than 15 operators, more than 10 universities and a number of public authorities. As an example of a broadband installation in the north of Stockholm Sollentuna Energy provides a network with more than 12 000 installed broadband access terminals. Examples of current services are: Internet (with 4 ISP:s), TV (up to 18 channels), movies (video on demand), Intranet for local information and broadband telephony. Typical broadband access installations are based on a 42 Networks broadband access solution providing endto-end quality, security, simplicity and management. Ericssons end-to-end broadband solutions enable operators and service providers to build a base for Fast Internet, Video on demand, telephony (VoIP) and other broadband services. The portfolio consists of 3 parts: the Digital Residential Gateway (DRG), the Broadband Telephony Enabler (BTE) and Device Management System (DMS), as illustrated in Figure 28.

Figure 28 42 Networks Managed Broadband Telephony Solution

Video Server Gaming Server

DRG and BTE Element Manager

DMS

DMS
xDSL modem

Fiber (Ethernet) xDSL IP CaTV Radio PSTN BTE

BTE

CaTV Modem

Radio Modem

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113

Digital Residential Gateway (DRG) units can be connected to the IP-network either with modems (e.g. for xDSL, CaTV or Radio transmission) or optical/electrical converters for single or multimode fibres (e.g. for Ethernet connection). DRG units allow end users to continue with their existing analog phones or fax machines, while calling with high quality over an IP-Network. To each telephony port up to 5 telephone sets can be connected in tandem. By connecting a set top box to one of the Ethernet ports e.g. Video on Demand can be delivered simultaneously with telephony and fast Internet. The ports also give the end user possibility of connecting several computers and printers to the unit. DRG units with built-in optical/electrical converters allow fibre To The Home/SoHo installations. For various applications a number of different DRG versions of plug-and-play units have been developed with up to four Ethernet ports and two telephone ports suitable for the connection with Unshielded Twisted Pairs (up to 100 m ) or multimode fibres (up to 2 000 m ) or single mode fibres (up to 15 000 m). The DRG Element Manager enables an operator or service provider to manage and configure up to 200 000 installed DRG units remotely. An operator can set parameters regarding e.g. VLAN, IP-telephony and packet filter using SNMPv1 messages as well as initiate remote software updates. The residential network in Figure 29 is connected across copper wire to a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) using an Ethernet connection between the xDSL modem and the DRG22 unit. The Exchange terminal (ET) signals are transmitted on a fibre net to the IP router and Virtual LAN. The operators management system controls the DRG and DSLAM managers to secure end-toend management.

Figure 29 Example of DRG implementation from Operator management system

ADSL DSLAM

DMS Manager
DSLAM Manager

ISP VLAN

IPT VLAN

DRG22 xDSL modem

Eth

E A D T S L

Eth

IP Router

xDSL/ATM on Cu 2-wire

ATM/SDH/PDH or Ethernet on fiber

The Broadband Telephone Enabler (BTE) is the central component in an end-to-end VoIP solution, consisting of a carrier class Gatekeeper, Gateway and Element Manager. The solution is based on the most common standards today. Some of the outstanding facilities are scalability, capacity, redundancy and range of services. A number of Ericsson/42 Networks solutions can be integrated with the end-to-en VoIP solution product portfolio, including Public Ethernet equipment, active and passive equipment for fibre networks and Ethernet xDSL Access solutions. The DRG and BTE Systems together with the DRG/BTE Element Managers are one of the few solutions for broadband telephony and services on the market focusing on the network aspects to achieve a high level of security, high quality of service (QoS) and a business case based on remote management and software updates of the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE).

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III.4.5 Israel: 802.16 Deployment in Rural Areas

IEEE 802.16a is a high capacity standard utilizing OFDM/OFDMA technology on both the Upstream/return and Downstream/forward, with the potential of delivery of a high aggregated data rate in excess of 18 Mbit/s on a channel of 8 MHz bandwidth (average of 2.2 bit/(s*Hz)). Compared to known advanced generation system in stationary applications (2 Mbit/s), IEEE 802.16a has tenfold capacity which can be shared by a large community of users, spread over a wide geographical area, ideally used in rural areas or in highly populated areas. The system is a highly adaptive system, employing different modulation schemes (nQAMs) and error correction codes (Viterbi, RS and Turbo Codes) with different coding rates. Dynamic resource allocation ensures optimal allocation of the required bandwidth, which fits current user application. The system can support a wide range of telecommunication applications, such as fast internet, video conferencing, VoIP, e-commerce, VoD, etc. The following contribution describes a typical multi-phase deployment of the infrastructure for developing countries, where the laid down infrastructure of Base Stations (BS) and networking among Base Stations is optimised to keep infrastructure cost to a minimum level, while supplying IP telephony and reliable Internet services. In addition, the design is modular and scalable in order to allow multiplication of the deployment to additional areas without resorting to any changes, on the system level design and/or the frequency planning. Basic assumptions for rural deployment: Deployment in a typical rural area in low populated where 100-200 people live per sq. km (20-40 households), a penetration rate of 80%, and 25% of the subscribers (households) are active in the same time (4-8 households per sq. km). Suppose that the total area of coverage extends over 125 km by 125 km divided into four 62.5 km radius areas. Initial launch will start in one of the four areas. The Infrastructure should support an initial launch for 31 250 active households (in two phases). The Infrastructure should be scalable to support up to 125 000 households in the four regions. Data rate allocated for each household is 128 kbit/s. In Phase-1, 15 625 households in one area will be serviced by 31 Base Stations (providing full telecommunication services); each deployed in a cell of 6.3 km radius. Four channels in the 2.4-2.6 GHz band (each 8 MHz bandwidth) will be needed for the Downlink, and an additional 4 channels (8 MHz each) on the Uplink. In Phase-2, Additional Base Stations will be deployed in the same region to extend services to additional 15 625 households and to support full symmetric services, within certain parts of the coverage area; each one of them will cover a 3 km radius. The CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) supplied to subscribers will have to use out-door directional antenna; A minimum data rate between 128 kbit/s will be committed at peak hours; An average data rate between 160 to 425 kbit/s will be delivered at off-peak hours; Up to 18 Mbit/s burst peak rate will be achieved in some CPEs.

System Description The deployment is designed to start with one out of four areas, assume a gradual growth of subscribers community, starting with the initial launch of 15 625, followed by successive deployments of Base Stations, to cope with the increase of the number of subscribers (Households), where more than one user is expected in some percentage of households. The area is divided into four large regions with comparable area size. The area spans an area of 125 125 km, which when divided into four regions we get a region extending to a radius of 31.25 km.

