Category Archives: Uncategorized

How will CAF 2 Roll out successfully?

September 16, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

The CAF, Connect America Fund. Brought to you by the FCC! WOW! A fund to help subsidize the growth of the rural areas in the USA so that we may have broadband everywhere. While most people are not in favor of the tax money being used for this, I think it’s good for the industry. Yes, anything to help people deploy more broadband to spark the economy in those areas without broadband can be seen as a good thing. It’s not a new idea, but maybe now we can break the barriers that stopped us before, like budgets. I support growth and bringing high-speed wireless affordable internet to all. While you may not think about this if you’re in an urban or suburban area, I was raised in a very rural farming community. For them to get internet access is huge.

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To put the rural areas into perspective farmers are on the cutting edge of technology. They are constantly looking for better yields from their crops. That means that they are looking at everything from weather patterns, soil moisture, pests, and so on. Not only that but they also have tractors that can tun themselves using GPS tracking, yes, self-driving tractors. Did I mention that they also track their animals? You get the picture. Now you have one farmer, using wireless, data, and GPS to track pest, weather, herds, and their self-driving vehicles in the fields. Farming got high-tech, and most of you didn’t realize it. It’s where all the technologies meet, and big data is crucial.

Now, what about all the smart people that are in rural areas that may need broadband? Now they have the opportunity thanks to these grants. Schoolkids that have to be at school for internet access. A business that has to reside in town may not be able to work remote or from home. You may not want to work from home, but you know this is how it’s done today. FYI, farmers work from home.

Winners must deploy service to locations in the CBG – 40% of the number of locations by year 3 – Additional 20% in each subsequent year – 100% of locations by year 6 – Measured at the state level

Data on locations served filed with USAC • Rates must be reasonably comparable to rates for similar services in urban areas.

So, now let’s look over the winners of the auction, not the companies, but the technologies that are going to be used. If you want a list of companies, the links are below. I think we need to figure out how the technologies are going to be used and I may mention the companies will use them.

Technologies:

Optical/Fiber – OK, we have all seen this play out This time the government is helping to foot the bill. If you look at many of this winners, this is only a partial solution. They also mix it with fixed wireless, which makes a lot of sense. The thing is, it is very expensive to run fiber across the rural areas, so if the government helps pay for that, I see it as a good thing because it will open up so many new doors. The fiber is essential to the backbone for broadband in those areas. Once someone runs the first fiber run, then others can jump on it or have a model to work with. The carriers have been running fiber to a rural area when it becomes cost-effective, although they still use the microwave in many of those areas. They probably find it cost-effective, but the need is going to outweigh the cost at some point. I am so happy that some have signed up to do this. The list starts here (taken for the FierceWireless Article listed in the resources section) :
- Rural Electric Cooperative – fiber to the end-user, $186K to cover 66,322 locations,
- Benton Ridge Telephone Company – fiber to the end-user and fixed wireless, $52K to cover 23,957 locations,
- Midcontinent Communications – fiber to the end-user and fixed wireless, $39K to cover 9,371 locations,
- Wilkes Telephone Membership Operation – fiber to the end-user and fixed wireless, $33K to cover 13,866 locations,
Terrestrial fixed wireless – this is great, some companies are going to roll out fixed wireless of some kind. I hope it has enough bandwidth that many users can use it with efficiency and real broadband. Why do I say this? Because I have done a lot of fixed wireless ventures in the past using the ISM band. I saw the 928MHz roll out because they thought it would cut through vegetation, but the power was low, and the bandwidth limited. I’ve seen 2.4GHz rollout out with success, but the bandwidth was limited, and it usually has shared loading. I’ve seen 5.8GHz rolled out with limited success. All of these are license free but very low power and very limited in coverage, and the loading can cause problems. I would love to see the CBRS used effectively and maybe some of the mmwave. That is where I think we need to go. Unfortunately, unless you see Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T on the list, it probably won’t be mmwave. Again, that is where we want to go to make the broadband rollout effective with reasonable broadband. I thought maybe Sprint would have signed up for some of this, but nothing. Here is a list of the fixed wireless companies that I didn’t mention above.
- AMG Technology Investment Group LLC, $281K to cover 100,661 locations,
- Wisper ISP, Inc, $220K to cover 80,149 locations,
- California Internet, LP, $88K to cover 11,845 locations,
- Comnet Wireless, LLC, &80K to cover 31,824 locations,
- Net, Inc, $51K to cover 20,859 locations,
Geostationary Satellite – this holds a place in my heart. I love satellite, but it has been so limited. Now, Hughes is talking about rolling out the LEO satellite system, which they talked about years ago. It’s going to be like is a cell site in the sky. LEO satellites are lower and constantly moving, you would need to connect to multiple satellites like you would cell sites. I love the model, and I hope someday it happens. Since this says geostationary satellites, keep in mind that they are very limited, super expensive to deploy, and fixed. I love satellite, but they have their limitations, and the payback is a very long time. At least that was the old model; I am not sure how it’s changed with more competition in the rocket companies. If they really plan to use geostationary and not the LEO satellites, then I hope they have line of sight to the sky, and the users can accept the dish on their roofs. It’s going to be the same old battle that users have always had. It’s great when you’re using a new bird, but the latency is high, and if it becomes loaded, everyone has to share the transponder. If you need something and you are literally in the middle of nowhere, it may be your only option and will work if you have no alternative. Who is doing this?
- ViaSat, Inc, $123K to cover 190,595 locations.

Whatever your preference, there should be opportunities here for the rural workers. These guys are going to try to do as much as they can within the budget. While it may look like a lot of money on the list, they have a lot of territories to cover. Most have permitting, regulations, and all the paperwork that has to happen as soon as they design something but before they deploy. It looks to be in their own territories, so they should be well prepared for the work coming their way. They also have to fulfill the commitment to the FCC to keep the money. That may sound easy, but they need proof that they did what they said they were going to do.

