ISP utilisation of the 5GHz spectrum

Dr A.K.Brown

TheRegional ISP

• Successful regional ISP’s survive by – being flexible – offering fast roll out of services– Local knowledge of customer base

and their needs for data connectivity

Infrastructure issues

• Semi-rural towns and communities suffer as wired infrastructure is non-existent or incomplete

• It is not an economic reality that this will change in the near future

And yet.....

• The demand for broadband connectivity from the user is as important to them as those users in more populous areas.

The Need

• The need exists for connectivity methodology to economic serve this customer profile

The wireless approach• Wireless technology has been

evaluated by us over the last few years – technologies examined :

• Satellite asymmetric links• Microwave networks

– market testing undertaken • Market size • terminal capital cost• charging regimes

Key outputs 1 :

• Low end user terminal cost -£400-£500– use of mass produced sub systems

with technology migration

• Relatively low infrastructure cost– modest number of users per node

• MB charging is a serious limitation to take up of service

Key outputs 2• Satellite based systems have not

proven commercially successful- too expensive both initially and running costs

• Microwave network– system availability established and

experimentally implemented using fault resilient architecture in a wireless network

Key outputs 3

• Other major factors contributing to cost and feasibility include:– Coverage area (Cell Size)– Size of antennas– Delivery time/logistical support for

equipment– Environmental Performance– Line of Site issues– etc

Commercial viability

• To provide areas of relatively low population density with wide band connectivity is economically feasible with microwave approach providing:– Low equipment cost to end user– Fixed charging regime– low infrastructure costs.

Commercial viability 2

• Providing these objectives can be met, the market is real and is a here and now need. But:– Total market is distributed widely,

requires low overhead, flexible company structuring to be successful

– Hence, a good market for local ISP’s to develop

Issues limiting market growth

• ISP sell data transport services, hence telco license needed. – Regional license practical (ie within

economic reach)but need spectrum space

– Spectrum required therefore must be licensable.

Spectrum needs

• Spectrum needs to be available where equipment is ready developed, and of a mass market low cost nature.

• As regional use only, range is reasonably limited ( a few kilometers)

5Ghz band• So far , we have only considered the

use of Hiperlan I technology – This is closest Hiperlan to equipment

rollout at an acceptable cost level– It is already a ETSI standard

• However if the IEEE standard becomes acceptable this may well be a better approach due to equipment availability

Technology issues

• As Hiperlan I was never designed for this application will it work?

• Two issues have been considered (preliminary findings):– Power limitation – Group delay issues in an real

environment

Hiperlan Technology

• Initial work indicates:– 1W (high power part of the part) – Assymetric links - ie higher directivity

antennas at end user and sector transmission at base termianal (recalling relatively few users ) limit group delay

• A practical system is feasible.

Issues

• Before further assesment, be it Hiperlan or IEEE standard the licensing position needs to be clarified- no point in assesing technology if can’t use it!

Summary• Semi-rural communities can be

economically serviced via low cost microwave based networks from low overhead suppliers.– Regional basis– Licensable part of spectrum needed– Low cost , rapidly depolyable equipment– Existing customer base

Summary 2

• To develop the market 5GHz band equipment is a good candidate due to low cost, ready developed equipment: IEEE standard or Hiperlan I (ETSI) are both candidates.

Summary 3

• Need a licensable part of the band in the higher power region in order to have a realistic chance of success

• License on a regional basis to enable rapid spectrum utilisation