Explore the Changing World of Broadband Networks https://www.mwrf.

com/print/18332

Broadband services and higher bandwidth have never been in greater

demand. Network deployments are accelerating in cities, as well as rural
areas. In addition to residential subscribers, operators are looking to
connect everything from businesses and utility networks to small cells
for 4G and 5G rollouts.

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In the midst of this growth, the variety of connectivity media and

network-operator business models varies more than ever before.
Networks now incorporate fiber, copper, and wireless technologies, and
traditional internet service providers (ISPs), cable companies, utility
companies, and municipalities are building or considering broadband
networks in an effort to meet growing demand for bandwidth.

In this article, we’ll look at how the broadband landscape is changing,

how various types of providers are seeking to meet the ever-growing
demand for bandwidth, and how new technologies are enabling network
operators to overcome the challenges.

The Changing Broadband Landscape

Historically, service providers like telcos, cable operators, and satellite

operators have been the exclusive broadband providers. However, this
situation has changed in the last five years.

Due to ROI requirements, traditional service providers often overlooked

rural areas. Now, local municipalities and utility companies have
stepped in to meet broadband demand in those locations. These local
entities can now tap into communications infrastructure subsidies
administered by the FCC. They’re also able to use revenue bonds that
spread network build-out payments over 10, 20, or even 30 years.

In cities, local governments have started planning for smart-city

initiatives that link tens of thousands of sensors, cameras, small cells,
Wi-Fi access points, and other devices. Such systems leverage
automation to help cities reduce operating costs and improve quality of
life. Smart-city networks will need infrastructure—and that includes
fiber, copper, and wireless.

Essentially, service providers, utilities, and municipal governments are

all scrambling to deploy faster, higher-bandwidth networks. They face
three key challenges: cost, power, and access.

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Cost: The explosion in bandwidth requirements (with consumers

increasingly requesting up to 1-Gb service) is outpacing technology’s
ability to deliver it at a reasonable cost-per-bit. The upfront cost of
standing up a network is very high: Fiber construction out to network
endpoints is as much as 80% of the cost of building a new network,
while existing copper networks have limited rate-reach curves and fixed
wireless access wrangles with capacity and interference issues.

The realities of network costs are driving a greater need for the
broadband network to serve multiple functions and therefore drive
multiple revenue streams beyond just residential broadband delivery.
Wireless (soon to be 5G) fronthaul and backhaul, utility supervisory
control and data acquisition (SCADA) transmission, and business
services are a few such examples.

Power: Every edge node in a network needs power, and that power will
likely come from local utility company grids. This requirement is driving
new partnerships between cities, utilities, and traditional service
providers. In addition to grid power, operators are using Power over
Ethernet (PoE) to reach some devices in the network.

Access: In cities, the move to build smart-city networks will require

devices in all sorts of locations, and the city or other service provider
will have to obtain permission to place devices on light poles, utility
poles, street furniture, or buildings. Cities and utilities have lots of
leverage in this equation because they typically own light poles, utility
poles, and street furniture where devices may be placed.

Technology Evolution

Network operators can lower the cost-per-bit of bandwidth by

combining newer technologies in their infrastructure. Here are some
options:

Fiber: Despite the variation of network technologies available,

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broadband services are converging around fiber because it delivers

much higher bandwidth and is thus more “future-proof.” These
networks need to be designed with cost and flexibility in mind:
flexibility to accommodate different technologies (how wireline will
hand off to wireless, for example), and keeping costs under control by
using technologies like wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) to
expand the bandwidth capacity of existing fiber networks.

G.fast: In loops shorter than 1,000 feet, G.fast technology can deliver 1
Gb/s over existing twisted-pair cable. G.fast is a higher-speed variant of
DSL. Network operators can run fiber up to an apartment complex, for
example, and leverage G.fast to deliver high-speed broadband over the
twisted-pair wiring within the building.

WDM PON: Lots of existing last-mile networks were built as passive

optical networks (PONs). WDM is extending the capacity of PONs by
adding new wavelengths to the fiber. This has driven significant
bandwidth improvements in the last few years, as so-called NGPON2
can deliver 1-Gb/s service on a single wavelength.

Fixed wireless access: In areas where trenching fiber is simply too

expensive and G.fast doesn’t reach far enough, fixed wireless access is
providing point-to-point or point-to-multipoint service to homes or
businesses. This technology is usually offered by wireless internet
service providers (WISPs) rather than traditional telco or cable
operators. The shift from 4G mobile wireless to 5G will significantly
change the viability of this technology because 5G delivers much higher
bandwidth.

In every type of location, network operators will use a mix of these

technologies. Network operators (and prospective operators) are
already starting to build networks with 5G in mind, so all of these
technologies should be considered. For example, it makes sense to
leverage WDM when possible to increase the capacity of existing fiber
and PON networks. G.fast is the obvious choice for multiple dwelling

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units (MDUs).

The key is that cities, utilities, and providers need to start planning and
building today. With a rich array of technologies and business models in
the mix, it’s possible to optimize those new networks for cost-per-bit
and to support future capabilities without breaking the bank.

Source URL: https://www.mwrf.com/systems/explore-changing-world-broadband-networks

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