Evaluation of Broadband technology of Pilot Project in telecenters of Gubbi

Abash Lal
PGPPM, IIMB

Introduction
Traditionally , the connecting network has been built on top of the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) providing end users a 56 kb/s connection using a dial-up modem and up to 8 Mb/s using ADSL/DSL modems The demand for services such as telecenters, video conferencing, video on demand (VOD), and remote storage solutions quickly exhausts the available bandwidth. E-Governance initiative by GoK in launching a pilot project for tele-medicine and tele-education centers in Gubbi Village of dist. Tumkur, Karnataka Improving Last Mile connectivity is essential for sustainability of such telecenters

Objective of the study

Evaluate various broadband technologies available Suggest the most applicable technology in the Indian context based on cost and performance. Evaluate speed testing results for the technology already implemented as a part of pilot project in 15 Gram Panchayat. To present recommendations based on the test results and technology evaluation .

Technologies studied in US context

FTTN -Fiber-to-the-node broadband connections, or FTTN broadband connections, refer to fiber optic cable connections that run to a cabinet serving a neighbourhood. -Customers typically connect to this cabinet using traditional coaxial cable or twisted pair wiring. -The area served by the cabinet is usually less than 1,500 m in radius and can contain several hundred customers. WiMAX -It is an IP based, wireless broadband access technology(802.16e/m) that provides performance similar to 802.11/Wi-Fi networks with the coverage and QOS (quality of service) of cellular networks. -transmits and receives data wirelessly on both licensed and unlicensed frequencies. -400-500 subscribers per base station within a 9Km radius. BPL -allows data to be transmitted over utility power lines - existing aluminium and steel wire network - BPL has to overcome the harsh environments associated with the noise and chaos on the electrical grid.

Analysis
Cost Comparison and Transfer rates Among all three alternatives considered, FTTN is the most expensive initially due to lack of existing infrastructure.
FTTN Cost/km Data transfer rates Years to meet 15+ future demands 6+ Rs. 6750 10 Mb/s, 20 Mb/s,100 Mb/s, 1Gb/sec, unlimited WiMAX Rs. 1667 8 Mb/s

BPL : BPL has a relatively low cost-per-resident, primarily because the infrastructure already exists and the only investment is in the associated equipment needed at the substations and residences. Depending on the manufacturer, cost-per-resident can run around Rs. 12000 Rs 25000.

FTTN connectivity advantages

The main benefits of fiber are its remarkably low loss, its absence of ground currents and power issues and its inherently high data-carrying capacity. Many electrical links can be replaced by a single high bandwidth fiber. Optical fibre also has : Immunity to electromagnetic interference High electrical resistance, making it safe to use near high-voltage equipment or between areas with different earth potentials. Lighter weight and No sparks Not electromagnetically radiating, and difficult to tap without disrupting the signal Much smaller cable sizeimportant where pathway is limited, such as networking an existing building, where smaller channels can be drilled and space can be saved.

Suitability in Karnataka Context

95% of all the exchanges have been already covered with the optic fibre network 3000 rural exchanges across the state and approx 5659 Gram Panchayats Inter exchange fiber would be passing through atleast 50% of the non telephone exchange GPs. It leaves about 1350 GPs to be covered by Optical Fiber Distance between 2 GPs is approx. 4 kms in Karnataka. Total cost per km is Rs 2.7 lacs/km, so to connect additional GP, total cost is = (Cable charges + labour charges) * distance + equipment cost. The equipment cost is around Rs. 20,000 per port, which is approximately 1 port per GP). Hence, total cost = Rs. 11 lacs per village. Hence the total expected cost of laying the fibre across Karnataka will be Rs 150 Crs.

FTTN

WiMAX There are 176 blocks in Karnataka and assuming two WiMAX BTSs in each block for good
coverage, we need ~350 Base stations. BSNL has planned about 175 base stations. Balance 175 need to be planned for full coverage. As there is a deep mobile penetration, existing GSM towers can be reused Equipment cost for WiMAX of about addl. ~175 sites is of the order of Rs 10 crores. Additional contingency costs of about Rs 5 crores to improve OF backhaul So for entire Karnataka coverage through WiMAX, the total cost come around Rs 15 Crs.

