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Trends |
Customer Testimony |
Customer Testimony The CSA uses ICS Telecom to migrate to Terrestrial Digital Television |
Study Measurement campaign in Mali |
Reference The basics of high-speed transmission in rural areas with ICS Telecom |
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| Trends |
The future will be «multi-technology»
ATDI took part in the last Local Looping conference which was held in Paris from the 11th to the 13th of September 2002. The conference cycle provided an opportunity for a round-up of the latest trends in the local loops market. Baptiste Essevaz-Roulet, a consultant at ATDI, who spoke on the theme of «Wireless Local Loop: Point-to-Multipoint against Mesh Net-works» summarises the various talks.
WLL survivors
In a difficult context, the local loop operators (wireless local loop operators in particular) who are coming out best at present are those who have had a pragmatic and dynamic vision of the market. They have been able to adapt themselves to each customer and each situation without seeking to apply a uniform method. They have also assisted their customers in the deployment of their network through to its operation. Even more impressively, they have been able to take advantage of competitors by associating them with their project to reduce costs, particularly by using their existing infrastructures.
Another powerful trend: several speakers pronounced a requiem for «mono-technology» solutions. People now have to be «technology agnostics». Indeed, it is becoming difficult for an operator to propose a single technology. On the contrary, he must position himself as a project manager and always seek the solutions best adapted to the customer’s requirements, choosing between cable solutions (still relevant today), satellite solutions (increasingly sought after in isolated regions), radio solutions (WLL, WiFi or directional radio links depending on the situation), etc. .
Looping local and local governments
The situation of local governments was also discussed at length. The need to install high-speed networks at the local level was underlined, since such networks are a factor in lasting development and have a direct impact in economic and social terms. For the time being, most communes are not linked to a high-speed infrastructure. At the very most, certain long-distance dark fibre high-speed networks simply «pass through without stopping». And yet the need is enormous, and some direct representatives of French Departmental Councils have expressed concern at the lack of a simple solution.
To meet this need, «intelligent» solutions have been proposed in terms of the deployment of communal high-speed networks. These solutions enable a realistic deployment to be combined with a viable economic model. For example, a commune may decide to finance a restricted optical fibre infrastructure. The high speed network then accessible from communal buildings, cabled as a matter of priority, can be redistributed by radio waves (WLL, WiFi, etc.) to the rest of the area. This offers a double ad-vantage because the initial wiring of a few points enables the commune to demonstrate the tangible benefits of high-speed deployment. The second advantage is of course subsequently allowing companies and private individuals to use it on a fee-paying basis.