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Figure 30 Typical deployment in rural and sub-urban areas

31.25km

125Km

6.3 km size Type 1 Cell

3 km size Type 2 Cell

System Deployment considerations Optimal design to achieve a full coverage of one of the areas and keep number of the Base Station to a minimum is based on cellular approach where the Base Stations are installed in cells of 6.3 km radius. Total number of Base Stations needed to achieve full coverage of one area serving 31 250 users is 62 BSs (assuming 25% active households in the same time). Each Base station is comprised of two parts from the spectrum partition and services provided point of view as described below: Part 1 The first deployment of Base Stations in one of the four areas will target 15 650 households. The aggregated data rate achievable on DL or UL is 64 Mbit/s, which is shared among 500 subscribers (households). Total number of subscribers with the deployment of 31 BSs can reach 15 625 households. Part 2 A second phase of BSs deployment will be followed to extend system capacity for the delivery of symmetric services to additional subscribers in the same region. The second tier of BSs will be based on same type of Base Station. Each BS is deployed in a denser network of cells, each 3 km radius. Deployment of additional BSs, within the larger cells of 6.3 km radius will also support delivery of 64 Mbit/s/Base Station. Assuming average simultaneous usage of 25%, a data rate of 128 kbit/s can be committed, subscribers with favourable link budget will be able to enjoy data rates 2.5 times faster, and by utilizing statistical multiplexing techniques the factor can grow to 20 times faster. Design Consideration Frequency band: BST transmit power: BST Tx, Rx Antenna gain: CPE Transmit power: CPE Tx, Rx Antenna gain: UL, DL propagation model: 2.4-2.6 GHz 37 dBm 16 dBi 23 dBm 18 dB near LOS

116 DL, UL aggregated data rate:

Cuestin 20-2/2 18 Mbit/s

No diversity is attempted on BS or CPE

Economical Aspect BWA system based on IEEE 802.16a has a potential for deployment in rural or underserved areas, for delivery of a wide range of telecommunication services. An initial investment of less than 350 USD/ household will be required for the supply of CPE`s and deploying infrastructure for the first 31 250 subscribers in one area (rural, suburban), the Return on Investment (ROI) is estimated to be less than 2 years. This calculation does not take into account expenses such as: spectrum license cost, and the cost of the equipment needed to supply the services such as routers, gateways, switches and intra-cell networking equipment.

III.5

Asia Pacific

III.5.1 Niue: Wi-Fi in Niue, South Pacific

The South Pacific island of Niue is about 100 square miles, has 1 750 residents, and its economy suffers from the typical Pacific island problems of geographic isolation, few resources, and a small population. Tourism is an import source of revenue and until recently, has declined severely. Additionally, the island in recent years has suffered a serious loss of population because of its economic downturn. In an effort to revive its tourism, economy, and population the tiny island of Niue has launched the worlds first nationwide WiFi Internet access service. After introducing free email service to Niue in 1997, The Internet Users Society of Niue launched free Internet access service for the island in 1999. The group was initially set up to fund the high cost of satellite-based Internet connections on the remote island. However, WiFi was chosen as a better fit for the island, where harsh weather conditions of rain, lightning, salt water, and high humidity causes major problems with satellite and underground copper lines. The Internet Users Society of Niue built a comprehensive network that includes solar-powered repeaters in coconut trees to give everyone on the island and its visitors open and free Internet access. Full Internet access from all parts of the island was an important aspect of the tourist revival scheme. A substantial portion of Niues tourism comes from visiting yacht traffic during the non-cyclone season. The vast wireless coverage created an even more attractive proposition for visitors. Yachts with onboard computer equipment are able to park in the harbour and access full Internet services from their vessels, free of charge. In addition, consultants and other visitors who carry laptops with WiFi capabilities are also able to connect. Through wireless broadband connectivity, Niue has become an extremely diverse communications technology home, and in turn, the island has been able to attract and generate more tourism and investment.

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ANNEX IV Definition of the Question

Question 20-2/2 Examination of access technologies for broadband communications This study should include an economic analysis of the factors affecting the deployment of various broadband access-technologies. The study should also include an examination of the benefits of using broadband technologies taking into account the gender perspective. 1 Statement of problem or situation

During the Study Period 1998-2002, Study Group 2 Question 12-1/2 analysed broadband communications over traditional copper wire, or digital subscriber line (DSLN), principally because of its ability to leverage existing investments made by telecommunication administrations. Given the rapid advancement of telecommunications technologies since 1998, other broadband access technologies, wired and wireless, have become available that provide similar or improved performance to DSL. Broadband technologies permit the deployment of applications, such as e-health, distance learning, e-government, tele-working, public safety, national security, Internet access, and intranet access. The ITU-D can play a role in assisting Member States and Sector Members in understanding the appropriateness of different technologies available for broadband access communications. The ITU-D can also assist Member States and Sector Members in analyzing the economic issues involved in deploying broadband access technologies, including the integration of these access network solutions with existing or future network infrastructure. 2 Question or issue proposed for study

Identify the technical, economic, and development factors influencing the effective deployment of broadband wired and wireless access technologies and applications, with a focus on technologies and/or standards recognized or under study by the other two ITU sectors 3 Expectet Output

Taking into account the expected results from ITU-T and ITU-R, there will be a set of best-practices guidelines for implementing wired and wireless broadband technologies in developing countries. The guidelines will need to take into consideration the economic and technical factors that are affecting broadband deployment, assess the requirements of developing countries for broadband implementation and focus more on the experiences of developing countries rather than developed countries as was the case from the last study period of Question 20-1/2. a) Analysis of the economic, technical, regulatory and development factors influencing the effective deployment of broadband access technologies. This will also include an assessment of the demand for these technologies and applications in developing countries. A matrix of different broadband access technologies, both wired and wireless, terrestrial high-altitude systems, including stratospheric-based and satellite. Yearly updating of the technology matrices will be necessary, including an update of the output report of the last study period by the year 2009. Timing

b)

The work of the revised Question will commence after WTDC-06 and continue until the next ITU-D study period. Proposers Developed and developing countries.

118 6 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Sources of Input

Cuestin 20-2/2

Collection of the requirements of developing Member States through a questionnaire. An assessment of developing countries' experience with broadband access technologies, using the same questionnaire referred to above. An update of ITU-T and ITU-R outputs relevant to broadband access technologies. Contributions of concerned industry on the development of broadband access technologies for both wired and wireless. Contributions on economic factors relevant to the deployment of wired and wireless broadband technologies, this might include information on tariffs, equipment costs, interconnection charges, licensing fees for wireless applications, etc. Target audience

Target audience Telecom policy-makers Telecom regulators Service providers Manufacturers

Developed countries No No No Yes

Developing countries Yes Yes Yes Yes

Least developed countries (LDCs) Yes Yes Yes Yes

a)

Target audience

Users of the output will be manufacturers, operators, regulatory agencies and service providers in developing countries and LDCs. b) Proposed methods for the implementation of the results

To be decided during the study period. 8 Proposed methods of handling the Question

Within Study Group 2. 9 9.1 9.2 9.3 Coordination ITU-T Study Groups 13, 15, 16 and 19. ITU-R Study Groups 4, 6, 8 and 9. Other relevant Questions in ITU-D study groups.

The ITU-D rapporteur group dealing with this Question should coordinate closely with:

In addition, the rapporteur group should take into consideration any relevant progress on agenda item 19 of the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) relating to global broadband satellite systems. 10 Other relevant information

As may become apparent within the life of this Question.

