region a wireless propagation study€¦ · swc nc - ecc technologies 2. your presenter education...

REGION A WIRELESS PROPAGATION STUDY

SOUTHWEST COMMISSION, NC| OCTOBER 2019

Agenda

❑Your Presenter

❑Scope of Study

❑Current Results

❑Work in Process

❑Conclusions

SWC NC - ECC TECHNOLOGIES 2

Your Presenter▪ Education

▪ ECU BSBA Accounting/Computer Sci. | NCSU MS Economics

▪ Professional▪ Ernst & Whinney

▪ Sequent Computer Systems (IPO / IBM) [Large computer sys]

▪ Vanguard Cellular (IP) / ATT) [Original cellular provider]

▪ The Southern Company [Fortune 50 energy company]

▪ GTE (pre-Verizon) [Wireless data – CDPD and 1G]

▪ BellSouth (ATT) [Strategic planning, e-biz, large biz]

▪ ITO [Start up wholesaler of comms. circuits]

▪ ECC Technologies

▪ Selected Consulting▪ Charlotte Hornets

▪ Water Systems, Inc.

▪ East Tennessee Brain & Spine

▪ Palmetto Behavioral Health

▪ Waste Industries


▪ ECC Selected Clients▪ The Southwest Commission

▪ The Albemarle Commission

▪ State of Georgia

▪ Carroll EMC

▪ Madison County, NY

▪ Harnett County, NC

▪ Roanoke EMC

▪ Piedmont EMC

▪ Tidewater EMC

▪ EnergyUnited

▪ Flint Energies

▪ Cowetta Fayetta EMC

▪ MCNC Network

▪ Lumbee River EMC

▪ The Southern Tier Network

Scope Items▪ Identify areas of need using Phase 1 info

▪ Inventory vertical assets, map and identify

▪ Identify and map known fiber assets

▪ Conduct drive-by and visits on publicly owned vertical assets

▪ Contact asset owners

▪ Examine county tower ordinance s

▪ Identify RF frequencies in use

▪ Develop strategies for potential projects

▪ Present findings


ECC’s Responsibilities❑ Execute to support the goals of the

SouthWest Commission, which, in turn, aid each of the Counties.

❑ Support all viable, proven technologies.

❑ Support all proven, service providers.

❑ Support all voices in the communityworking together for broadband.

❑ Ensure focus is on information which is relevant, valuable and actionable.

❑ Continually ensure cost/value are parts of discussions.


Identify Areas of Need - 2017 BAAT▪ Broadband Assessment &

Aggregation Tool

▪ 4,689 residential responses

▪ 154 commercial responses


Selected Download Rates

0 – 4 Mbps

4 – 10 Mbps

10 – 25 Mbps

25 – 50 Mbps

Identify Areas of Need


Residential Commercial

2019 GREAT Grant Awards in SW NC❑Sky Wave ▪ Swain County

▪ Macon County

❑Sky-Fi▪ Jackson County

❑Morris Broadband▪ Macon County


Connect America Fund (CAF II) ❑ Shaded Blue Area is

the eligible area

❑ Dark Blue is the funded areas


Fiber Advantages and Providers

❑ Unlimited Bandwidth ❑ Telecom Standard for Backbone

Infrastructure between cities and communications towers

❑ Discrete / Independent Networks

❑ Multiple Users – both service providers, public organizations, enterprise and others

❑ Metro, Regional and Long haul

❑ Ring Redundancy

❑ Regional Fiber Providers❑ BalsaamWest / MCNC

❑ North Georgia Network (NGN)

❑ Morris Broadband, Zito Media, Murphy CATV, Cablevision and Northland

❑ Incumbents

◦ AT&T

◦ Charter

◦ Frontier

◦ Windstream


Fiber Routes in SW North Carolina

❑ Sources of Informationo GeoTelo Fiber Locatoro ECC Field Study in

Cherokee and Swain Counties

o Provider websites


Inventory and Map Vertical AssetsOver 400 records identified from 5 sources – with some duplications


Sources

County Information

State FirstNet Database

American Tower

Crown Castle

FCC Registration

Radio Propagation Samples


❑Map is based on 477 Info and2017 BAAT Survey

❑Compare data and look for areas in need

❑Towers were selected as examples

Propagation Mapping – Baseline


❑ Only Wireless Towers▪ 70% height (approx. 40M)

▪ Various Tower Owners

▪ Attempted to evaluate otherstructures – tanks et al

❑ Radio▪ Cambium PMP 450i

▪ Quality parameters – standard

❑ Antenna ▪ Gain 35 dbi

▪ Frequency 5,700 Mhz

▪ Tilt 4 degrees

Cherokee County – Sample Site 01


Fain Mtn Tower (Bill Forsyth) – Murphy, NC

Clay County – Sample Site 02


SBA Towers – Hayesville, NC

Graham County – Sample Site 03


Crown Castle –Robbinsville, NC

Haywood County – Sample Site 04


SBA Towers –Waynesville, NC

Jackson County – Sample Site 05


Crown Atlantic –Savannah, NC

Macon County – Sample Site 06


Crown Castle – Bryson City, NC

Swain County – Sample Site 07


SBA Towers – Nantahala, NC

Who Owns Towers in Western NC?


