MS Airband and

Operators
The Razorblade Backhaul and Last Mile
Solution
THINK RURAL THINK GLOBAL

Backhaul Matters…
Backhaul
Overall rural connectivity is a challenge for global thinking mobile
In telecommunications, backhaul comprises
operators who have an interest in dispersed communities the intermediate links between the core
extending their reach. The availability of backhaul at a reasonable network and the subnetworks that are closer
cost is the single most important barrier today to enable rural to the end-users.
connectivity. Low population density, geographical barriers and
large distances constitute challenges that are hard to overcome
with current technologies in a cost-efficient manner. In terms of Last Mile
demand, once connected rural users demand as much data traffic The final leg of a telecommunications network
as urban customers, therefore we need to deploy technologies that that delivers services to end-users.
can provide coverage today but with a traffic capacity ambition
that will support the services of the future.

…So Does The Last Mile

The last-mile technology represents a major challenge because the
cost of providing high-speed internet to the final 5%, higher-
bandwidth services to individual subscribers in remote areas can be
so high the service provider will deem this not cost effective.

FTTH (fiber to the home) and FTTP (fiber to the Premises) can be
expensive to deploy and environmentally demanding in rural
environments.

Today, last-mile technologies include:

• Plain old telephone systems (POTS) utilised by BT and resold to

many UK operators including Plusnet and Others Via Digital
Subscriber Line (DSL) over existing telephone twisted pair lines Eco Village Hall Test Site
• Fiber FTTP and FTTPoD
• Cable and the cable modem for data, using the same
installed coaxial cable that already is used for television Adaptrum radios on flat
operated by Virgin Media based masts to allow quick
• 5Ghz Wireless needing line of sight (LOS) none disruptive installs.
• 3Gand 4G delivered by mobile carriers.
This is placed on the Eco
TV Whitespace Technology can provide non-line of sight (NLOS) designed village hall to provide
infrastructure at the neighbourhood, being the Last-mile
broadband to the community
technology carrying signals from the broad telecommunication
that is currently underserved.
backbone along the short distance to and from the carrier network
to the home or business, meeting future demands comparative to
Speeds have been increased
the incumbents.
from sub 2 Mb to 16mb with
Combined with point-to-point microwave systems for last mile plans to upgrade to 50mb.
connections, ISPs are able to offer high-capacity internet up to 1
Gbps with a system that can be installed in hours or days, This is an example of last mile
compared to months for new copper or fibre representing quicker coverage linking to underserved
routes to revenue and access to an underserviced market. Service properties to a Backhaul network
providers can extend their own infrastructures rather than leasing at the community hub upto
from incumbent providers/competitors ("loop unbundling"). 10km away. If backhaul was
problematic the installer may
The rapid deployment characteristics and cost-effective nature of also leverage alternative 5ghz
whitespace will create a class of broadband service provider whose long distance line of sight
entire network, from edge to core, is based on Dynamic spectrum solutions to enable services.
of varying capacities, with whitespace being at its core
Installation Management

Optimal Backhaul Features

Cost effective. CapEx must fit a cost structure with smaller
revenues per site. Companies can facilitate network
Sustainable. Operational and maintenance cost must be deployments and carry out these
sustainable with time as traffic grows. activities:
Ease of installation. Reaching remote areas is expensive and
complex. Ideally network element should be plug and play so that • Equipment acquisition and
non-technical to leverage local communities in the installation. installation – Radio’s CPEs
Ease of maintenance and support. Remote management of the • Development of hardware
service is critical to low cost, efficient operations roadmap
Broadband Service Provision. Connectivity throughput must
• Radio site identification
provide digital services of today such as (4k and HD Video
• Site acquisition
streaming and online gaming)
• Design, Build, and Operate
Excellent Customer Service at the technology and service level.
the network
• Engage feasibility and
spectrum management
systems
• Provide wholesale regulatory
licensing and support
• Supports scale deployments
 CURRENT APPROACH
Technology LOS NLOS Challenge
Fibre Optic x Provides the capacity but
deployment is not cost efficient (in
rural / remote areas) and sometimes
not even possible in complex
geographies. Requires right-of-way
and very expensive trenching to
deploy.
Radio Link x Can provide the capacity required
but requires line of sight for
optimal performance, CapEx can
be high and requires specialised
technical teams for installation in
licence spectrum.
Satellite x x Can provide coverage anywhere
but high cost of capacity,
installation complexity, availability
with rain and problems related
with latency prevent it from being
massively available, along with
excessive usage limitations and
charges. Finally, latency may make
the service unfit for some key
applications.
Learn More
https://www.whitespaceuk.com/
The UK Story
Since 1999 the big three, BT,
Sky, TalkTalk have
endeavoured to deliver on the
rural challenge. They have not
yet achieve full coverage and
seek new solutions. Satellite
and 4G are expensive in the UK
today Only EE & 3 allow HD
streaming 4G. Satellite will not
deliver HD 4K streaming for
video gaming if it did the 25
Gb data cap will be consumed
by 4 movies or 24 hours HD
gaming.
The UK Digital Economy Act
speaks to 10Mbps being the
minimum speed to achieve the
experience customers.
TVWS can deliver on that in
remote, rural areas and on the
edge of the more populated
areas.
 Fill the Gap With TVWS
TV whitespace replaces the need for low cost masts are merely an
extension of what operators currently do. The cost of a copper
based lines to reach the customer promise is prohibitive. Fewer
masts are needed and non-line of sight deployments are possible.

TVWS A Razorblade Opportunity

With a focus on connecting the final 5% (UK urban) and the

unconnected in rural areas, existing telco networks can be
complemented and extended with TVWS and other dynamic
spectrum access technologies. TVWS works alongside fiber-to-the-
home (FTTH) and fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) due to resilience,
redundancy, reach and low service costs. So, existing connections
in coverage areas may migrate, or require true resilience and back
up services.

Optimum Network Structure.

Telecom networks are in fact hybrid structures that leverage many
different types of fiber, cables, wires and wireless technologies. Each
tool in the telecom toolkit has different strengths and weaknesses and
well-designed networks use them all, as required. TVWS should be
considered as a credible part of this toolkit.

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
IN THIS SUMMARY. Document published July 2017.