Normally I would say this will be a lot of work for the industry, but unless you already work with them, you may not get much. All we can do is offer our services and see who needs support. In my case, fixed wireless, massive MIMO, and small cell design. For you, fiber, IT, RF planning, and so on.

Deploy, deploy, deploy! It good for the industry and for the end-user!

Just remember, I am here to help at www.techfecta.com when you’re ready!

Resources:

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Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

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Uncategorized

Will 5G everywhere create new business?

July 15, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

I get asked a lot about 5G. I’ve emailed with questions, so I thought I would answer them and expand on the coverage everywhere.

Question – When will 5G rollout? Answer – it’s going to start in 2019, but 2020 is when it will reach the broad market, at least in the USA.
Question – Who will roll out 5G first. Answer – It could be anyone. In the USA all the carriers are working towards 5G, but Verizon and AT&T are working to get fixed wireless 5G while it appears that T-Mobile and Sprint are working to get mobile 5G out there first. If they merge, then they could get it out there even faster.
Question – will 5G pay back its initial investment? Answer – I hope so!
Question – will 5G make more money than 4G? Answer – I hope so!
Question –Will 5G reach everyone? Answer – it won’t.

The reality is there will be 5G almost everywhere, probably in 2022, but we don’t have wireless coverage everywhere now, do we? Sure, Wi-Fi has amazing indoor penetration, but no thanks to the carriers. We had to add it ourselves. AT&T started to roll out Wi-Fi, remember, then they seemed to slow down, nearly stop. It was hard for them to get paid for it, but they wanted to offer it to their customers. I give the cable companies credit, they rolled out Wi-Fi better than anyone, but I am not sure how they are making money off of it. They seem to limit access on occasion.

Back to 5G, will it be everywhere? Probably not, but if the carriers replace 4G with 5G and continue to upgrade 2G and 3G to the latest and greatest, it will match and expand on what we have today. They have to continue to push out the licensed spectrum.

The beauty is that we ill have more options for 5G, like CBRS, LTE-U, and even Wi-Fi could all play a part to get 5G everywhere. We will use all the spectrum in the toolbox to get close. That is why it is so important to keep all the options open.

Wi-Fi is coming out with 802.11ax, learn more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11ax, which would help make Wi-Fi even better, according to the reports.

The great news for Wi-Fi vendors is that they will sell more product. That’s good news for the vendors!

The handsets are already being upgraded; they will add new spectrum, LTE-U, CBRS, and more to their smartphones.

The carriers are going to look for cost-effective ways to roll out more sites, small cell, CRAN, DAS, and macro. It’s the only way to reach more people with the higher broadband requirements. They will need more fiber for backhaul and fronthaul. They will need to deploy wireless backhaul and fronthaul. It all costs money.

Therein lies the rub! Now that most plans are unlimited, where is that extra revenue going to come from? They need new revenue sources. They will try to get more money for 5G in the beginning, but how long will that be until T-Mobile offers unlimited 5G for a flat fee that forces everyone to play in the same sandbox?

For 5G to be everywhere, we need more than IOT to take it everywhere. We need new businesses that will build around 5G. That’s the key to success. What is the new business model, to be honest, I am not sure. Here are some ideas.

Augmented reality in sports? I hope so, that would be so cool. I think to see any sport in full 3D or as if you are there, would be the greatest!
Virtual reality in gaming? Again, the coolness factor is through the roof! I think this would be the greatest, and I am not a gamer. Just the thought of it would rule.
Movies for augmented reality? Is this really a 5G play? It doesn’t seem like it.
IOT is a way for the carriers to increase revenue and subscribers. The thing is, IOT devices will be cheap, low monthly airtime is expected. The great thing is that it should be automated to the point the carriers just activate them by the hundreds and they don’t do anything else. Still, low revenue doesn’t help much so there have to be very high numbers to see the gain.
Medical! Augmented reality with massive broadband and ultra-low latency could make remote surgeries a reality. Here is a key medical practice that could open up a new business and world. There is a lot of risks here, but it could get advanced surgeries to poor countries. Again, we need investment from philanthropy groups to pay the bill. However, look how much money the Red Cross and United Way throw around. This could be a way to get the ball rolling to save lives not only in other countries but remotely here in the US. If there is an accident somewhere and there isn’t time to get there, the ambulance could set something up to allow the doctor to do tests and perhaps a medical procedure remotely to save on valuable time! What if something happens in a remote place, mountaintop, snow-covered ridge, or even at a tower site? All remote and all could get something done immediately, before going back to the hospital. A lifesaver that a hospital could invest in. Could you imagine someone in their apartment getting the help they need before leaving for the hospital from a surgeon? Awesome!
The live video could be used for public safety or entertainment. Look how Instagram and Twitter spread news faster than ever. This could make anyone a live reporter. It could also make any public safety official on a live uninterrupted video stream. Would that make things better or worse? We’ll see.
Smart grid control – this is an IOT thing, and to be honest, it can probably be done with 4G or SigFox.
Self-driving vehicles are another thing that we expect to see. However, they are already here, and most of the brains are in the vehicle. It’s not that they don’t trust the carrier to provide the signal, it’s the latency through the system. When I say vehicles, think cars, trucks, and drones. Think of package delivery. I believe that this is possible, but people don’t trust the vehicles on the road without a human. That is unless the government is using a drone to spy without a live pilot in the vehicle. They still have live pilots back in a control center. The pilots are watching in real-time. The way I see it, LTE can do this, but 5G will make it better.
Extreme broadband will replace cable access to the homes. This is something that the carriers are betting on. They intend to provide fixed wireless to as many businesses and homes as they possibly can. It makes sense, and it will be a new source of revenue for the carriers. Here is a money-maker for them. They will attack the cable companies head to head.

The point is, we need to see what new business cases will drive 5G. The carriers are already looking for new business ideas outside of the connection. That’s why Verizon and AT&T are looking at the entertainment business as well as companies with new apps. They need to expand as soon as possible.

