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PCCA Journal|2

nd

Quarter 2015

31

TELECOM NEWS

Continued on page 32

Study Finds Wireless Connections Complement

Rather Than Replace Wireline Networks

W

ireless technologies are a complement to

wireline broadband technologies rather

than a replacement for them, according

to a technical report issued in April by

telecommunications engineering and consulting firm Vantage

Point Solutions at the NTCA—The Rural Broadband Associa-

tion’s Rural Telecom Industry Meeting & EXPO in Phoenix,

Ariz.

The study, “Wireless Broadband Not a Viable Substitute for

Wireline Broadband,” reviews terrestrial wireless technolo-

gies’ ability to deliver current and future broadband services.

Vantage Point studied various broadband delivery networks

and the characteristics of a high quality broadband con-

nection and found that there are several factors, including

lack of spectrum, weather, and terrain, which limit a wire-

less network’s broadband quality but do not affect wireline

broadband networks.

Among the report’s key findings are:

Spectrum:

Spectrum is a limited resource and expensive for

a wireless carrier to secure. The limited amount of available

spectrum can significantly constrain broadband speed. When

additional spectrum is not available, a broadband provider

must add towers to increase capacity, which increases de-

ployment cost and only underscores the ultimate dependence

of wireless services on wireline technologies.

Speed:

An important determinant of connection speed is

the proximity of the customer to the tower. In rural areas,

customers may live longer distances from the closest tower,

which frequently are spaced 10 to 20 miles apart. At this

distance, service may be extremely slow or nonexistent.

Environmental impacts:

Mountains, hills, buildings, and

trees can interfere with a wireless signal. Rain, fog, or snow

can also reduce broadband speeds and even cause network

outages. All of these factors are common in rural areas.

“While wireless networks are needed for low bit rate

mobile applications, such as voice, email and small screen

video, wireline networks are required to meet customers’

high-speed, fixed broadband needs,” said Larry Thompson,

P.E., Vantage Point Solutions’ chief executive officer and the

report’s chief author. “Even fixed wireless solutions that offer

near-term promise for reaching consumers face the prospect

of being unable to keep up with consumer demand over the

longer term. With the rapid increases in broadband demand,

it is important and most efficient to invest in networks and

technologies that can not only deliver the broadband required

today, but also deliver the broadband of tomorrow without

major upgrade expenditures.”

Survey Reveals Operators’

Ambitious Upgrade Plans

I

nfonetics Research, a technology

market research firm, released

excerpts from its latest broad-

band study, “VDSL, G.Fast, and

Next-Gen FTTH Strategies and Vendor

Leadership Survey.” Infonetics provides

insights into the fixed broadband deploy-

ment plans of and technologies utilized

by global broadband operators, as well

as their thoughts on leading broadband

equipment vendors.

“For many service providers, growth

in broadband revenue has more than

offset the losses from declining voice

services. Fixed broadband services,

driven in part by the growth in online

video services, have some of the highest

margins of any services. Thus, service

providers continue to invest strategi-

cally in their fixed broadband networks

to increase speeds offered to residential

and business customers and to increase

the number of additional services they

can offer, including multiscreen video,

home automation, and home security,”

said Jeff Henyen, principal analyst for

broadband access and pay TV at Infonet-

ics Research.

The survey found that the percentage

of service providers planning to offer an

average bandwidth speed of 1 Gigabit

(1G) to residential subscribers grows

from 15 percent in 2015 to 40 percent