❑Private – Tower Owners▪ American Tower

▪ Crown Atlantic

▪ Crown Castle

▪ SBA

▪ Radio Stations

❑Public – County, City, Town • Wireless and Water Tanks

❑State – NC State Hwy Patrol VIPER System

Local Providers


o Incumbents –▪ AT&T, Charter, Frontier and Windstream typically will not do anything

until competition forces them to improve service.

o Alternative Providers - WISPs and others in the areao Sky-Fi – WISP in Jackson Countyo Sky Wave – WISP in Swain Countyo Sky Tech – WISP in Cherokee & parts of Clay Counties (River

Street)o Skyrunner – WISP in Ashville Haywood and Jackson Countieso Zito Media - Corp in PA, landline provider in Graham and

Swain Countieso Eastern Band of Cherokees Broadband – Wireless and land

line provider in Swain and Jackson Countieso Morris Broadband – Land Line provider in Macon County, GA

based companyo BalsamWest – WISP and land line provider in Cherokee, Clay,

Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swaino NGN (BREMC) – Land line provider in Cherokee County

Understand Providers Perspective❑Cost to provide broadband:o Tower lease (RAD)

o Tower climber

o Cabling

o RF equipment at the tower

o Switching equipment at the tower▪ Lease space / power

o Transport (circuit or dark fiber)

o Route to aggregation point

o Route to peering point

❑Purchase Network equipmento Spares

o Repairs

oMTTR


❑Networko Network management

o Network security

o 24 x 7 availability

❑End Usero Equipment

o Installation and configuration

o Billing AND collection

o 24 x 7 network AND device support

o Dispatch if required

o Spares

❑Regulatory & Legalo Reporting

o Frequency Management

Identify Frequencies Used


5 GHz Unlicensed PTMP and Backhauls PTP• LOS only• More spectrum than 3 GHz

11 GHz & 18 GHz Licensed Backhauls PTP• Licenses are easily obtained• Great throughput, high reliability

24 Ghz Backhauls PTP• Unlicensed• High throughput• Suffer from possible rain fade so reliability is an

issue on longer links• Low cost

2.4 GHz Unlicensed PTMP• Frequency is saturated and unusable in most

areas for WISPs

2.5 GHz Licensed PTMP• Better choice for penetration, non line of sight

(NLOS)• Best performance due to no interference• Hardest license to get

3.65 GHz License• Nationwide licenses not being issued by FCC• Better than 5 GHz for NLOS• Available product lines utilizing LTE technology

with best NLOS up to 3 miles in foliage

Fixed W/L Equipment Manufacturers


Manufacturer CostProviderSupport Frequencies

Baicells Medium Distributor 2.5, 3.5 and 5.8 (LTE) Ghz

Cambium Medium Direct & Distributor 900 Mhz, 2, 3 and 5Ghz

MikroTik Low Direct & Distributor 2.4 and 5 Ghz

Mimosa Low Direct & Distributor 4.9 to 6.4 Ghz

Radwin High Direct 2.x, 3.x, 4.9, 5.x, 6.4GHz

Ubiquiti Low Distributor 900 Mhz, 2.4, 3 and 5 Ghz

Telrad High Direct 2.3GHz, 2.5GHz, 3.5GHz(LTE) 5 Ghz

ECC is asking each vendor to model the seven sites previously shown in this slide – preferably using theirproprietary applications. This will allow a vendor, technology, topology, pricing and response comparison for the above listed companies.

Project Next Steps (WIP)


▪Conduct drive by visits of public assets

▪Continue to identify frequencies used

▪Develop strategies for potential projects

▪ Set meetings with potential alternative providers

• What are your plans for SWC?

• Use BAAT with alternate providers

▪Continue to meet with Counties and other interested parties

▪Complete Phase 2 report and present findings

Next Steps❑ Set a stairstep project plan to advance broadband

▪ Mitigate risk to the participants

▪ Understand the financial and operating constraints of providers

▪ Understand the current deployment environment

▪ Consider potential partners

❑ Consider opportunity to partner or participate in Grant applications▪ County involvement only

▪ Service Provider

▪ Council of Government

▪ Golden Leaf

▪ Electric Cooperative

▪ Other entities such as an agricultural cooperative

▪ Consider the creation of a Cooperative to apply for Federal Grants from both USDA and the FCC


Questions!


Thank You!SOUTHWEST COMMISSION NC | OCTOBER 2019

region a wireless propagation study€¦ · swc nc - ecc technologies 2. your presenter education...

Documents