Working Together: Synergies between Fibre and Wireless

Stephen Hough

Business Development ManagerSterlite Technologies Ltd

• Overview of wireless

• Fact and figures

• Synergies (including with WiFi)

• Conclusions

Wireless Technologies Explained

Overview

• Communication through the air essentially fulfils one of two functions.Fixed wireless access provides an extension or replacement for wireline

access networksMobile networks are designed to meet the communications needs of people

on the move• Different technologies have been developed around these different user

scenariosFibre is the common denominator - Required for FTTx, WiMax, 4G LTE

Wireless Technologies Explained

• Local area networks (LANs) provide connectivity to a local group of computers and other electronic devices.

Wireless LANs were developed to serve places where it was difficult or expensive to install LAN cabling.

The technology has been standardised by the IEEE Standards Association under IEEE 802.11, but is better known by its brand name Wi-Fi.

Wireless Technologies Explained

• In order to offer a "Wi-Fi like" user experience on a larger geographical scale such as a city or campus, new wireless standards were needed

Described by the IEEE 802.16 standards, wireless metropolitan area networks (MANs) have been commercialised under the name WiMAX.

Wireless Technologies Explained

• Mobile or cellular networks provide connectivity over a wide area and allow users to move seamlessly between different locations on the same network or even between different networks (roaming)

• Originally designed to carry voice services, mobile technology was later adapted to support data transfer

• The latest generation of mobile network standards, known as Long Term Evolution (LTE), have been designed from the ground up to support data transmission

Consumer Data Traffic by Device

IP traffic growth puts pressure on mobile networks

Source: Cisco, Visual Networking Index (2012)

Broadband Data Traffic (UK) – March 2011

Effect of data offloading on fixed-mobile convergence.

Source: Ofcom operators; cited in Fixed and Mobile Networks: Substitution, Complementary and Convergence: the Working Party on Communication Infrastructures and Services Policy for Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry

Broadband data traffic in March 2011 Mobile broadband data traffic in March 2011

Active broadband connections 18 million Active 3G connections 38 million

Total data uploaded / downloaded

311 million GB Total data uploaded / downloaded

9 million GB

Data per connection 17 GB Data per 3G connection 0.24GB

Percentage of data transferred between 6pm and midnight (peak usage hours)

38% Percentage of data transferred between 6pm and midnight (peak usage hours)

32%

Synergies with Fibre

Challenges of Mobile Backhaul – Wireless is Only Wireless at the Edges

Source IDATE Consulting & Ethernity

Synergies with Fibre

Challenges of Mobile Backhaul – Wireless is Only Wireless at the Edges

• Backhaul CapacityAs the mobile data rates increase, the mobile backhaul capacity needs a

corresponding increase

Technology Voice Spectrum (MHz) Data Spectrum (MHz) Total Bandwidth (Mbps)

GSM 2G 1.2 1.3

2.75G GSM/EDGE 1.2 2.3 6.1

HDSPA 3G 5 21

LTE 4G 10 79.8

Synergies with Fibre

Challenges of Mobile Backhaul – Wireless is Only Wireless at the Edges

• Mobile operators are under financial Pressure10 years of investing heavily in 3G infrastructureLooking to minimise further investment whilst deploying LTE to meet the

escalating demand for mobile bandwidth• Infrastructure

Exploit existing infrastructure where possibleLowest cost option is to use their own installed connections; however the

increased demand makes this policy unviable• Fibre

Some operators are already using optical fibre to connect to mobile base stations; where a new connection is required it make sense to install optical fibre

Optical fibre has virtually unlimited capacity and can support future upgrades without requiring new cables

WiFi - Inbuilding

What about WiFi?

• In buildings, it is used to distribute broadband signals around the home or business

• Mobiles are being developed to allow the users to seamlessly swap from mobile networks to WiFi

• More and more devices such as smartphones and tablets only have wireless interfaces, hence wireless is the only choice

• Mobile operators can also extend in-building coverage with femtocells

WiFi - Outside

WiFi is becoming popular outside too

• Wireless networks are appearing in major cities, offering the opportunity to drop from the mobile networks

• Rural areas where the cost to build a FTTH/FTTB network can be prohibitive

• As with mobile networks, WiFi networks still need to backhaul the data to the primary or core network

• The capacity of WiFi networks will be diluted if copper-based networks are used to provide the backhaul.

Conclusions

• Mobile service providers are seeing an upsurge of data traffic. Consumers expect;

ready access to online servicesto consume large amounts of datato have the freedom to move around

• Wireless data traffic is also growing stimulated by the influx of dual-mode 3G and WiFi smartphones, affordable pricing and new online services

• Mobile broadband networks have evolved over time but have reached saturation point

Networks require a major overhaul to make them robust enough to meet future demand

The answer is in network upgrades and exploiting fibre infrastructure offering;very high bandwidthFuture proofing

Conclusions

Example  ‐ FTTH network used for LTE backhaul

Access Node

RANFTTH

1 Gbps

1 Gbps

100 Mbps

OLT

Source: Ericsson

Conclusions

• Mobile computing and networking with limited requirements for services and bit rates

Legacy wireless networks will struggle to cope with the demands of large data transmission.

• Services in very sparsely populated areas, where the deployment of new wire-line networks may not be commercially viable.

Coverage with wireless access networks can be provided comparatively quickly and at relatively low cost, at least for a transient period.

Wireless should be considered as a complementary technology to fibre rather than a competing technology, promoted for its strengths;

Conclusions

• When combined with wired networks wireless services can provide alternative backhaul capabilities to meet the increase in mobile data demand.

Cost of delivering mobile data traffic will be greatly reduced.Valuable asset, the licensed spectrum, will be preserved.

• Utilisation of fibre infrastructure to minimise capital expenditureDeploying a new fibre infrastructure is capital intensive, so there is a

persuasive argument for sharing capital expenditure by deploying FTTH broadband access and mobile backhaul at the same time

• Fibre and Wireless are SynergisticBoth the network operators and the consumers will gain from complementary

rather than competing markets

Download the White Paper

http://www.ftthcouncil.eu/documents/Reports/DandO_White_Paper_2013_Final.pdf

Thank you for your attention!

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