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ANNEX V Analysis of the replies to the questionnaire

Action required Participants are invited to send their comments to BDT Secretariat by January 2004 at the latest. After inclusion of the comments received, the analysis will be finalised and put on the Study Group Web site. Action demande Les participants sont invits envoyer leurs commentaires au Secrtariat du BDT au plus tard la fin du mois de janvier 2004. Aprs l'insertion des commentaires reus, l'analyse sera dfinitivement mise au point et affiche sur le site web de la Commission d'tudes. Accin requerida Se invita a los participantes a que enven sus comentarios a la Secretara de la BDT en enero de 2004 a ms tardar. Una vez incluidos los comentarios que se reciban se har el correspondiente anlisis, que se comunicar en el sitio web de la Comisin de Estudio. Abstract The contribution is the draft analysis of the replies to the Questionnaire sent on broadband communications. It has been prepared by a BDT external expert121.

CONTENTS OF ANNEX V List of Figures Introduction Methodology Technology Competition Access Service pricing and usage Barriers to Broadband Access Deployment Quality of Service Miscellaneous List of Tables Table 1 Respondent Countries Table 2 Other technologies employed by respondent countries to deliver broadband services Table 3 Respondent countries with competition in local loop Table 4 Respondent countries without competition in the local loop Table 5 Gender barriers to adoption of broadband Table 6 Average prices for both dial up and broadband services on an ITU regional basis Table 7 Common Usage pricing models Table 8 Countries without loans or financial assistance for the deployment of broadband services

____________________
121

Mr. Phillip Trotter, tel: +33450201703, e-mail: PhillipTrotter@handprint.ch

120 List of Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5

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Wireline Technologies utilized to provide broadband services Wireless technologies utilized to provide broadband services No. Operators offering high speed internet services Percentage of Operators offering DSL connections Percentage of operators offering cable connections

Figure 6a Percentage of operators offering wireless connections Figure 6b Percentage of operators offering other broadband connection technologies. Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Percentage of households with access to DSL, Cable and Wireless Percentage of businesses with access to broadband technologies Percentage of businesses with access to DSL, Cable or Wireless technologies

Figure 10 Percentage of rural telephone subscribers with access to broadband technologies Figure 11 Major barriers to broadband access deployment Figure 12 Major cost issues limiting the spread of broadband Figure 13 Scale of difficulty for financing broadband services Figure 14 Average speed of downstream data for DSL Figure 15 Average speed of downstream data for Cable Figure 16 Average speed of downstream data for wireless based services Figure 17 Fastest growing broadband technologies Figure 18 Application categories that broadband is used for. Introduction In March, 2003, a questionnaire was distributed by ITU-D circular letter CA/25 following the Rapporteurs Group meeting for Question 20/2: Examination of access technologies for broadband communications questionnaire on march 3rd 2003 (see appendix of Annex 2). The questionnaire requested Member States, Sector Members, relevant organizations and industry to identify relevant wireless and wireline broadband access technologies and their attributes. The questionnaire also aimed to identify economic, technical and development factors influencing the effective deployment and accessibility of broadband access technologies and applications. This report represents the summarized results of the responses received by the ITU by June 2003. By mid June 2003 fifty-five responses were received from forty-nine countries from the five ITU regions. Table 1, below gives a list of countries and indicates using parenthesis which countries responded with more than once.

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Table 1 Respondent Countries Africa

Chad Cte d'Ivoire (2) Ethiopia Malawi Mauritius Nigeria South Africa Uganda

Americas
Barbados Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Costa Rica Dominican Rep. Ecuador Guyana Honduras Mexico

Asia-Pacific
Israel (2) Japan (2) Korea (Rep.) Maldives Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines (3) Sri Lanka Thailand Tonga China India

Arab States
Egypt

Europe
Armenia Belgium Bosnia Bulgaria Denmark Estonia Hungary Lithuania Malta Norway Poland Portugal Spain Switzerland (2)

United Arab Emirates Belarus

Methodology In terms of workflow, MySql Server was used as a data repository for questionnaire responses and ToolMagics MySQL Tools along with Microsoft Access were used to extract and summarise data with Microsoft Excel being used for graph generation and numeric analysis and the final report written in Microsoft Word. This report follows the overall structure of the questionnaire and summarises the findings as reported by questionnaire respondents. For the purpose of this report where more than one response for a member state was received, the data was merged during data analysis for the given territory where appropriate or in the case of conflicting information, data supplied with verifiable cited data sources, was selected. As a result, for the purpose of this report, the term respondent is used to indicate the information provided by a responding territory, rather than the individual responding organization. Where provided data seemingly in response to ambiguity or misinterpretation of a given question is noted in the report text in order to facilitate discussion during the relevant Study Group meeting. Technology The technology section of the questionnaire aimed to discover which broadband technologies are in use to deliver broadband-based services. As can be clearly seen from Figure 1 below, the current dominant technology for delivering broadband services over wire line networks is DSL, closely followed by more traditional E1/T1 (E1 interface provides a 2 048 kbit/s access rate, T1 interface provides a 1 544 kbit/s access rate, see also ITU-T Recommendations G.703 and G.704 Interface for WAN analysis), fibre and cable connections.

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Figure 1 Wireline Technologies utilized to provide broadband services

No. Respondents territories 0 DSL Cable Tech. Categories E1 / T1 Fiber Power Line Other 10 20 30 40 50

Wireless technologies are widely used to deliver broadband services in developing countries with satellite, fixed wireless and wireless local area networks are used to overcome barriers where wireline solutions are inappropriate, as indicated in Figure 2 below:

Figure 2 Wireless technologies utilized to provide broadband services

0 Satellite IMT-2000 Wireless local area network Fixed wireless access Other

No. Respondent Territories 10 20 30

40

Tech. Categories

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123

A number of countries employed technology solutions other than DSL, Cable, E1/T1, fibre and power line for wireline based solutions to deliver broadband services. Other technologies used in delivering wireline solutions included ISDN, ATM. For alternates to the main wireless technologies of satellite, IMT-2000 or wireless LAN some respondents were using developments such as laser free space optics used in both South Africa and Canada, general packet radio service (GPRS) in Estonia and spread spectrum solutions in Ecuador. Table 2, provides a summary of the other technologies reported by questionnaire respondents: Table 2 Other technologies employed by respondent countries to deliver broadband service Country
Armenia Belarus Bolivia Brazil Canada Ecuador Estonia Ethiopia Korea (Rep.) South Africa Sri Lanka 802.11b Radio Ethernet GPRS, IMT-MC-450 MMDS (Multipoint multi-channel distribution systems), LMDS (local multipoint distribution systems) Multipoint multi-channel distribution systems (MMDS) are currently used and local multipoint distribution systems are in network roll out focused on the delivery of broadband services. Optional Free Space (Laser), used by companies in some urban centres. Spread Spectrum (A communication technique that spreads a signal bandwidth over a wide range of frequencies for transmission and then de-spreads it to the original data bandwidth at the receiver.) GPRS Fibre based access in Addis Ababa and major Cities CDMA 1X (according to our, Korean, definition, it belongs to 2.5G and not to 3G IMT-2000) Free Space Optics (Laser) Point to point Microware

WIRELESS_OTHER_DESC

Competition The competition section of the questionnaire aimed to assess the degree of competition for Internet services, in local loop provision, among different broadband technologies and how many operators offer high speed internet, DSL, cable, wireless, etc. Of the respondent countries only four countries did not permit competition in Internet services, namely: Ethiopia, Costa Rica, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates. As shown in Table 3, twenty-eight of the respondent countries have competition in the local loop.