I purposely didn’t bring up the smart city initiatives. I’ve been looking at this, and most cities don’t want to spend any money outside of public safety. They are looking for partners to do it for them. Spoiler alert, what I have seen for smart cities is live video and IOT applications, and they want someone else to pay. Maybe a utility or a local business. Then they want to charge the said company for permits, access to assets, and traffic control. I’m just saying, this is what I have seen over and over again. There are several exceptions, and they shine!

What can you do to make this happen? Come up with some ideas of your own and make it happen!

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

See Ya!

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The foundations below do beautiful work, helping families in their time of need. Climbers often get seriously injured or die on the job. The foundations below support those families in their time of greatest need!

Hubble Foundation helps the families of climbers in a time of need and beyond with financial support and counseling!

Tower Family Foundation supports the families of tower climbers at the time of crisis when a climber falls with financial assistance and more.

Uncategorized

Will Tower Workers Safely handle the Next Deployment?

June 23, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

Looking at all the work that is coming up in 2019 through 2022, will the tower workers be protected? You may be asking, protected from what? I would say from the horrible scheduling that they had to deal with in the past. Couple that with work ramping up which adds inexperienced climbers that need better training. The shortage of workers out there. From the carriers that pushed the GCs so hard knowing that they were untouchable. Even tower owners rarely get in trouble; it’s a problem that compounds.

The carriers have done a lot to make sure they were untouchable with the layers of GCs between them and the climber. So many layers, but the climber is working off the documentation and direction of the carrier, no one else. The FCC and OSHA know this, and due to recent changes, carriers may not be protected like they once were. With the AT&T lawsuit, https://wade4wireless.com/2018/06/04/what-the-att-30m-payout-to-an-injured-climber-means-to-future-work/ maybe lawyers will look to suing carriers more. While there were more circumstances in the lawsuit than just the carrier, the new standard is set. While not many lawyers will go up against a carrier unless they think they can win, it opens a door. However, tower ownership matters. Will the tower owners become more involved in making tower safer? That lawsuit was specifically about the tower. It could have been any tower owner.

Ah yes, the tower owners who rely on contractors to let them know if the tower is safe or not. Again, it is a clean way for them to pass the responsibility onto the tower. I know they say they want every tower to be as safe as possible, but more safety comes at a price. A price that most should think long and hard before paying, after all, what is a person’s life worth?

The carriers joining NATE shows that they acknowledge that there is a problem, that’s good news. They were quick to get involved in the rulemaking for training climbers. Yet, they don’t employ many climbers, if any, do they? Although, they are responsible for (I’m guessing) 85% (or more) of the work out there. You see, the way I see it when they joined NATE, they were quick to help any way they could to prevent future accidents. While the one thing that I saw prevented accidents was the downturn of work. It’s not that the work is no longer there, it’s that the schedules are not crazy. They are not pounding climbers into the ground. A key factor in fewer accidents is a realistic schedule and a trained workforce.

Carriers hire the GCs or OEMs that hires the climbers. The GCs and OEMs are full of PMs that work with the field crews. They are the ones that bear the burden of the project succeeding or failing.

The PMs are the ones that not only deal with all the problems in the field coming back from the climbers complaining but the changes in schedule and sites from the carrier. They hear crap from both ends, a task that takes its toll on their time, energy, and good spirits.

Will this all change in 2019 and 2020 and Massive MIMO and 5G rollout? What about the growth of fixed wireless? Will these upgrades start to strain the industry again? Was the last downturn enough to get the less than reputable companies out of business? I guess we will see in 2019, won’t we?

I have heard how the tower climbing workforce will be at full capacity in 2019. So much so that the prices of crews will go higher and higher. Maybe they can cash in for the next 2 years. That’s if T-Mobile and Sprint roll out the way they say they’re going to. Also, AT&T must commit to building the FirstNet system the way they promised to.

I remain skeptical. Promises were made to be broken. We may not see all the work hit at once, but then again, maybe we will. I don’t mean to be wishy-washy, but we should face facts that there are a lot of factors holding them back. Many things, if not all, are out of the climber’s control.

What could hold back production? I am glad you asked, let me count the ways.

OEM delays that happen.
The 5G NR format being finalized by 3GPP.
Site acquisition delays.
Tower upgrades are taking longer than normal.
Tower owners are asking for too much money for upgrades.
Permitting and zoning issues. Let’s face it; municipalities are not happy with the way that carriers have steamrolled them by changing small cell laws at a state level.
Lack of training for new equipment installation.
Equipment delays, cable delays, antenna delays.
I am sure there a dozen more.

This is what the reality is. Not that things may go perfectly, and all climbers can make over $100K for the next 2 to 3 years, but to be honest, I don’t see that happening. As usual, the GCs will make the most money.

To sum it up here’s what matters from my perspective.

Properly trained workers. (TIRAP, certified, experience)
Responsible workers.
Healthy workers. Physically and mentally.
Having the best safety gear and tools possible.
Realistic schedules, not insanity that puts the climbers at risk from exhaustion, being rushed.
Avoid careless mistakes by overlooking a site walk or survey.
Respect the tower, rooftop, or job site, each one.
GCs that do the due diligence prior to the onsite work.
Proper safety inspections, before, during, and possibly after the work.
Safety audits on working tower crews.
Following OSHA guidelines.
Respect for everyone involved. This means respecting the climber and listen to their problems but that goes both ways, they need to listen to the safety teams, the project managers, and the carriers. In this case, it should swing both ways. All sides need to listen.
Lessons learned, safety talks, corrections as needed.
Proper documentation.
The reputation of the tower crew/company. Accidents happen, but how many and why?

By the way:

PM – Project Manager
OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturers like Ericsson, Nokia, or Samsung
GC – General Contractor like Black and Veatch or SAC Wireless

Hope this helps.

Hey, tell me what you think, message me on Facebook, LinkedIn, or wade4wireless@gmail.com if you have an opinion.

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

See Ya!

