A presentation for the 2015 Border to Border Broadband conference in Minneapolis MN. Sponsored by the Blandin Foundation.

1. 11-18-2015

2.  Faster deployment compared to fiber or
copper
 Lower cost than fiber in sparsely populated
areas
 Geographic boundaries are less constrictive
 Option for licensed or unlicensed spectrum
 Devices are cost effective
 Mobility: broadband to a device, not a
location

3.  Wireless is not a “physical” connection which
creates reliability concerns and customer service
costs as well as more truck rolls
 Throughput is usually less than fiber connections
 Spectrum is required which is expensive when
licensed and potentially noisy when unlicensed
 The pace of technology changes require the
networks to be constantly upgraded
 Tower space is extremely expensive unless the
carrier owns it or has a friendly relationship with
the owner

4.  Point to point
◦ Connection of one location to another, no mobility
and is a one to one connection
◦ Usually high throughput up to 1 Gbps
 Point to Multipoint
◦ Connection from one location to multiple devices
◦ Mobility is the biggest advantage
◦ Cellular networks are the largest example
◦ Minnesota’s public safety network is an example
◦ Large amount of connections across Minnesota
being used for wireless broadband for business and
residential and sometimes the only option

5.  Assumptions
◦ 25 square miles of rural broadband need
◦ 1 home per square mile
◦ 20 Mbps peak requirement to each location
◦ Capex cost for a wireless network including a tower
 $250,000
◦ Capex cost for fiber to the premise for all 25
locations
 $20,000 per mile for a total of $500,000
 Summary
◦ Less than 3 homes per square mile, wireless is
more cost effective and can deliver great bandwidth

6.  Not long ago, entire companies operated on a 1.5
Mbps circuit to the internet
 Streaming video has changed broadband
 Today nearly 60% of the global broadband
consumption is from one company and application -
Netflix
 Non-entertainment streaming video protocols are
driving the bandwidth needs, as well
 Broadband utilization spans all generations and
cultures and is considered critical infrastructure
 Over the top video is becoming the normal

7.  Today, each broadband user contributes approximately 300 Kbps
of usage to the busy hour calculation.
 An LTE system with 20 MHz of spectrum can deliver an aggregate
capacity of approximately 40 Mbps per sector.
 That sector at today’s usage requirements should handle
approximately 150 broadband users but in reality, 100 users is
more accurate
 Spectrum quantity and quality is critical for a wireless system to
be successful
 Using unlicensed spectrum or Pseudo licensed spectrum in a
populated area where other competitors are using the same
spectrum is very challenging
 In rural areas or areas where other operators are not using
unlicensed spectrum, a wireless broadband operator can be very
successful

8.  The cost per subscriber can be impacted by the type
of device used and if it is an outdoor installation or
indoor installation
 Higher frequencies impacted by building materials
usually require an outdoor installation
 Indoor installations usually use a lower cost device,
and the labor is greatly reduced or eliminated
 Technologies require the best possible signal level
and quality to be the most efficient
 Some customers should not be served due to the
negative impact on the overall system

9.  Trees have a significant impact on propagation of
radio frequencies and the higher the frequency
the more impact
 Buildings have a significant impact on propagation
(i.e.) steel siding, concrete) thus the reason your
cell phones don’t always work indoors
 Hilly and mountainous areas have a negative
impact on radio frequencies
 Gas-filled windows will prevent radio frequencies
from passing through

10.  Unlicensed examples
◦ 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 1900 MHz DECT, 5 GHz
 Licensed examples
◦ 850 MHz Cellular, 1900 MHz PCS, 700 MHz FirstNet
◦ 11 GHz point to point
 New Spectrum
◦ 600 MHz incentive auction
 Pseudo Licensed example
◦ 3.65 GHz

11.  Base Stations or Access Points are being installed
at or near the antennas to reduce signal loss in
the coax
 Tier 1 carriers are deploying this strategy where
once only Wireless Internet Service Providers
utilized this practice
 Equipment is becoming more reliable, and it is
changing how networks are deployed
 Distributed antenna systems and in-building
solutions are more prevalent
 Each tower location is typically served with 100
Mbps service either by fiber or wireless backhaul

12.  Wireless is a great solution to provide broadband
 Streaming video has impacted all internet service
providers capacity needs, but wireless is impacted
more negatively due to the finite resources and the
cost of spectrum
 Rural areas served by the larger national carriers will
require Wireless Internet Service Providers to fill the
void left by their inability to serve the low populated
areas
 A mix of fiber, copper, coax and wireless will need
to be utilized to meet the demand in our rural areas
 Wireless cannot meet all of the needs we have, but it
can be an important tool in the toolbox.

13. Thank you!
Albert Kangas, COO and GM
NewCore Wireless
E: albert.kangas@corewg.com
www.NewCoreWireless.Net