Pilot project
To test the effectiveness, feasibility, econometrics of broadband technology pan-India level, it is important to first study it as pilot project setup at Gubbi Village Consists of setting up of Community Service Centers (CSC) in 15 GPs of one Taluka This project involves all the key stakeholders from government of Karnataka as well as private parties like Wipro, Intel ,Cisco etc. The proposed time period for this project is 6 months. Telemedicine generally needs the upload and download speed of 1 Mbps, though any speed in excess of 600 kbps is also fine. Teleeducation centers needs download speed of 1mbps and the upload speed of 200 kbps.

Inferences from Speed Test results

The acceptable speed performance can be judged based on following criteria: Consistency i.e. minimum variation in the upload/download speed Minimum speed of 1344 kbps download speed and 550 kbps upload speed targets and average speed of 1744 kbps download speed and 950 kbps upload speed.
DOWNLOAD SPEEDS: ACCEPTABLE SPEED PERFORMANCE Nallur Hosakere Mavanahalli Marashettihalli Peddanahalli Kallur Alilughatta Bidare MN Kote Thyagathur Doddagunj AVERAGE UPLOAD SPEEDS: ACCEPTABLE SPEED PERFORMANCE MN Kote Kallur Mavanahalli Marashettihalli AVERAGE SPEED PERFORMANCE Nallur Bidare Thyagathur UNSATISFACTO RY SPEED

SPEED UNSATISFACTORY SPEED PERFORMANCE Kunnalla Belavatha

PERFORMANCE

PERFORMANCE Doddagunj Hosakere Alilughatta Peddanahalli Kunnalla Belavatha

Inferences contd..
The main reason for unpredictable speed fluctuations Poor quality of copper cable on which the broadband connection is provided Applications like real-time video streaming require higher bandwidth, which means they need higher speed performance and hence higher capacity. As a result, when a user is video streaming, the other users sharing the same bandwidth will obviously experience problems like slow speed, inconsistent connectivity etc. Many people are watching Youtube videos which degrades the speed performance. At present the bandwidth provided to most of the CSCs is only 2Mbps.

Conclusion
Lesser bandwidth available is the cause of speed variations. The maximum bandwidth for each connection is only 2Mbps, which is not sufficient for sustaining consistency in providing quality services. Using WiMAX technology, it is not feasible to cater the bandwidth requirement of highly specialized services like telecenters. The present broadband facilities are not adequate in terms of consistency and speed. Focus should be put on FTTN connectivity considering the advantages discussed, which specifically includes high speed to cater high bandwidth requirements for telecenters.

Recommendations
FTTN surpasses the other in sheer performance, allowing transfer rates up to 100 Mb/s, not only supplying the current demand for bandwidth but also the future demand. To improve the performance of incumbent broadband facility, it is required to monitor Signal to Noise ratio(SNR) and attenuation from the broadband node centre periodically. As laying of fibre involves manual unskilled work there is also scope of integrating this project with NREGA. The capacity(bandwidth) is important but the resultant capacity cannot be indiscriminately increased unless the connectivity between Block and the village level is not improved To implement last mile solution for household needs, WiMAX connectivity will be sufficient. So till exchange level, FTTN connectivity can terminate and beyond exchange to households, WiMAX can take over. FTTN connectivity can go on till GP level and for last mile connectivity, even CAT5 cables which is only Re 1/km, can be used to connect to end user. The Customer Premises equipments(CPE), which will be required in the households, for WiMax or FTTN are currently being imported from China etc, but later on, with economies of scale, such equipments can be indigenously manufactured to reduce fixed cost by 60%.

Recommendations Contd..
To run telehealth and teleeducation even at lower speeds, Skype should be used in comparison with other applications since Skype has the inherent capability to run even at lower speeds of 300 kbps. Other superior compression techniques should also be considered which can use less bandwidth during data transmission. Also, Neurosynaptics ReMeDi (remote medical diagnostics) technology can be used to provide healthcare services which need minimal power and bandwidth. It comprises of a device that runs on two watts of power. This device is integrated with a software that has audiovideo conferencing. This audiovideo conferencing runs at 32 kilobits per second. It can be run over a telephone line, and if its reliable, with the normal modems that we get; and one can have it over any form of connectivity.

References
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