More products from TechFecta and Wade4Wireless:

Do you know what to put in your SOW, the details needed to get paid for milestones or job completion?

Putting together your smart city tech solutions, planning, development, and more…TechFecta! Guiding you to a better plan through consulting!

Hubble Foundation helps the families of climbers in a time of need and beyond with financial support and counseling!

Tower Family Foundation supports the families of tower climbers at the time of crisis when a climber falls with financial assistance and more.

Uncategorized

The 5G Ecosystem

January 22, 2018 Wade Leave a comment

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FYI – this is a partial report of the new collection of reports I am compiling for my new book, “The Road to 5G Deployment”.

The 5G ecosystem seems endless, but we must look at all aspects. The NR is something that will have the true 5G format. It’s going to be the driver for most of the 5G radios.

One thing you see all the time is the 5G NR, New Radio. The reason is that the NR is supposed to have the 5G format. What the hell is that? With LTE they could explain exactly what the over the air format looked like. The thing is, as LTE evolution happened there were more and more features that were included. Sure, you all hear of 256 QAM and how that changed everything, but there’s more at play than just a kick-ass modulation. It’s an ecosystem that will be created with the 5G system. We all want to see 5G as something that is over the air, but the reality is more equipment will be needed to make 5G a reality.

If you want to know more about over the air signaling, go to:

The features were carrier aggregation. This was the part where they could get multiple carriers to all be sent to a device then put together to look like one big pipe. They could do this on the wired side for years, you may know it as multiplexing. Now, they can do it with wireless. But wait, there’s more! Now they can take the carriers from the different spectrum and put it all together as long as the UE device can hear them all at the same time. WOW! But wait, this was all good if it was all LTE, same format, but they also added in Wi-Fi, which works! Find out more at

https://wade4wireless.com/2015/09/08/lwa-laa-lte-u-and-wi-fi/ and https://wade4wireless.com/2017/12/04/what-is-carrier-aggregation/ if you want to know more. They were able to get all the spectrum to work together, like the licensed, lightly licensed, and unlicensed spectrum to work as one larger cohesive unit. More spectrum means more throughput. More throughput means happy end users and spectrum efficiency, sort of.

Spectral efficiency is essential, and this is being looked at with new forms of beamforming. Beamforming was around for a while, but it was out there to help coverage issues and to overcome RF reflections that caused problems. However, today we have 3D beamforming that is way more than that. It is creating the antenna to be more efficient in spectrum use and loading. How can this be made better?

Massive MIMO, where they put more than 32 elements in one antenna, then you could have each element capable of beamforming so that it can communicate with a limited number of user devices with minimal interference. WOW! Now, with these elements, you need to have a radio that could talk to each element individually as well as control the beams of each element. Hence, this is all part of massive MIMO today.

What is NR?

Good question. NR stands for New Radio, creative, right? New Radio, like when isn’t there a new radio with a new generation, but that’s the name these marketing geniuses went with. We all want something new, right?

So, the NR will have no compatibility constraints, according to the articles. We see that the standard seems to build on OFDM, the LTE standard. It will encompass more bands. It will allow LTE and Wi-Fi to work together.

Luckily 3GPP is going to sort all of this out for us. They are setting the standard, in fact, they already have a standard. I don’t’ believe it’s complete but the first specifications have been approved. They came out with something in December of 2017 that has the industry buzzing. It’s funny because if you listen to the carriers here in the USA, you would think it’s rolling out as we speak. If you want to see what the companies are saying, go to http://www.3gpp.org/news-events/3gpp-news/1931-industry_pr_5g and you can see a list of quotes from carriers, manufacturers, and anyone who intends to build something 5G.

It’s exciting, but keep in mind that they need to build off what we have, which means for the first time, the 4G system can gradually morph into a 5G system without complete network overhauls. However, to meet the specifications set by the ITU there are still major RAN overhauls needed.

Like what? Massive MIMO, 3D beamforming, low latency, radio upgrades, and more. This means the antennas and radios must be upgraded to handle the bandwidth. The systems that need low will need to change the way they route, maybe using MEC by putting a server at the site or at the BBU location. We will also see CRAN take off to meet some of these specifications.

In other words, it could get painful when the mobile system is upgraded. New RAN, upgrade core, and new hardware at sites. It all adds up. Will it be worth the effort? In other words, is the juice worth the squeeze? I hope so.

Why do I ask? Because now the world has unlimited usage contracts. I should be able to use 10-Gbps a month on my smartphone uploading cat videos and it shouldn’t cost me any more than your grandmother who uses her smartphone to make phone calls only. We all know that’s not true, the carriers will make me pay the most they can get, but in theory, it should work that way.

The point is, the carriers will upgrade their systems and the payback appears to be limited if they look at airtime only. Hence, new services will be rolling out like video. New partnerships that the carriers will use to build subscribers, steal from the other carriers and make a profit all at the same time.

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We must not limit our thinking to data and airtime only like I often do. The carriers are building new business cases and looking to disrupt other business models, like the ISP service that cable companies offer. We all want unlimited music and video where we can watch or listen to what we want when we want. The carriers can profit from that. It’s a new world for a new radio! That requires new technology to support the new services that new marketing will support.

How does this help the business of 5G?

There are 2 things I look at. While most people are looking at what it can do for the end-user, we also must look at how it helps the carriers.

The end-user:

This is where the carriers get bragging rights. The more throughput to the end-user, the more video they can run seamlessly. The more apps they can download. They have better coverage and begin to rely on their device for everything. It is more than a toy or a phone or an email device. It’s a part of their like with their books, podcasts, TV, news, information, daily living calendar all in the palm of their hand.

The end-user gets enough throughput to work from their device, whether it’s a laptop or a tablet or their smartphone. That’s a win for the customer if the QOE, quality of experience, is there. The customer wins because the cost is fair, and the experience is fantastic. Sure, they pay for it, but maybe they can cancel their other broadband connection and do everything with one company instead of 2.