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Table 3 Respondent countries with competition in local loop

Chad Nigeria South Africa Uganda Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Dominican Rep. Ecuador Guyana Mexico China India Japan Korea (Rep.) Myanmar Sri Lanka Thailand Tonga Belgium Bulgaria Denmark Malta Norway Portugal Spain Switzerland

While as shown in Table 4, the following twenty one countries do not: Table 4 Respondent countries without competition in the local loop
Cte d'Ivoire Ethiopia Malawi Mauritius Barbados Costa Rica Honduras Israel Maldives Nepal Pakistan Philippines Egypt United Arab Emirates Armenia Belarus Bosnia Estonia Hungary Lithuania Poland

Thirty-nine of the respondent territories have competition between different broadband technologies with only the following ten respondent countries having no competition:

Ethiopia Malawi Barbados Costa Rica India

Maldives Nepal Philippines United Emirates Bosnia

Arab

No. Operators
300 290 280 270 260 250 240 230 220 210 200 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
1 4 1 5 2 1 0 3 2 6 24 28 1 5 8 3 8 42 6 1 0 300 87 1 1 4 1 0

Chad Cte d'Ivoire Ethiopia Malawi Mauritius Nigeria South Africa Uganda Barbados Brazil Chile Costa Rica Dominican Rep. Ecuador Guyana Honduras Mexico China Israel Japan Korea (Rep.) Maldives Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka

Figure 3 No. Operators offering high speed internet services

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The following (Figure. 3) graph shows the number of operators offering high speed Internet:

Egypt United Arab Emirates Armenia Belarus Belgium Bosnia Bulgaria Denmark Estonia

Respondent countries
3 4 1 5 1 0 22 1 2 2

31 25 35 23

Hungary Lithuania Malta Norway Portugal Spain Switzerland

26 1 6 20 40

125

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The following set of graphs shows the percentage of operators offering DSL, cable modem and wireless broadband-based services.

Figure 4 Percentage of Operators offering DSL connections122

0
Ethiopia Mauritius Nigeria South Africa Barbados Brazil Chile Dominican Rep. Ecuador Guyana Mexico China India Israel Japan Korea (Rep.) Myanmar Pakistan Sri Lanka

20

% of operators 40 60

80

100
100 100

25 33.3 33 0.83 89.3 40 37.5 33 7 50 5 100 49.5 21.8 5 40 30 100 100 20 55 10 29 24 29 95 50 63 60 50

Respondent countries
122

Egypt United Arab Emirates Belarus Belgium Bosnia Bulgaria Denmark Estonia Hungary Malta Portugal Spain Switzerland

____________________
In the case of Ethiopia there is only one ISP ETC. there is no competition in the provision of Internet services and since ETC offers DSL and HDSL, the resultant percentage of operators offering DSL is 100%. It should be noted that this figure does not imply coverage or 100% of access to DSL based services.

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127

Figure 5 Percentage of operators offering cable connections

0
Cte d'Ivoire Nigeria Bolivia Brazil Chile Dominican Rep. Honduras Mexico

20
20 10 0.12 10.7

% of operators 40 60

80

100
100

40 40 50 8 100 25.6 24.1 20 2 100 100 45 38.7 16 11 9 50 31 30 50

Respondent countries

India Israel Japan Korea (Rep.) Pakistan Tonga United Arab Emirates Belarus Belgium Bulgaria Denmark Estonia Hungary Malta Portugal Spain Switzerland

NOTE Brazils response of 0.12% does not show on the scale used for this document.

On analysis of the responses received it became apparent that there might have been some confusion on in the responses for the number of operators offering cable-based services. A number of respondents reported that cable technologies were not used in their countries to deliver broadband services but did indicate that a percentage of operators offered cable based services. As a result of this seeming contradiction those companies that indicated that cable technologies were not used, have not been included in the above (Figure 5) graph.123

____________________
123

This is the case for Ethiopia and Egypt. In the case Cote dIvoire it is not apparent if all operators offer cable services; Africa Online offer cable services to businesses while AfNet offer fixed line services the figure for Cote dIvoire awaits further confirmation.

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Figure 6a Percentage of operators offering wireless connections

0
Cte d'Ivoire Ethiopia Malawi Nigeria South Africa Barbados Bolivia Brazil Chile Dominican Rep. Ecuador Guyana Honduras Mexico China India Japan Korea (Rep.) Myanmar Pakistan Sri Lanka United Arab Emirates Belarus Bulgaria Denmark Estonia Hungary Portugal Spain

20

% of operators 40 60

80

100
100 100

50 55 33.3 66 5 0.27 3.6 20 75 66 60 2.4 66.7 2 2.7 2.3 80 20 60 100 21 32.3 16 11 10 31 5

The percentage of operators offering other broadband access technologies such satellite, GPSR and optic fibre based networks, is shown in the following graph.124

____________________
124

In the case of Ethiopia there is only one ISP ETC. there is no competition in the provision of Internet services and since ETC offers DSL and HDSL, the resultant percentage of operators offering DSL is 100%. It should be noted that this figure does not imply coverage or 100% of access to DSL based services.

Respondent countries

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Figure 6b Percentage of operators offering other broadband connection technologies

0
Ethiopia Mauritius Barbados Bolivia Brazil Chile Ecuador Mexico India Japan Japan Korea (Rep.) Myanmar Nepal Pakistan United Arab Bosnia Denmark Estonia Hungary Spain Switzerland

20

% of operators 40 60

80

100
100 100

17 5 0.09 50 25 40 5 22.2 3.3 72.3 15 90 10 100 0 76 49 30 5 1

Access The Access section of the questionnaire sought data on the percentage of access to broadband technologies by households and businesses and rural telephone subscribers and whether or not gender barriers existed to accessing services delivered with these technologies. The situation in regard to accessing broadband technologies was well illustrated by respondents when considering the overall percentage of households that have general access. The following graph shows highlights the differences in access that exists between countries.

Respondent countries

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% of households having access to broadband technologies in general terms

% of households

0
Cte d'Ivoire Ethiopia Malawi Mauritius Nigeria South Africa Uganda Barbados Brazil Canada Chile Costa Rica Ecuador Guyana Honduras Israel Japan Korea (Rep.) Maldives Myanmar Philippines Sri Lanka Tonga Egypt 0.18 0 0 2 5

20

40

60

80

100

100 0.8 50 0.02 80 10.2 1 0.8 0.1 1 7 31.9 64.6 0.16 0.1 1 0.5 1 0 95 60 98 0 0.0657 95 35 2 7 90 95

Respondent countries

United Arab Emirates Belarus Belgium Bosnia Bulgaria Denmark Estonia Hungary Lithuania Spain Switzerland

However, the graph itself maybe misleading since the original question was possibly misinterpreted by some respondents. The question was interpreted by some respondents as meaning the percentage of households having general access to broadband i.e. via home, public access point (school, post office etc) or commercial point ( cyber-caf or telecentres) leading to figures such as 100% for South Africa or 95% for Switzerland. Other respondents interpreted the question as the number of individual households that have access (i.e. in the home) to broadband technologies. This was echoed in the figure of 10% for Switzerland supplied by the respondent from OFCOM. For the purpose of this document, the wider interpretation of the question was used (and hence in the case of Switzerland, the data supplied by SwissCom was used rather than that supplied by OFCOM), with this caveat attached that original question may have been misinterpreted by respondents and the data may not best represent the access situation in some countries.

