Post on 07-Jul-2015
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‘Broadband for the Bush’ ForumAlice Springs 30th June 2011
A Remote Perspective
Presenter: Daniel Featherstone
Indigenous Remote Communications Association
Challenges for remote communities
• Remoteness- limited communications
• Dispersed, mobile populations
• Low income & high costs of living
• Limited education, employment & economic opportunities
• Limited access to services- banking, government services, telephony and IT facilities, reliable power and water, library, mail
• Low indicators for health, education, housing, incarceration
• Indigenous first language, low English literacy
• Extreme weather conditions (cyclones, floods, road closures)
Remote Indigenous Communities
Fibre Optic Rollout in Remote Australia (2001)
Availability of ADSL services (Sept 2008)
Source: ACMA Communications Infrastructure and Services Availability in Australia 2008
Availability of ADSL2+ services (Sept 2008)
Source: ACMA Communications Infrastructure and Services Availability in Australia 2008
Availability of Telstra 3G services (Sept 2008)
Source: ACMA Communications Infrastructure and Services Availability in Australia 2008
Proposed solution under NBN
Issues with satellite
• Latency issues
• Effect of cloud cover (and dust, smoke, cyclones)
• Upload/download speed uneven, limits two-way applications
• Costs for satellite services and downloads
• Does not address need for improved telephony services
• Higher maintenance needs
• Trouble-shooting can be difficult
Preferred model- Terrestrial broadband backhaul to hub sites
• Link hub sites via fibre optic cable or microwave
• Low latency
• Robust infrastructure, more reliable, low maintenance
• Capacity for high speed two-way streaming
• More affordable services and download usage
• Ability to use as backhaul for mobile telephony, fixed telephony, and network extension
Key broadband applications used in remote communities
• Basic telephony services, especially Mobile telephony
• Tele-Health, Education, Justice and services
• Internet, email, Youtube, Indigitube
• IP Videoconferencing, Skype, VoIP
• New applications- Land management, archive retrieval (eg Ara Irititja), IP-TV (post Digital Switchover), GIS, e-tourism
Last Mile Options
• ADSL • Shared WiFi or WiMax- aggregated
usage• 3G (and 4G) mobile telephony• Ethernet over Power• Community access ICT facilities
Conclusions
• To Do: Needs Analysis for remote users and applications
• Terrestrial is more reliable & cost-effective than satellite
• Existing fibre networks in remote areas to be linked to NBN
• Last mile delivery is crucial to community access
• Shared or aggregated usage of service ideal
• Telephony (esp. mobile) highest priority for indigenous users
• Remote people are rapid adopters of new technology
• Need funding for IT access facilities, training, applications (esp. to develop creative software solutions)