This seems reasonable now, but remember how hard it was to cancel that landline? People were used to having a mobile with a landline. Now even where I work doesn’t have dedicated landlines for everyone, just standard phone lines for all to share because they know that everyone will use his or her mobile to do business. That’s the way the world is.

Another thing people are hoping to see is virtual reality and augmented reality. They want to see real action real time. Those features, while great for video games are soon becoming a mainstream medium for medical uses, live sports, and live entertainment. While medical may seem like a necessity, if people are willing to pay for any of those things, they are all drivers of 5G, around the world.

Key takeaway! à Soon people will disconnect their cable connection because they can do it all through the device in their hand or 2 devices all from the same supplier.

For the Carrier:

Looking at the carrier, they should be relying on 5G for more than customer retention. They will see new markets coming their way.

Broadband to the home in direct competition with the cable companies. It will be from a mobile device or a wireless modem. Who needs a cable connection when you have a wireless device that works just as well, if not better.

They will be able to sell and promote more apps than ever that can do more things. They will be able to promote laptops with their chips in it because Wi-Fi may not work everywhere but 5G will, in theory. (Hey, why not have both again as we did years ago?)

Now, the critical thing. Equipment at the sites will get smaller and smaller. They are hoping to save money as the RRH and antenna not only become one unit, but a much smaller form factor than the radio heads, the coax, and the antenna spread across an area. All of that into one form that is smaller and lighter than what they had before.

The MEC was hoping to put servers at every cell site, but the carrier may like the CRAN option better. Why not have a central location that would house the servers and possibly the BBUs and run fiber to the radio sites. Keep the equipment minimal at the sites, after all, that’s where most of the OpEx is spent.

The active antennas, (radio head + Antenna in one unit), will also be able to pump through more spectrum in different bands than ever before. This has been a significant challenge for the OEMs, but they seem to be doing it. They are making it more and more efficient to deploy multiple spectrum in on unit.

There are multiple formats that can work together here too. However, they are not all on one radio, that I know of, yet. Not sure when or how this will happen, but I know it’s not here now.

These moves will save the carriers money over the long run, just like LTE started helping that out. They are looking to cut costs since the unlimited contracts started happening. It’s hard to up sell unlimited. Now you need to sell the value add over the updated phones. Value-add would be the video services, like Amazon Prime or Netflix. Applications and other things that have traditionally been passed through. T-Mobile already figured this out; they already started moving in that direction. Now the pipe is a given, it’s time to expand the business line like Verizon and AT&T have already by purchasing news and media companies.

It’s not all savings!

As the demand for broadband grows, so does the demand for backhaul. While the connection rates are coming down, it will take more than ever. Anyone who owns some dark fiber should make some money over the next 5 years because the demand is growing. It’s really taking off, and the 5G system will help make that happen.

The fiber providers will make money along the way. They have an excellent opportunity to sell all the dark fiber they can and then run some more. Unfortunately, running more fiber will be easier said than done. It takes planning, high cost, permitting, zoning, and so on.

Sprint gets the last laugh.

I think that Sprint with the TDD spectrum they have in the 2.5GHz range will get the last laugh because they have the spectrum to explode in 5G. TDD is an excellent way to do digital only communications. I would love to see Sprint overcome all their poor decision-making of the past to shine finally.

I read a fascinating article at https://www.forbes.com/sites/moorinsights/2018/01/10/3-predictions-for-telecommunications-and-enterprise-networking-in-2018/#2e5c5668776d where Will Townsend talks about how Sprint will win the 5G race. I hope this happens, but history has shown me that Sprint’s biggest problem has been Sprint. Can they get out of their own way? Let’s hope so for the industry’s sake. If they can make it work, then it will push the other US carriers to be creative. The potential is there for greatness.

Resources

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No Holiday for Tech or it’s Workers!

December 10, 2017 Wade Leave a comment

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Technology does not get a day off. In fact, people rely on it more on their days off. Can you deny that you won’t be on the internet, posting pictures from your smartphone, or anything like that over your holiday break? Can you possibly live without Facebook to share those special moments with family that couldn’t be there when your kids open that gift? Maybe when they put on that outfit someone in another state bought so they get to see the excitement, or gloom, in the kid’s eyes when they try it on for the first time.

Most people that use their technology have no idea how hard it is to make changes are upgrades when the fewest number of people are using it. This could be the holidays or overnight. Most engineers, installers, and even climbers have worked these shifts.

I worked many holidays back in the day! It is part of the job description when you do any public safety or carrier work. It’s business as usual. Upgrades, repairs, emergencies, and anything else that may have needed to be done. I have also got called out for useless things that someone thought was important, although we know it wasn’t, you know what I mean. Stupid stuff that could have waited. It’s all part of the job, which is really a lifestyle when you think about it.

Memories! I was called out on New Year’s Eve back when I was in paging because we all thought that the year 200 GPS roll over was going to crash systems, remember Y2K? I do, I worked that New

Year’s Eve as did all our teams to make sure the paging terminals, controllers and microwave uplinks would not crash. Fun times? No, but the team was awesome! They did a great job and didn’t complain, too much.

I was called out on Christmas when a system crashed, and a hospital needed to stay in touch. It was a quick fix that only took 6 hours or so, but it was back on the air when I was finished.

I once left a Thanksgiving because a modem was locked up. I drove 60 miles to reboot a modem so people could connect. All this at midnight so it would work the first thing in the morning.

I once had to repair a terrestrial link that died the day my oldest son was born. It failed because someone in the office changed something they shouldn’t have, and it crashed. Things happen, people do stupid things, and this is what happens. I don’t judge because I do stupid things. Sometimes the timing could be better, that’s all. Because the company didn’t want to pay for a contractor to come, they called me. They didn’t seem to know I was up all night in the hospital watching my oldest son come into this world. My son is doing great by the way.

Enough about me, let’s hear a great story about a big venue! The Las Vegas Convention Center is impressive, full of Wi-Fi and carriers. Cox manages most of the wireless there and they do a great job. The team there has done an outstanding job building up the Wi-Fi and managing the wireless carriers throughout the center. I am impressed with all that they have done.