DSL
% Households
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Cte d'Ivoire Mauritius Nigeria Uganda Barbados Brazil Canada Chile Costa Rica Ecuador Guyana Honduras

CABLE
Israel Japan Korea (Rep.) Myanmar Philippines Sri Lanka Tonga

Figure 7 Percentage of households with access to DSL, Cable and Wireless

Belarus Belgium Bulgaria Denmark Estonia Hungary Lithuania Malta Norway Spain Switzerland

WIRELESS
% households
United Arab

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The situation shown in the previous graph depicting the percentage of households with access to DSL, cable or wireless technologies reinforces the access situation to broadband-based services. Many of the countries shown have only a fraction of 1 per cent of the households in the country with access to one or another of the three main broadband technologies. Some other countries primarily developed ones, are well served with access via DSL, cable or wireless or in some cases where local technology competition exists, the option to select between which technology best meets current need. Business applications are one of the main drivers of adoption of broadband services. The following graph (Figure 8) indicates the percentage of businesses in respondent countries that have access to some form of broadband technology.

Figure 8 Percentage of businesses with access to broadband technologies

% of businesses
0 Cte d'Ivoire Ethiopia Malawi Nigeria Uganda Barbados Canada Chile Costa Rica Ecuador Guyana Honduras Japan Maldives Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines Sri Lanka Tonga 0 0.8 50 5 80 90 21.5 40 6 18.33 15 29.5 0.96 5 5 3 9.8 25 2 100 80 98 1 0.093 80 70 95 95 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 75 90 100

Respondent Countries

United Arab Emirates Belarus Belgium Bosnia Bulgaria Estonia Lithuania Spain Switzerland

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Business access to individual broadband technologies, illustrated by the following graph, echoes this structure and illustrates the larger role of wireless access for businesses in comparison with the household based access. Meanwhile the rural telephone subscribers access to broadband-based services graph, illustrates the differential in access problems facing developing and developed countries. As the graph clearly shows, in countries such as Chile, Ecuador, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Tonga only a minute fraction of the rural population has access to broadband technologies. A number of countries including Cte dIvoire, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Honduras, Bosnia and Hungary stated that no rural telephone subscribers had access to broadband technologies.

Figure 9 Percentage of businesses with access to DSL, Cable or Wireless technologies

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Cte d'Ivoire Malawi Nigeria Uganda Barbados Canada Chile Costa Rica Ecuador Guyana Honduras

India Korea (Rep.) Myanmar Pakistan Philippines Philippines Sri Lanka Tonga

United Arab Emirates

DSL CABLE WIRELESS

Respondent countries

Belarus Belgium Bosnia Bulgaria Denmark Estonia Hungary Malta Spain Switzerland

% Businesses

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Figure 10 Percentage of rural telephone subscribers with access to broadband technologies

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

92

% of subscribers

70

50 40 30

1.8

0.4

0.8

1.7

0.1

Canada

Tonga

Chile

Estonia

Barbados

Philippines

Myanmar

Sri Lanka

Lithuania

Ecuador

Belarus

Spain

Respondent countries

Only six countries reported that there were gender barriers to broadband access, though the barriers they describe (given in Table 5 below) are also general barriers to the adoption of broad band.

Table 5 Gender barriers to adoption of broadband

Are there gender barriers to broadband access? YES YES

Country Chad Guyana

Description of barrier Lack of awareness and the cost of computer training The issue of affordability arises. Due to Guyanas economic situation, residential customers in particular would have no choice but to utilize their resources on immediate essentials rather than access to luxuries such as broadband Economical. The economic condition leads to market being price sensitive hence, DSL affordability becoming a barrier to broadband access. In the provincial areas market is very price sensitive Infrastructure facilities Economical

Philippines

YES

Sri Lanka Thailand Bosnia

YES YES YES

Switzerland

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Service pricing and usage The service and pricing section of the questionnaire sought to establish average price for Internet dial up, average monthly price for broadband service (including Internet access) and whether or not operators offer unlimited usage plans as well as the most common usage/pricing plan for broadband services. Table 6 below, indicates the average prices for both dial up and broadband services on an ITU regional basis. As can be seen despite the variance in size and nature of the economies of those countries which respondent to the question there is a general convergence on the average price for Internet dial up accounts across ITU regions, however broadband prices show a marked variation between regions especially in terms of large bandwidth capacity based services.

Table 6 Average prices for both dial up and broadband services on an ITU regional basis
Average Price for Internet Dial Up access (USD per minute) 0.03 0.02 0.38 0.005 0.02 Average Price for Internet Dial Up access (USD per month) 24.08 19.69 13.50 NA Broadband average price (USD) per month Between 1 011.17 177.36 130.46 64.52 227.21 In Excess and depending on the bit rate 19 731.96 496.28 299.51 189.76 364.78

Region

Africa Americas Asia-Pacific Arab States** Europe

**

It should be noted that only two countries for the Arab States region, Eqypt and the United Arab Emirates provided pricing data and no data was provided for monthly dial up costs.

Intra-regional variations in pricing models are also common. In the case of Europe the high estimated average monthly costs of broadband access in Armenia (1 000)*125 and Belarus (1 200) raised the average broadband price dramatically, without their inclusion the average service price in Europe for broadband services was just USD 146.98. This figure is in stark contrast to Africas average pricing of USD 1011.17 that is also driven to a higher overall average rate as a result of Ethiopias higher than average broadband access cost of USD 3 780 per month. Given that only two Arab State countries answered the question, the figures are possibly misleading for the region as a whole and should certainly not be taken as illustrative of the broadband situation in the Arab States overall. Further while dial up access is standardized means of Internet access broadband access includes a variety of technologies ranging from ISDN through to ADSL and dedicated fibre, with ISDN and ADSL or cable typically forming the lower average cost of broadband access and dedicated fibre the basis for high end service pricing. Unlimited usage plans offered by operators did not show a marked regional bias but rather were governed by the domestic situation facing individual operators. Of the 49 countries that responded to the question, only nine countries did not offer some form of unlimited usage plan, these are: Chad, Ethiopia, Costa Rica, Dominican Rep., Israel, Maldives, Philippines, Egypt, Bosnia. Table 7 below describes the most common usage-pricing plans for broadband on an ITU regional basis: ____________________
125

Armenias figure for excess cost of USD 20 000 was left from the table and is due for verification. If the figure was included then excess costs for Europe would be USD 2 419.80 per month.

