introduction to suburban broadband options

Introduction to Newburyport Residential BroadbandGreg Whelan

Greywale Management

Agenda

• Introduction• Newburyport Broadband Options• Most Prevalent (DSL and Cable)• Technical Limitations• Fiber 101 & Technical Limitations• Last Mile Issues• Broadband in Your Home• Why no FiOS in Newburyport?• City Network Options and Issues• Final Comments

Broadband Background

Winner

Introduction

The Internet

Google

Your Goal: Connect to the Internet

Netflix

Facebook

Twitter

Introduction (Part II)

The Internet

Google

Netflix

Facebook

Twitter

“Simplified” Network Architecture

PrivateBackbone

Interconnect

NationalCustomer

Care CenterNetwork

OperationsCenterPublic

BackboneInterconnect

VoiceComplex

Service Control

Security(SCE…)

IP MediaServices(CDN)

OSS/Billing

CoreMetroAccessHome

6500

Metro Transport N

etwork

IP ContentControl Center

Modulator

OpticTransmitters

Core IP Router(CRS-1)N

ational/Regional Transport

Mux DBDS

Mux

OpticTransport

CRS-1HSD

VODServers

ADServersEncoders

6500

SatReceivers

Demodulator

CMTS10K

Optics

IPSwitch

IPSwitch

eMTA

CM

QAMTapsSTB

Amps

Amps

Access Netw

ork

CMMTA

Newburyport Broadband(Options)

The Internet

Google

Netflix

Facebook

Twitter

VerizonCentral Office

ComcastHead End

Cell Tower(Near State Police)

Phone/DSL

Wireless

Satellite

Power

Cable

Most Prevalent “Wireline” Options Today

COAX/Cable Modem,

Copper/DSL

CMTS = Cable Modem Termination System

DSLAM = Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer

The “Last Mile”

Comcast Headend(Hale Street)

Verizon CO(Green Street)

“Tree and Branch”Architecture

“Home Run”Architecture

The Internet

Google

Netflix

Facebook

Twitter

What do they look like?

DSLAM (Alcatel)

CMTS (Arris)

Bandwidth Limitations• Both architectures have asymmetrical

data rates due to RF Frequency issues– High downstream (To the home) than

upstream (Away from the home)– Usually not an issue because traffic flows are

asymmetrical as well• Web Surfing, Video/TV

• Cable has a shared upstream (tree and branch) which can lead to congestion (slower performance) during peak hours

• DSL has dedicated upstream but connection from the DSLAM to the Internet is “Over Subscribed”– Note: FiOS uses a Passive Optical Network

(PON) architecture which is similar to the HFC architecture except the fiber terminates on each home

“Downstream” 3M to 20 Mbps

“Upstream”500Kbps to 4 Mbps

To Internet

Fiber?

COAX

TwistedPair

Comcast Headend(Hale Street)

Verizon CO(Green Street)

Fiber

FiberIf we had

FIOS

Cable is a Hybrid-Fiber-Coax Architecture

DSL is a FTTx ArchitectureFiOS is a PON Fiber Architecture

Fiber

Fiber

The Internet

Google

Netflix

Facebook

Twitter

FTTx (Fiber to the ____)• FTTH – (1 home) Fiber to the

home• FTTC – (8-16 homes) Fiber to the

curb– Copper to the home with higher speed DSL (Shorter

distance, less signal attenuation)

• FTTN (50-100 Homes) – Fiber to the Neighborhood (or pedestal or cabinet. – Those green boxes, – Longer copper cables = less

bandwidth

• FTTR – Fiber to the Rich

Last Mile Issues

• Expensive and labor intensive to deploy and maintain

• Rights-of-way/Real Estate/Political Issues• Density is key

– Cost per home passed/Cost per home served

• Why don’t we all have fiber today?– $ Billions invested in deployed copper pairs

and coax cable.– New technologies (e.g., DSL and DOCSIS)

continue to improve bandwidth to homes.

Triple Play Distribution (SP)

Coax/Copper

CAT5/6

Copper

Coax

NID

Cable Modem/ DSL Modem

Triple Play Distribution (SP)A little more complex view!

Triple Play Distribution (OTT)

Coax/Copper CAT5/6

NID

VoIP/Skype/Vonage et al

Netflix, Hulu,RoKu

Why No FiOS in Newburyport?• West Newbury has FiOS• Massachusetts has town-by-town franchising• Towns demand quid-pro quo for franchise

– New Fire Truck, New School Wing• Verizon abandoned MA to states with state-wide

franchising– E.g. Texas

• Newburyport is ideal for FiOS– Aerial wiring (e.g. Telephone poles, No need to dig

trenches which are expensive and disruptive)– Dense neighborhoods (can serve many homes per

mile of fiber)– Affluent community (Desire triple-play services and

can pay for them)

City/Metro Options?• City owned Dark Fiber? Regional Broadband?

– Cost to “light it”?– Cost to connect each home?– Interconnect Cost (To Internet)?– Cost to maintain it?– Regulatory/legal issues

• Municipal WiFi?– Been tried in many places..– Cost of each access point X # of access points– Back haul cost? New fiber?– Peak time congestion issues?– Cost to maintain?

Final Comments• Government cannot mandate

deployments– Can only create competitive environment

• Competition (or threat of) is good– Will drive bandwidth up and rates down

• Don’t under estimate what it takes to deploy and maintain last mile solutions

Thank You!Greg Whelan

gwhelan@greywale.com

Greywale Management