However, the Cox team has a tough job. They look at holidays, even Christmas, as a prime time to upgrade their system. I was out at IWCE a few years back and I got to talk to the team that manages the wireless systems. They were a great bunch of guys. There is one guy managing almost all the wireless. His main responsibility was the Wi-Fi, but he also would oversee the DAS and carrier work inside the convention center.

You see, for the convention center to deal with all the carriers and the Wi-Fi vendors is a headache for them. After all, their business is booking the convention center and maintaining it. Wireless is one part of it. So, they have a team to manage the wireless. Under the wireless umbrella is Wi-Fi and Cellular. The cellular, in this case, is all the carriers who have coverage in the building. It really is impressive the way they have the systems installed to cover the entire venue.

It’s more than Wi-Fi, it is also the tracking of users, the counting of people in the venue and walking by. The managing of all the heavy data usage. The Cox team does an amazing job managing everything, physical and data. It’s no easy task.

If you think that they get a day off, guess again, they usually work holidays to make sure that the upgrades and changes are made. No one said wireless gets a day off. Holidays are when the teams do upgrades, additions, and changes. That is how these venues continue to grow and improve.

He told me the story of how he had to work Christmas, like most holidays, because the convention center is empty, and they can make changes without hurting service or interrupting people on the floor.

This shows you that they really care about the uptime and quality of the service not to mention the interruption of anything going on. They know that they have a window to work when no one can be interrupted. They do this when they can, which is generally a holiday when everyone else is off and enjoying their family time.

In tech and wireless, believe it or not, the customer really does come first. User experience matters.

These guys work hard when you relax just so you have a great user experience when you’re at the convention center for anything.

It’s not just him, the installers, engineers, commissioning teams,

everyone, all there so that the system gets installed properly. They look at holidays as the day to get things done without customer complaining or getting in the way.

So, when using your smartphone or getting on Facebook, think how many people are working to make sure you can post on Facebook or share this blog and listen to my podcast. Technology has come a long way, but it still takes people to install and commission. Plug and Play is close, but for the large deployments, it’s not quite there. Even so, you still need to install the gear, even small cells, they don’t show up by themselves and the drones can’t do it. It’s not an app, but physical hardware that will be attached to a physical structure.

I have to tell you, I don’t miss being called out or working for someone else on holidays. I get to work on my writing or things like that and spend time with family. I missed so much when my kids were young. That’s right, while the work was rewarding, it does bring regrets. Unfortunately, we don’t realize that until you hit my age. When you think these people work hard, they do, they also give up a lot, miss a lot, sacrifice a lot. That’s why I write, so I have more choices in how I spend my time. It took me over 50 years to figure that out.

Thank you to all the installers, engineers, IT technicians, wireless workers and construction workers that gave up their holidays to make sure we have a better system. Thank you for making it so reliable, and trying not to inconvenience the people who can’t live without Facebook or LinkedIn. I was one of you and now I enjoy all that work that you still do today. I hope you get paid well because you deserve it.

Godspeed!

Happy holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah!

May you find peace!

Resources:

https://www.nbaa.org/events/bace/2015/general-info/NBAA2015-LVCC-Cox-WiFi.pdf

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What is Carrier Aggregation?

December 4, 2017 Wade Leave a comment

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Did you ever hear of carrier aggregation and wonder, “What is Carrier Aggregation?”, at least in the wireless world. How does it work and how will it help improve bandwidth and what does it have to do with 5G?

Well, I am so glad you asked! Let’s do this!

Carrier Aggregation, a LTE feature that bonds together multiple carriers to make it look like on big channel or pipe. An excellent explanation can be found at http://www.3gpp.org/technologies/keywords-acronyms/101-carrier-aggregation-explained where they explain in detail how it’s done.

Let me give you the high level of what it is, how it works, and why we love it.

It can be used on TDD or FDD, in fact, the beauty of aggregation is that it crosses formats and puts together into one. This was the foundation for LAA and LWA, (Licensed Assist Access and LTE Wi-Fi aggregation. The key here is that the LTE carrier can use multiple carriers look like one big carrier, regardless of where the bandwidth comes from. This is exciting because we used to be limited to one carrier. Now we can have many carriers all working together to reach higher than 100 Mbps throughput speeds!

How can they do that? Well, in this data-centric world we could use multiple RF sources if both sides can receive and transmit, then the data can be aggregated together. The RF becomes the pipe. The devices must be able to receive all the spectrum to get the benefits.

The best examples are AT&T who was able to use multiple bands to jump from 10.69 Mbps to 15.18 Mbps using carrier aggregation. Sprint can aggregate 3 carriers in the 2.5GHz band to get more throughput than almost anyone on a standard LTE carrier.

We still rely on the coverage to be good. We also need to know that the carrier has aggregation functions enabled. Here in the USA, anyone using LTE has this enabled. If not, get on with it.

The goal is to get past 1Gbps in throughput, and the way to do that is by using the spectrum we have and putting it all together to look like one big pipe. It may need help like massive MIMO and 64 and/or 256 quadrature amplitude modulation, (QAM) to make it happen along with carrier aggregation.

How is this done? Well, according to Carrier Aggregation for dummies, link below, we can use 2 10MHz channels along with 2×2 MIMO to get 150Mbps, then we jump to 4CA, 4 carriers of 10MHz each along with 2×2 MIMO to get 600Mbps of throughput. Awesome! The 600Mbps is happening today and should be out in the real world soon! I can’t wait!

So how is it done? The carrier aggregation is done when the data is controlled by the core and a header is attached to the packets going out to the device so that the device can piece them all back together. The caveat is that the transmitting device must send all the data at the same time and the UE device has to receive, (hear), all the data at the same time. The device will put the blocks all back together, so they look like a huge pipe of data being push into your device! BAM! Big data throughput shoved into those tiny devices over the air!