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Table 7 Common Usage pricing models

Rgion Africa Common Usage pricing plan Common usage-pricing plans reported by the African respondents included: 1. Time, bandwidth and distance consideration 2. Flat rate, monthly rental, for given bandwidth 3. Per data unit (price per gigabit of transfer capacity). In the Americas region most models were based on the concept of unlimited access at a fixed rate such as 64 or 128 kbit/s for a fixed monthly fee. Where available ASDL is also offered on this model for a fixed monthly fee. In some countries a fixed monthly price plan is established with bandwidth usage limited to a set transfer threshold, for instance data transfer up to 10/15 Gigabytes, if data transfer exceeds this agreed limit then excess charges are then applied. In the case of Egypt, a fixed fee per minute is charged for access. In the case of the United Arab Emirates a fixed fee per month was charged and differed if the charge was for residential or business connection Pricing plans varied including: Fixed dial up access costs based price per minute but packaged and presented as a combination of paid hours and with X number of additional bonus free hours. Other models include monthly fixed fees linked with specified data transfer limits (e.g. 1 GB per month). If the data transfer rate is exceeded than an excess charge is applied. Another model (where available) employs a monthly fixed fee for unlimited access e.g. ADSL based access. Where this model was operational but customer bandwidth requirements exceeded those offered via ADSL, the speed and nature of service requirement (e.g. E1/T1) would dictate the price of the agreement. In Europe the most common usage plan is unlimited usage time with a flat fixed monthly payment This is used widely for DSL based connections. Following this are models for a monthly price plan with limited usage to a set threshold, for instance data transfer up to 10/15 Gigabytes with excess charges then being applied of traffic exceeding this threshold.

Americas

Arab States

Asia

Europe

Barriers to Broadband Access Deployment This section of the questionnaire sought to identify what are the major barriers to the deployment of broadband services, as well as thee the major cost issues limiting the spread of broadband, the financial (if any) assistance and the difficulties in raising finances for broadband build out facing operators. Figure 11, below, shows the major barrier to widely deploying broadband services, is the deployment cost of technologies.

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Figure 11 Major barriers to broadband access deployment

No. Respondent countries 0 Regulatory issues Subscriber loop length Deployment cost barrier Low Demand Lack of cost effective equipment Technical issues such as network loading Other 10 20 30 40

In addition to deployment costs, lack of demand for broadband services seemingly undermines any business case for investigating means to reduce deployments costs and overcome problems such as the subscriber loop length which is a technical hurdle for the introduction of technologies such as DSL. Of the issues limiting the spread of broadband identified by respondents, the most common was that the monthly associated fee was too high as indicated in Figure 12.

Figure 12 Major cost issues limiting the spread of broadband

0 Lack of personal computers Not enough demand to justify infrastructure costs

Categories

No. Respondent Territories 10 15 20 25 30

35

Monthly fee is too high Installation fee is too high Cost to reach the backbone prohibitive Other

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High monthly fees, high installation costs and lack of access to personal computers when combined can result in insufficient demand to justify infrastructure costs and make the business case for deploying broadband services more difficult. Other reasons identified include relatively low levels of education and computer literacy and the respondent from Malta identified the cost of acquiring content in local languages. Some thirty one countries did not have any form of loans or other financial assistance available to enable operators to provide broad band to the last mile and these are listed in Table 8:

Table 8 Countries without loans or financial assistance for the deployment of broadband services
Africa Chad Cte dIvoire Ethiopia Malawi Mauritius South Africa Americas Barbados Brazil Chile Costa Rica Ecuador Guyana Honduras Arab States China Israel Korea (Rep.) Maldives Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka Asia Europe Armenia Belarus Belgium Bulgaria Estonia Lithuania Norway Poland Spain Switzerland

While 12 countries offered loans and other forms of financial assistance to encourage the expansion of broadband services including: Nigeria, Uganda, Canada, Dominican Rep., Mexico, India, Japan, Tonga, Egypt, Bosnia, Denmark, Hungary; how these loans are facilitated differs widely from country to country. Canada and Mexico, Japan and Egypt all offer government based loans for broadband development schemes. In Uganda offers only private loans are available to operators, where as in Nigeria loans for operators are available as a result of UNDP and WorldBank programmes in addition to private lenders. In Denmark incentives take the form of tax exemptions for data communication related developments and in Hungary corporate tax reductions and direct state subsidies are available for developing broadband-based services. Some developing countries also qualify for international aid such as loans and grants from USAID. The difficulties facing operators in raising financing for broadband build-out is illustrated in the following graph where questionnaire respondents rated the difficulties in raising finance on a scale of one to five with five being the most difficult. Unsurprisingly those countries with large rural areas, and dispersed rural populations are among those that face the greatest difficulties in raising finances for broadband build-out.

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Figure 13 Scale of difficulty for financing broadband services

Scale of difficulty for receiving financing for broadband build-out ( 5 being most difficult) 0 1 2 3 4
Cte Malawi Nigeria Barbados Brazil Canada Costa Rica Guyana Honduras Mexico China India Japan Korea Myanmar Pakistan Tonga Egypt Armenia Belarus Belgium Bosnia Bulgaria Estonia Hungary Malta Spain Switzerl

Quality of Service In the questionnaire the quality of service section sought to establish the average speeds of downstream data for DSL, cable, wireless and other technologies employed to deliver broadband services. In most cases responses gave a range of speeds e.g. DSL may vary from 384 kbit/s downstream for residential and 512 for business. In some cases the reasons for the different capacities stated were not provided or were not clear given the mixed usage-pricing models that are used in differing countries. As a result the lowest average speed indicated was used for the graphs and purposes of comparisons. This means that in the case of some countries such as Japan the average downstream speed is shown as 2 Mbit/s rather than the 10 to 1 000 Mbit/s that is available over specialist fibre networks available to businesses. For the purposes of the graphs, the respondent countries are alphabetically grouped in terms of their ITU regional groupings of Africa, Americas, Arab States, Asia-Pacific and Europe. In addition to DSL, cable and wireless a number of other technologies are used to deliver downstream broadband services. In Ethiopia the school-net, health-net, gov-net services and a DDN service that supports dedicated, and frame relay service connection for Internet access and enterprise wide LAN, etc offers speed up to 45 Mbit/s. In Barbados fixed wireless connections are used to deliver speeds of 128 kbit/s and a number of countries use satellite-based services in Canada these offer access speeds of 500 kbit/s, while in

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Myanmar broadband satellite (IPSTAR) offers connection speeds up to 1 218 kbit/s. In Estonia general packet radio services (GPRS) are used to deliver connection speeds of the 30 kbit/s. Finally fibre is used in a Japan (up to 100 Mbit/s for FFTH), 10 Mbit/s in Norway and 2 Mbit/s in Egypt. The following graphs illustrate the average downstream data for DSL, Cable and wireless based broadband services at an average distance of two to four kilometers.

