John Muleta

1
Broadband Technologies for Rural Development
John Muleta Chief, Wireless Bureau US Federal
Communications Commission Presentation at the
NCC Rural Access Workshop Abuja, Nigeria February
26, 2005
2
Societal Change through Technology
Old Society Slow Evolution of Formal Economy and
Modern Institutions Ad Hoc Development of Rural
Government, Economic and Social
Institutions Major Infrastructure Development
Needed to reach Rural Population
Future Society Rapid Evolution of Formal
Economy and Modern Institutions Orderly
Development of Rural Government, Economic and
Social Institutions Limited Infrastructure
Development Needed to Organize the Rural
Population
Stages of Development
high
low
Availability of Communications Technology
3
Purpose of Todays Discussion

• Discuss the state of broadband technology
• Modal Options
• Spectrum Options
• Technology platform options
• Case Study Upcoming US Broadband Spectrum
  Decision Affecting Rural Access
• Criteria for choosing Broadband Technologies for
  Encouraging Rural Access

4
US Urban vs. Rural Coverage
5
2005 FCC Staff Recommendations
Licensed Spectrum

• Streamline the process of getting spectrum to
  market
• Expedite the DTV transition
• Allow carriers to pair spectrum bands
  asymmetrically
• Adopt an Innovation Framework for regulating
  wireless broadband

6
Growth in Wi-Fi
7
2005 FCC Staff Recommendations
Unlicensed Devices

• Encourage voluntary frequency coordination
• Promote best practices
• Increase power limits in certain bands
• allow WISPs to serve rural areas more easily
• Provide easier mechanisms for reporting of
  technical violations (jamming, power boosting)

8
Options for Rural Broadband Access

• Fixed wireline platforms (copper, coax, ethernet,
  fiber)
• Well suited for backbone applications and
  wide-area network traffic aggregation
• Significant investment in the last decade has
  reduced costs but very difficult to apply in
  rural areas for last mile access
• Direct Broadcast Satellite and Other Satellite
  Solutions
• Global coverage
• Limited interactivity in the current generation
  (interactivity needs to rely on terrestrial
  connectivity)
• Economies of Scale still a challenge
• Terrestrial Wireless Solutions
• Capacity increasing through technology
• Increasing global harmonization creates
  opportunity
• Low cap ex thresholds and incremental, demand
  driven investment ideal for risk mitigation in
  rural market

9
Broadband Spectrum Opportunities

• 450 MHz, 800/900 MHz, and 1.9 GHz (2.5 G and 3G
  bands)
• 1.7/2.1 GHz Band
• WCDMA expansion bands
• Mobile Satellite Services/Ancillary Terrestial
  Component (MSS/ATC)
• 2.1 GHz (S band)
• 1.5 GHz (L band)
• Technology undecided

• 2.5-2.69 GHz
• WiMax (Non line of sight)
• 3.4-3.5 GHz
• WiMax (Non line of sight)
• 700 MHz (UHF TV Band)
• Flarion (OFDMA)
• Qualcomm (Mediaflo)
• 20-40 GHz (Millimeter Bands)
• OFDMA
• Line of sight

10
Broadband Technologies

• WIMAX 802.16x IEEE standards based technology
  platform significant scale of economies because
  of its embedded nature (e.g., in every new pc)
  making it end-user accessible available for both
  licensed and unlicensed regimes as well as for
  fixed and mobile applications.currently
  finishing up the standards based process..expect
  production in 2005/2006
• Flarions OFDMA Technology highly robust,
  packet traffic optimized network no significant
  current takers therefore scalability a challenge
  without a big service provider committement
• UMTS TDD highly efficient use of spectrum
  global standards creating manufacturing scale
  operating on globally harmonized bands no unique
  advantages for rural deployment

