There
are nearly 225 million people on the Internet. So much so, that
the Net is no longer a novelty. There is shopping on the Net,
doctors for consultation, and experts to guide you in your
investments. The Net, in short is a triumph of technology–a
digital revolution that has been more profound than a mere
application of hi-tech tools. It is also not just a reality; it
is a prelude to openness and free communications. Today, the
radio is a major component in the phenomenal growth of global
telecommunications. US has had a head start in this phenomenal
growth. In India, the Internet is still in its infancy. Among
the many reasons is the lack of infrastructure particularly in
the "last mile" connectivity. Those of us who have
used the Net through a dial-up connection will admit that it is
woefully slow and prone to frequent disconnection.
Indian |
Intel has predicted that in five years from now, all companies will be Internet companies and those that are not will not be companies. E-business/commerce will grow manifold. Realizing this the Government of India (GOI) has liberalized provision of Internet services and issued licences to over 120 private companies. Unfortunately, the growth has not been in the same proportion. The reasons again are the problems of "last mile" connectivity. Private ISPs cannot lay their own cables and per force have to depend on the existing copper cable, which is old and not suitable for high-speed data connectivity. Realizing this, VSNL and STPI started using point-to-point radio in the ISM Band for "last mile" connectivity. The growth of our software industry from $300 million a few years ago to $5 billion bears testimony to what good connectivity can do for business! |
So what is holding up
other ISPs from using a similar approach? Perhaps, cost and
availability of the frequency spectrum. While software houses
and big corporates can afford spending a few lakh rupees,
smaller companies and private individuals cannot. However,
with the maturing of Point-to-Multipoint (PMP) radio
technology, the cost of equipment at the customer premises (CPE)
is fast decreasing. On volume sales the manufacturers would be
willing to offer hefty discounts, and with the GoI’s
co-operation in rationalizing import duties, the CPE can be
brought down to well below one lakh. This cost could again be
amortized over a few years, thus making it viable even for a
private individual. The procedure for obtaining WPC clearance
also could be further simplified.
Know the Technology
PMP
system consists of a central hub with several remotes. Depending
upon the manufacturer, the number of remotes varies from 100 to
150. Such PMP systems are now available in the market resulting
in 50 percent saving on hardware costs and the spectrum usage.
Brief description of a Low-Capacity and a Broadband System is
being given.
Low-Capacity
Systems: Such systems have been developed generally in the ISM
band for licence-free use in many countries. The hub-capacity
bandwidth varies from 256 Kbps-2Mbps and can service
approximately 120 remotes. Such a system uses a polling software
so that at any instant only one remote is addressed (TDM) thus
making available to that remote the entire hub-capacity
bandwidth. To the end customer, therefore, there is no bandwidth
limitation. The customer could be a single workstation or a LAN.
In case the customer is willing to pay only for a limited
bandwidth, e.g. 64 Kbps, this can be ensured through the use of
a bandwidth shaper. The range of communications is based on Line
of Sight (LoS) and could extend up to 40 kilometres. A number of
hubs could be co-located.
Broadband System:
Conceptually the system is akin to the Low-Capacity System.
However, here the bandwidth available at a remote could vary
from 64 Kbps — 40 Mbps. The total hub capacity could be as
much as 4 Gbps based on the number of sectors activated. There
is no restriction on the number of remotes as long as the sector
capacity of 200 Mbps is not exceeded. Because of the large
bandwidth involved such systems are generally available in the
frequencies of 10 Ghz and above. The available range of
communication depends on the frequency and the modulation scheme
but typically would be about 10-12 kilometres at 10 Ghz using
QPSK modulation. Depending upon the concentration of customers
more than one hub can be set up at a location using different
frequency channels available.
Step#2:
Compare the Cost Options
It
is difficult to compare two different things. Nonetheless, it is
always better to consider the cost-benefit aspect before setting
up wireless network. Assuming that up-linking costs are similar,
comparison is restricted to the access network.