Kbit/s
4352 4096 3840 3584 3328 3072 2816 2560 2304 2048 1792 1536 1280 1024 768 512 256 0 512 Ethiopia Malawi 512 Mauritius Nigeria 512 South Africa 64 50 256 1024 200 2048 512 64 90 256 512 1536 76 Israel Japan Korea (Rep.) 256 Maldives Myanmar 64 Pakistan Philippines Sri Lanka Egypt United Arab Emirates 20 Armenia Belarus Belgium 256 Bosnia Bulgaria Estonia Hungary Lithuania Norway Spain Switzerland 256 23.4 554 512 256 1024 2048 Uganda Barbados Brazil Canada Chile Costa Rica Dominican Rep. Ecuador Guyana Mexico China India 2048 2048

Figure 14 Average speed of downstream data for DSL Cuestin 20-2/2

Countries

384 256 256 384 128 64 700 3072

141

142 Figure 15 Average speed of downstream data for Cable

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4352 4096 3840 3584 3328 3072 2816 2560 2304 2048 1792 1536 1280 1024 768 512 256 0

3847 3072

Kbit/s

2048

1024 512 64 Ethiopia Chad 64 64 Nigeria Uganda 128 Brazil Canada 128 Chile Costa Rica 528 256 128 124 128 India Japan Israel Ecuador Mexico Korea (Rep.) Guyana 512 750 384 64 Pakistan Sri Lanka 128 Belgium Egypt United Arab Emirates 202 64 Hungary Estonia 512 128 Malta Lithuania Norway 512 700 256 11.9 Spain Switzerland

Dominican Rep.

Countries

Bulgaria

Cuestin 20-2/2 Figure 16 Average speed of downstream data for wireless based services

143

4352 4096 3840 3584 3328 3072 2816 2560 2304 2048 1792 1536 1280 1024 768 512 256 0

3704

Kbit/s

2048

2048

2048

2048

1024 512 64 Ethiopia Nigeria Malawi 64 Uganda 128 128 Brazil Canada Barbados 256 128 Costa Rica 218 128 64 Ecuador Guyana 256 20 Mexico India China Japan Korea (Rep.) Myanmar 512 256 128 64 Pakistan Nepal United Arab Emirates Egypt 384 20

1024 614 512 384

1024

Chile

Belarus

Hungary

Bulgaria

Armenia

Norway

Estonia

Dominican Rep.

Countries

Switzerland

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Miscellaneous The miscellaneous section of the questionnaire sought information on public access points to broadband services, fastest growing broadband technologies and those applications areas that broadband services are being used for. Seventeen respondent countries offered free access to broadband services through public centres such schools, libraries, hospitals, government office buildings and telecentres etc. These countries are: Cte dIvoire Canada Chile Dominican Rep. Israel Japan Korea (Rep.) Myanmar Belgium Denmark Hungary Lithuania Malta Norway Poland Spain Switzerland

A further seven countries offered access to broadband services through public centres via a special pricing agreement, these were: Nigeria Uganda China Maldives Thailand Tonga Belarus

Finally Guyana, Sri Lanka, Armenia and Estonia offered access to broadband services through public centres but at standard market prices. The fastest growing broadband technology identified by respondents (as shown in the following graph) was wireless. A number of countries such as Belarus, Estonia, Ethiopia and the Philippines selected more than technology and reflects their current marketplace, in that no one technology has reached a dominant market position or serves diverse needs.

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Figure 17 Fastest growing broadband technologies

No. Respondent Countries 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Technologies

Wireless

DSL

Cable modem

Other

Broadband-based services are used in a number of application areas, with the main drivers being business (for accessing email, corporate intranets etc) and personal information access (web browsing, downloading music and multimedia etc). When examining the regional basis for these applications the proportions are roughly the same business use is the primary driver in both developed and developing countries, while personal use is also a major driver for broadband services in both developed and developing countries. The respondent countries that were exceptions to this were Malawi, Guyana, Honduras, Nepal, Thailand, Armenia, Bosnia where business applications were the sole main application driver.

Figure 18 Application categories that broadband is used for

No. respondent countries
0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Business (email, accessing corporate Intranet)

Personal (w ebsurfing, email, dow nloading music, multimedia)

App. categories

E-health

Education / Research

Public safety

E-commerce

Other

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In Nigeria, Canada, and Demark E- government services were identified as other application areas for broadband services; Whilst Japan and Korea both mentioned IP telephony applications being used and Korea also identified both games and video on demand as the basis for entertainment applications.

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ANNEX VI Broadband Questionnaire

DEADLINE FOR THE REPLIES: 30 May 2003 Given Name Family Name Your Title Organization / Main activity Telephone/Fax (with area code) Country City Business Address E-Mail

Any queries or requests for further information regarding this questionnaire should be addressed to: Ms. Molly Gavin or Qualcomm Inc. 577 Morehouse Drive San Diego, CA 92121 USA Tel.: +1 858 6516462 Fax: +1 858 6512880 E-mail: mgavin@qualcomm.com Dsir Karyabwite Telecommunication Development Bureau International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Place des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland E-mail: desire.karyabwite@itu.int Tel.: +41 22 730 5009 Fax: +41 22 730 5484 Mob.: +41 79 239 2739 www.itu.int/ITU-D/e-strategy/internet/iptelephony/

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INTRODUCTION
Purpose 1) 2) To assess the current status of broadband access technologies. To analyse broadband access technologies including the following dimensions: demographics, gender, geographic, technical and economic factors; market structures for delivery of broadband access service.

Output expected from the replies The central output will consist of conclusions drawn from the data collected to include in the final report to assist ITU-D Members with the development of broadband access technologies. This research will generate information on the technical, economic and development factors having an impact on the deployment of broadband access technologies in developing countries. At the end of the study period, a final and complete report will be created on Broadband Access Technologies. The present questionnaire is designed to provide extensive, consistent background data for the overall study, to be complemented, as necessary, in the yearly work plans. Technology What wireline technologies are utilized to provide broadband services: ____ DSL ____ Cable ____ E1/T1 ____ Fibre ____ Power Line ____ Other (please describe) What wireless technologies are utilized to provide broadband services? ____ Satellite ____ IMT-2000 ____ Wireless local area network ____ Fixed wireless access ____ Other (please describe) Competition Is competition permitted in Internet services? (YES/ NO) Is there competition in the local loop? (YES/ NO) Is there competition among differing broadband technologies? (ex. DSL, cable, broadband wireless) (YES / NO) How many operators offer high-speed Internet service? ___________ Percentage of operators offering DSL broadband service ___________ Percentage of operators offering cable modem broadband service ___________ Percentage of operators offering wireless broadband service ___________ Percentage of operators offering other broadband service ___________

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Approximately what percentage of households have access to broadband access technologies in general? ___________ Percentage of households with access to DSL broadband service ___________ Percentage of households with access to cable modem broadband service ___________ Percentage of households with access to wireless broadband services ___________ Approximately what percentage of businesses have access to broadband access technologies in general? ___________ Percentage of businesses with access to DSL broadband service___________ Percentage of businesses with access to cable modem broadband service___________ Percentage of businesses with access to wireless broadband services ___________ What percentage of rural telephone subscribers have access to broadband technologies? ___________ Are there any gender barriers to broadband access (i.e. political, economic, social, etc.)? (YES/NO) If so, please describe. Pricing and Usage What is the average price126 for Internet dial up access (please specify per time unit or data unit)? _____________________________ What is the average monthly price for broadband service (including Internet access)? between 64-500 kbit/s _____________________________ in excess of 500 kbit/s _____________________________ Do operators offer unlimited usage plans? (YES/NO)? Describe the most common usage/pricing plan for broadband. (Please specify per time unit or data unit) Barriers to Broadband Access Deployment What are the major barriers to the deployment of broadband service? (mark all that apply) ____Regulatory issues ____Subscriber loop length ____Deployment cost ____Low demand ____Lack of cost-effective equipment ____Technical issues such as network loading ____Other (please describe) What are the major cost issues limiting the spread of broadband? (mark all that apply) ____Lack of personal computers ____Not enough demand to justify infrastructure costs ____Monthly fee is too high ____Installation fee is too high ____________________
126 Preferably in US.