11
Broadband Technologies

• WCDMA evolutionary standard converging for
  current generation of 2.5 cellular technologies
  (CDMA and GSM) large scale creates economies
  although nothing unique for rural development
• Multi-mode Platforms use the combination of
  uni-directional technology platform with two way
  interactive platforms to provide broadband
  technology features
• Qualcomm MediaFlo and Nokias DVB-H standards
  (combined with CDMA and UMTS 3G solutions
• embedded into new handsets and have interface
  between the uni-directional

12
Spectrum Bands Considered

• 700 MHz
• well suited for mobile applications with
  relatively low capex thresholds and very
  attractive building penetration
• Wide area propagation of UHF and capex makes it
  very attractive for rural applications
• US facing transition issues with the return of
  spectrum from incumbent broadcasters
• 3.4-3.6 GHz band
• Globally harmonized spectrum
• Existing investments globally therefore achieving
  scale sooner than later

13
Spectrum Bands Considered

• MSS/ATC
• Combination of satellite and terrestial allows
  for highly optimized buildout that balances reach
  and density options
• Deployment has been slow due to regulatory
  considerations making equipment (base and
  end-user) scalability an issue
• 450/800/900/1.9 MHz Bands
• Significant scale due to 1.5 billion consumers
  worldwide
• Rural deployment of broadband will be slower
  given the high level of existing urban mobile
  customers
• 450 MHz in the US is limited because of
  pre-existing incumbencies but more available in
  other markets

14
Spectrum Bands Considered

• 2.5 GHz band
• Globally harmonized spectrum
• More attractive in urban environments where
  density already requires substantial
  infrastructure investment
• 1.7/2.1 GHz Band
• Globally harmonized spectrum
• Absent MSS/ATC, same issues as 2.5 GHz band for
  rural application
• 20-40 GHz Band
• Globally harmonized spectrum
• Line of sight requirement makes it ideal for
  wireless backbone services and as a terrestrial
  component for hybrid satellite solutions (e.g.,
  DBS)
• New OFDMA technologies being deployed
  significantly expanding capacity (up to 40-80
  Mbps)

15
Rural Deployment Challenge US Case Study

• Rural Access Issues identified by FCC
• Difficulty finding spectrum for rapid rollout by
  wireless ISPs (WISPs) of IP services including
  VOIP and internet access in general ease of
  entry cited as a big need
• Unlicensed spectrum at 5.8 GHz (new 255 MHz
  allocated for unlicensed) has propagation
  limitations making rural deployment difficult
  other older unlicensed bands congested
• Spectrum needed for both local access as well as
  backhaul since incumbent provisioning is slow and
  unreliable there is also the needd more power
  for rural environment, especially if spectrum
  available in higher spectrum bands, in order to
  reduce costs
• What to do?

16
Rural Deployment Challenge US Case Study

• 3.650 3.70 GHz Spectrum Band
• 50 MHz returned from government users
• Possible options for geographic licensing and
  auctioning for mobile and fixed services
• Need to protect incumbent FSS Earth Stations (US
  East and West Coast) and small number of
  government operations limiting viability of the
  band in middle part of the US
• Protection zones make it difficult for geographic
  licensing difficult thereby limiting auction
  possibilities
• What to do?

17
Rural Deployment Challenge US Case Study

• Potential Solution Make a WiMax Friendly Band
  promoting ease of entry for Rural Deployment
• Promote ease of entry by using making the rules
  friendly to WIMax and other like technologies
  (where consumer receiver devices are widely
  deployed)
• Enforce contention based interference
  technologies at the receiver in order to promote
  self-regulatory interference model while avoiding
  the burden of the current free for all in the
  Part 15 Unlicensed bands
• Power limit increased in areas where incumbent
  FSS and government operations
• Hoping for a decision March 2005

18
Criteria for Rural Broadband Technologies

• Ease of Entry
• No large upfront capital deployment
• Multiple competitors can enter at the same time
• Technology should be standardized globally for
  scale effects
• Technology must be able to efficiently deliver IP
  services
• Provide more regulatory flexibility for
  increasing power levels and for interference
  tolerance in rural markets in order to make
  distance less of an issue and mitigate economic
  risk for new operators