Let’s simplify, we can take channels of 20MHz, 15MHz, and 5MHz over the air and add carrier aggregation to talk to the device. The device should have two receive antennas, and the transmitter should have two transmit antennas. The data all goes out to the device at the same time, and when the packet is sent, it thinks it is going through a 40 MHz pipe, and this equates to a downlink rate of 300Mbps using 64 QAM using 2×2 MIMO. The 2×2 MIMO is the antennas all working together. The 64 QAM is the modulation rate. Do you feel it? Do you feel the power of aggregation making wireless connections feel more and more like fiber? What was once a spattering of spectrum is slowly becoming a beautiful orchestra all playing together as one solid melody. Again, I wish I could hear the beauty, but all I can do is impress you with a speed test on my smartphone.

Modulation is increasing as 256 QAM is being rolled out, three carrier aggregation is here today, and we are using LTE in conjunction with more spectrum. In theory, using TDD on 2.5GHz should put Sprint in prime position to make the leap to 5G massive broadband in no time, that is, if they can get out of their own way to make that happen. Instead, I see T-Mobile making great things happen with the spectrum they have. There is a company that I wish had more spectrum to pump massive data out to the masses, but let’s put our personal opinions aside.

Do you get what is happening? The shift of new breakthroughs is increasing wireless throughput to improve. I mentioned massive MIMO in an earlier post, I explained TDD and FDD, now you have more on aggregation to show you that the wireless 1Gbps is just around the corner, possibly in 2019.

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Remember when carriers relied on the FCC to release more and more spectrum, that should be less of an issue with aggregation and massive MIMO. We should see new throughputs as well as efficiencies and loading improvements throughout the next several years.

Now, you are wondering why we need this, fair question. This is going to be one more stepping stone to 5G and the throughput requirements that are expected. You see, it is not done with just one leap in technology, it is done in steps. To get to 5G we may need new hardware, but the goal is to put out the box and antennas that will last for over five years, nearly an eternity in technology. If you do not believe me, ask yourself when the last time you got a new smartphone, is it over five years old? Seriously, think about it. Is it over five years old? Why did you get a new one? Nuff said!

So there you have it, yet another leap made towards the 5G massive broadband dream! Aggregation is incredible! It’s being done today! Combine that with massive MIMO, and we have liftoff to the beginning of 1Gbps to every new smart device out there in 2020. Do you feel the power of broadband in your hand! Who needs a cable connection when your smartphone can be the access point in your house. Triple play already exists on your smartphone. With it you can watch Netflix on any device, after all, you don’t want to miss a single episode of Game of Thrones! Binge watch baby, don’t stop! You have unlimited data.

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What is Massive MIMO?

November 27, 2017 Wade Leave a comment

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What is massive MIMO? Let’s start with MIMO, Multiple in Multiple out.

What is MIMO?

Well, in wireless technology MIMO means that you have several antennas and radios all on one BTS. So, you have one BTS with a

sector that has multiple antennas for transmit and receive. So, the alpha sector could have four transmit and four receive all in one panel. With only a few transmit and receive, the radio head could be behind the antenna. MIMO is already deployed across the US by almost all the carriers helping LTE reach the speeds it has today. That along with carrier aggregation, improved processing, optimization techniques, and a myriad of additional features making that smartphone look faster than your laptop when running an app.

What is massive MIMO?

This is where we have more active elements in the antenna; this could be 64T64R or 128T128R or even higher. The 64T is 64 transmit elements, and 64R is 64 receive elements. Just imagine the feature we get from MIMO, listed above, are suddenly on steroids and making the current features even better! WOW!

This changes many things on the tower. Since running 64 coax jumpers is not practical, the OEMs are inclined to create an active antenna. That would be an antenna with the radio head inside of the antenna so that they could have a connection between each radio head to each element. It just makes sense. No more coax and fiber direct to the antenna. No more radio head and power to the antenna.

What changes will happen in the eNodeB? The BBU will need to handle more processing than ever! They will also need to improve the BBU, the baseband unit.

Why do we need massive MIMO?

Several reasons come to mind, listed below, feel free to add more.

High bandwidth needed for throughput
Spectral efficiency for improved spectrum usage
Lower latency
Improved device density connectivity
It is a step towards 5G

What does the BBU need to do to support massive MIMO?

It needs to process so much more data. Now, instead of controlling one or 8 radio heads, it will need to process and distribute the power across 64 or more individual radio elements. It needs to pass more data.

The BBU needs to be significantly improved. What will it do?

Process more data
More bandwidth
Control more radio heads
Talk to more UE devices
Handle carrier aggregation
Process more services simultaneously
Perform self-optimizing network, SON, services
Capture data
Handle neighbor list to avoid interference

What about the backhaul?

It needs to be upgraded to handle more data since we are now going to increase the broadband throughput. 1Gbps backhaul may not cut it because it may need to be much more. What does this mean?

Better routers at the sites
More strands of fiber for each site
Aggregation of the fiber carriers so that it looks like a massive pipe of over 10Gbps
Improved network slicing functions for the router to perform more functions than before

What about the fronthaul?

The fronthaul is the fiber, (or wireless), the line between the BBU and the radio heads which now should be in the active antenna.

This may require more strands per sector so that the data can be sent to each sector. Look at it this way, instead of dealing with one antenna with 4 to 8 elements; now you are dealing with one active antenna that could be simultaneously sending data to more than 64 elements in one concentrated antenna system. That is a lot of data! In theory, it could be more than 1Gbps per sector! WOW!

Fronthaul will need to be:

Improved for more bandwidth and data
Lower latency than before
Perhaps more strands of fiber

Can CRAN or C-RAN be a massive MIMO system?

The jury is out because of the massive bandwidth and low latency. This is going to be worked out, but it is essential that we know that a Centralized RAN and a Cloud RAN are essential parts of the 5G system. As you all know, massive MIMO is a huge stepping stone for 5G.

What about CRAN and C-RAN?

