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Last Mile Connections?

Anoka County Broadband ConferenceJune 26th, 2012

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U-reka Broadband Ventures

• U-reka is a Telecommunications Consulting firm working with Municipalities, Service Providers and Tribal Governments to develop broadband strategies

• Focus on developing public-private partnerships between providers and communities

• Several successful deployments currently in development across the upper-midwest

• www.u-rekabroadband.com

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Agenda

• Definitions and Explanation• Broadband-In the eye of the Beholder• FCC Definition and Goals• State of MN Definition and Goals• Internationally and Other States• Existing Providers• Most Promising Technologies

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“Broadband is in the Eye of the Beholder”

• There are many definitions of broadband out there

• Really depends on where you come from and what your goals are (universal coverage vs. targeted coverage)

• In this presentation we will define broadband and show the many options that there are out there

DefinitionsBroadband-communication in which a wide band of frequencies is available to

transmit information; can take a variety of mediums (wireless, copper, fiber optic)

Bandwidth-the amount of data that can be carried from one point to another in a given time period (usually a second)

Bit-smallest unit of computer dataKbps-1000 bits in 1 Kbps, referred to usually as “728 K” for exampleMbps-1 million bits, 1000 Kbps, referred to as “1 megabit” or “1 Meg”Gbps-1 billion bits, 1000 Mbps, referred to as “1 gigabit” or “1 gig”Download-transfer of data from the Internet to an end-userUpload-transfer of data from an end-user to the InternetLatency- a synonym for delay, is an expression of how much time it takes for

a packet of data to get from one designated point to another. Low latency is important for voice and video applications.

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Definitions, cont.

Asynchronous, Synchronous-Information travels up and down the connection at either different (asynch) or the same (sync) speeds.USF-Universal Service Fund, 4 funds that currently subsidize High Cost telephone service, Low Income telephone service, E-rate discounted telephone and Internet services for schools and libraries and Rural Healthcare discounts for data connections. Transport infrastructure-type of medium used to carry signal, wireline is fiber optic, copper or hybrid cable, wireless is over licensed or unlicensed spectrum. Infrastructure remains empty until you add services.Applications-telephone, video, email, data transfers, etc.

Explanation

Courtesy of Broadband Properties Magazine

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FCC Definition and Goals

• 100 Mbps to 100 million-FCC Goal to get 100 Mbps service to 100 million households in the United States

• 4:1 Rural-4 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload to rural areas

• USF Changes-change from supporting telephone lifeline service to broadband service

• Wireless Initiative-increase the penetration of 3G and 4G services

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State of MN Definition and Goals-from Chapter 237.012 of MN Statutes

• Goal One– Universal access and high speed deployment as

soon as possible but no later than 2015 all state residents and businesses have access to broadband service that provides a minimum download speed of 10 to 20 Megabits per second and minimum upload speed of 5 to 10 Megabits per second.

• Goal Two involves increasing MN’s ranking among other states and countries.

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Existing Provider Last Mile Technologies

• Cable Television-utilize Hybrid Fiber Coax Networks (HFC) using Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) technology

• Telephone-utilize Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology in Fiber to the Node (FTTN) and Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) networks

• Wireless-Variety of technologies depending on application– 3G – WiFi– WiMax

• Satellite-Historically the slowest of all the broadband technologies; new technologies allowing download speeds up to 10 Mbps recently announced (www.viasat.com)

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What is the future bringing?

• Fiber to the Premise (FTTP)-technology being deployed by a majority of community based broadband networks-facilitates delivery of a “triple-play” of services

• 4G Wireless-or Long Term Evolution-being touted by wireless carriers as a replacement for landline internet services

• Whitespace Wireless-known as “Super WiFi” or “TV Band”-currently in early deployments including England and Wilmington, North Carolina

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For more information

John Schultz651 967-7196

jschultz@u-rekabroadband.com

www.u-rekabroadband.com