150 ____Cost to reach the backbone prohibitive ____Other (please describe)

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Are there affordable loans/other financial assistance for operators to provide broadband to last-mile customers? (YES/NO) If yes, please describe (government, private, other organizations). How difficult (scale of 1-5; 5 being the most difficult) is it to receive financing for broadband buildout? Quality of Service What are the average speeds of downstream data for DSL? _________________________ What are the average speeds of downstream data for cable broadband? ________________ What are the average speeds of downstream data for wireless broadband service? ________ What are the average speeds of downstream data for other broadband services? (Please describe which service)? ________________________________ Miscellaneous 1) Do public centres (schools, libraries, hospitals, government office building complexes, telecentres, etc) offer broadband service? (YES/NO) If yes, are the services generally free of charge? (YES/NO) If services are not free, is there a special price? (YES/NO) 2) Which broadband technology is growing the most quickly? (wireless, DSL, cable modem or other) For which applications is broadband service used? (mark all that apply) _____ Business (email, accessing corporate Intranet) _____ Personal (websurfing, email, downloading music, multimedia) _____ e-health _____ Education/research _____ Public safety _____ e-commerce _____ Other (please describe)

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ANNEX VII Other ITU Sector Relevant Study Groups, Questions and Recommendations
Listing of appropriate Questions and relevant Recommendations to be studied in other ITU sectors. In ITU-T Study Group 9, which deals with integrated broadband cable networks and television and sound transmission. The following Questions and their relevant recommendations are to be followed: Question 6/9 Conditional access methods and practices for digital cable distribution to the home Question 12/9 Cable Television delivery of advanced multimedia digital services and applications that use Internet Protocols (IP) and/or packet-based data Question 13/9 Voice and Video IP Applications over cable television networks In ITU-T Study Group 15 which covers optical and other transport networks, the following Questions and relevant associated Recommendations will be covered: Question 1/15 Access network transport This question maintains a comprehensive standards overview that is updated on a regular basis and can be found at the following website address: www.itu.int/ITU-T/studygroups/com15/lead.html Question 2/15 Optical systems for access networks In ITU-T Study Group 16, which is the lead group on multimedia services, systems and terminals, the following Questions and relevant associated Recommendations will be covered: Question C/16 Multimedia applications and services Question 2/16 Multimedia over packet networks using H.323 Systems In ITU-R Study Groups 4, 5 and 6, relevant questions and associated recommendations will be followed. Additional information on ITU-R terrestrial fixed and mobile wireless access information can be found at the following website: www.itu.int/ITU-R/study-groups/was/itu/index.html.

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ANNEX VIII Best Practice Guidelines for the Promotion of Low-Cost Broadband and Internet Connectivity
We, the regulators participating in the 2004 Global Symposium for Regulators, have identified and proposed best practice guidelines to achieve low-cost broadband and Internet connectivity. Our goal is the creation of national regulatory frameworks that are flexible and enable competition between various service providers using multiple transport and technology options. We believe the best practices outlined below will help bring social and economic benefits to the worlds citizens. An enabling regulatory regime that encourages broadband deployment and Internet connectivity 1) We encourage political support at the highest government levels with such support expressed in national or regional policy goals. These include an effective, separate regulator insulated from political interference, a transparent regulatory process, and adoption and enforcement of clear rules. We believe that competition in as many areas of the value chain as possible provides the strongest basis for ensuring maximum innovation in products and prices and for driving efficiency. We encourage regulators to set policies to stimulate competition among various technologies and industry segments that will lead to the development and deployment of broadband capacity. This includes addressing barriers or bottlenecks that may exist with regard to access to essential facilities on a non-discriminatory basis. We believe that the primary objective of regulation should be to secure fair and reasonable access for competitive broadband services, including Internet connectivity. We encourage the maintenance of transparent, non-discriminatory market policies in order to attract investment. We encourage regulators to adopt policies that are technology neutral and do not favor one technology over another. We encourage regulators to take into consideration the convergence of platforms and services and that they regularly reassess regulatory regimes to ensure consistency and to eliminate unfair market advantages or unnecessary regulatory burdens. We encourage regulators to allocate adequate spectrum to facilitate the use of modern, cost effective broadband radiocommunications technologies. We further encourage innovative approaches to managing the spectrum resource such as the ability to share spectrum or allocating on a licenseexempt non-interference basis. We urge regulators to conduct periodic public consultations with stakeholders to inform the regulatory decision-making process. We recommend that regulators carefully consider how to minimize licensing hurdles. We encourage the development of a regulatory framework that permits ISPs and broadband providers to set up their own last mile. We encourage regulators to provide a clear regulatory strategy for the private sector in order to reduce uncertainty and risk, and remove any disincentives to investment.

2) 3)

4) 5) 6) 7)

8)

9) 10) 11) 12)

Innovative Regulatory Policies Must Be Developed To Promote Universal Access 1) We recommend that the promotion of access to low cost broadband interconnectivity should be integrated from grass-roots efforts to identify local needs all the way through the tree-tops of international law. Governments, business and non-governmental organizations should be involved. We recommend that regulators adopt regulatory frameworks that support applications such as e-education and e-government.

2)

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We encourage each country to adopt policies to increase access to the Internet and broadband services based on their own market structure and that such policies reflect diversity in culture, language and social interests. We encourage regulators to work with stakeholders to expand coverage and use of broadband through multi-stakeholder partnerships. In addition, complementary government initiatives that promote financially sustainable programs may also be appropriate, especially in filling in the market gap that may exist in some countries. We encourage regulators to adopt regulatory regimes that facilitate the use of all transport mechanisms, whether wireline, power line, cable, wireless, including wi-fi, or satellite. We encourage regulators to explore programs that encourage public access to broadband and Internet services to schools, libraries and other community centres. We encourage regulators to implement harmonized spectrum allocations consistent with the outcome of ITU Radiocommunication Conference process and each countrys national interest. Participation in this well-established framework will facilitate low-cost deployment of equipment internationally and promote low-cost broadband and Internet connectivity through economies of scale and competition among broadband vendors and service providers.

4)

5) 6) 7)

Broadband is an Enabler 1) Regulation should be directed at improving the long term interests of citizens. Broadband can contribute to this by improving and enabling education, information, and increased efficiency. It can reduce costs, overcome distance, open up markets, enhance understanding and create employment. We encourage regulators to educate and inform consumers about the services that are available to them and how to utilize them so that the entire population benefits. We urge regulators to work with other government entities, industry, consumer groups, and other stakeholders to ensure consumers have access to the information they need about broadband and Internet services.

2) 3)

Impreso en Suiza Ginebra, 2010

Derechos de las fotografas: ITU Photo Library