Dial-Up
Internet Connectivity
Telephone
call charges @ Rs 25 per hour. For one year Rs 72,000 @ 10 hrs.
per day and 25 days a month excluding rentals for the telephone.
Leased-line
Connectivity
As
on date, the DoT is only able to provide a 64 Kbps
leased-circuit or 2 Mbps leased-circuit. Since the wireless
solution offers all speeds, comparison is possible only at
speeds offered by DoT. The leased-line charges of 64 Kbps for a
distance of 25 kilometres are nearly Rs 29,000 per annum. This
amount has to be paid every year. Experience has, however, shown
that a large number of customers are veering round to obtaining
a wireless connectivity because of the low-reliability of such
lines and poor throughput.
Connectivity
Broadband
System: Cost of the smallest configuration of a single
sector hub station with a 360 degree coverage having a capacity
of 200 Mbps with 50 remotes of varying capacities would be
approximately $10,00,000. In this case the remote is located on
top of a multi-storied building having corporate offices. The
distribution within the building is by structured cabling. With
each E1 giving 30 x 64 Kbps connections the cost per connection
is only Rs 13,000 (Assuming a multiplication factor of Rs 70 to
a $ to cater for CIF custom duties and so on. 7,00,00,000/200 x
30 = 11666 plus cost of cabling). There would be times when a
customer may want N x 64 Kbps, which is possible in this case.
If customs duty exemption is obtained under
"infrastructure", the cost would be considerably
lower. To this would have to be added certain overheads for
provision of service. Progressively as the hub capacity is
increased, the cost per connection would decrease substantially.
Low-Capacity System: This
is suitable for areas where the corporates are scattered over a
geographical area. The Low-Capacity System could also be used to
provide extensions from a Broadband System to customers who are
located far way.
It could also be used to
provide "last mile" connectivity between the customer
and RAS. Since each remote in the Low- Capacity has a bandwidth
of N x 64 Kbps, extensions to many customers can be given
through structured cabling in a building, further making it even
more cost-effective. The landed cost of remote would be
approximately a lakh, which if amortized over a 4-year period,
would enable an ISP to provide the service at very competitive
rates.
Step#3:
Obtain Clearance for Import Licence
The
law of the land requires an import licence for import of any
radio equipment. The Wireless Planning & Coordination (WPC)
wing provides this for a nominal fee. Without this licence, the
importer would not be able to get his consignment cleared from
the customs.
Step#4:
Request for the Use of Radio
The
next step is to put in a request for using the radio. The
request is made on a standard form available at the WPC. Details
such as name of the applicant, place to/form where the
communication is to be established, type of emission, frequency,
and so on are to be filled in. On receipt of such an
application, the WPC issues a Letter of Intent (LOI) for award
of license.
Obtain the SACFA Clearance
Advantages of Wireless Connectivity for Internet |
From the service provider’s view, the biggest advantage is that it can be set up very easily. It does not take more than a couple of hours to install a radio at the customer premises. Secondly, the ISP need not have a large number of lines at his RAS. The customer is permanently logged in and does not have to use his telephone connection. In other words he is provided a 24-hour connectivity at a 99.99 percent uptime. |
The
last and the final step is to obtain the clearance from Standing
Advisory Committee on Frequency Allocation (SACFA). Copy of the
application is sent to a large number of addressees for their
comments. The national airport authorities also play an
important role to ensure that the mast/tower to be constructed
does not affect flight safety. The entire procedure many take up
to 3 months. If appears complicated and long drawn but in realty
it is not so. It the applications are properly filled in, the
results are guaranteed. Invariably it is the first time that
things appear difficult. Consultants are also available for
liaison and taking care of the paper work on nominal fees.
Conclusion
The
growth of the Internet in India has been slow in comparison to
western countries. This is mainly due to lack of proper
infrastructure particularly in the area of "last mile"
connectivity. Wireless offers a cost-effective solution for
speedy growth. The licensing procedures though appearing
cumbersome are really not so. Quite a few ISPs have already
started using wireless in the "last mile"
connectivity. They are the ones who will be able to provide
better Quality of Service (QOS) and ultimately grow in this
field.