This is going to be a challenge to get to no BBU at the site, but it can be done. The need for MEC, Mobile Edge Computing is still there because we want low latency. That is right; the routing needs to be as short as possible. Also, the RF equipment is doing an excellent job of lowering latency. The 5G standards are asking for lower and lower latency, looking for 1ms or less, wow! That is going to be a real challenge if you rely on the cloud to do the BBU processing or if you have the BBU hotel somewhere else. Why? Even though it is light running through the fiber, it takes time to travel across town, the state, or anywhere. Hence, that is how MEC may be able to save the day! Direct routing would be a key factor instead of running everything back to the core.

How does it affect the UE device?

The UE probably won’t have more than four antennas in it, if that. They may have 2 to 4 receive antennas, and two transmit. The thing is though, with massive MIMO and the way it should work, an element or 2 can focus on one US device freeing up the other to talk individually to other devices. This will improve throughput and lowers latency.

The bottom line is that it will help the UE in 2 ways. The UE will get more bandwidth, especially as they add more antennas internally, they already have two receive in most devices which allow for better downloads. The massive MIMO will be able to talk directly to an individual device and lower latency. This will help the response time of the device, making the device seem more responsive and once again, quicker! Now it is up to the device makers to speed up the internal processing speed and improve the memory in each device so that we can enjoy the new low latency services.

What changes at the site?

This is going to require new equipment at the site, no matter how you look at it. The equipment that is there now will need to be upgraded or replaced. Most likely, some of it will need to be replaced. It would make sense to have 64 or more radio heads so that you would replace the existing antennas and radio heads with an active antenna. You would remove all coax and run fiber to the antenna. You would need a BBU that can kick ass with processing power and bandwidth. You need to improve your backhaul, which means a better router CRAN quality equipment at the site. You need to improve your fronthaul between the BBU and the active antenna.

What does it mean for business?

Here’s the deal, the equipment we have today will not cut it. Replacing the existing BBU and radio heads and antennas with the new system. It must happen. So, this means a lot more work for the deployment crews. As always, it will all happen at once, causing a strain on the tower workforce.

Tower crews – busy replacing equipment on tower and the ground
Engineering teams – new RF engineering and optimization along with drive tests to complete the rollout of the new system. Let’s not forget the potential for self-interference that’s going to happen. There is a learning curve.
Backhaul:
- The fiber needs to be upgraded, new fiber or additional fiber.
- Wireless backhaul will need to be replaced, added, or upgraded.
- The router needs to be upgraded or replaced.
- Backhaul will need to be upgraded, so the service provider had a real opportunity to make some additional money on installation and possibly monthly reoccurring for fiber delivery services.
The OEMs will have a significant push for getting the new gear out to carriers, mostly in urban areas, so it will not be the entire system that gets upgraded, but the specific markets where loading is needed or where 5G is a priority.
The carriers need to invest in this, apparently, the stepping stone to real 5G bandwidth and performance. Enough said.
The tower companies may not get any more money. The way most leases are written leaves room for these upgrades. Of course, the tower companies will find ways to make incremental dollars like site access, new structural for less weight, and so on. What they will not get is the additional rent money that is their bread and butter. However, we will Those larger tower owners are savvy.
What about small cells? I bring this up because, in theory, the way that the massive MIMO improves densification it may reduce the need for a small cell that usually would fall within the coverage area of the tower for loading purposes. This hurts me to say, but small cells will be a fill site outdoors. Indoors we will still need small cells for coverage and offloading. The outside in coverage does not cover as well with new environmentally friendly windows. We need the indoor small cells more than ever.
Looking at the additional parts associated with the deployments we need to see that coax is going to be reduced dramatically. What’s the need when you run fiber everywhere. Let’s look at the list and make this easy.
- Coax, hardline, jumpers, and associated connectors and ground kits will no longer be needed for this type of deployment. Get ready to see a lot more of the old stuff on the scrap metal places.
- Fiber will increase. I am curious if the carriers will continue buying the hybrid cables for fronthaul or if they will just buy armored fiber lines to run to the radio heads up the tower or in the rooftops. They still need power to the antenna, which they initially needed for the radio heads. Remember that the connectors may change, so we will have to think about the distribution of jumper.
- Tower mounts may change. All the weight from the radio heads will be shifted to the actual antenna mount. Whether it is a simple mast of the whole mount. The radio head weight will be gone from behind the antenna, and now it is going to be in the antenna. Weight distribution has changed from being evenly distributed to being concentrated on the antenna. Site engineering should be fun.
- Possibly power upgrades will be needed which means potentially new rectifiers and battery upgrades and then utility upgrades. Remember that we were trying to get more power efficiency at the sites, this may be a set back for that effort. If you need a new rectifier, then maybe new or additional batteries and associated cables and hardware. Then the power from the utility to power said rectifiers.

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Smart City Broadband Initiatives Part 1

November 14, 2017 Wade Leave a comment

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This is part one of a three-part series. This has been taken from my upcoming book, Smart City Use Cases, with Smart City Development Notes.

Smart City Broadband Initiatives

Are you curious about some broadband initiatives that are out there? Some broadband case studies that are have rolled out? What broadband initiatives have been successes and failures? What works better, the city owning it or a public-private partnership or private only?

I am always saying that broadband is the foundation of any smart city. Someone shared the Next Generation Network Connectivity Handbook. It’s publication by Gig.U, and it can be downloaded from http://www.gig-u.org/. Gig.U is a group that encourages the partnerships between cities and universities. They did a great job of putting together this document, published in December of 2016, showing past case studies of gigabit deployments in both wireless and wired. They cover success and failures.

Here is an outline of some of what is in this document, I highly recommend downloading it, after all, it is free!

First off, the make the point that CapEx and OpEx must be lower than the revenues coming in and it should be serving a purpose for the users. Pay attention, Value and Profit make the system sustainable! Value and profit make the system growable! It has to make money! That is something that most cities overlook because they think that the benefit will outweigh the revenue, but it will not. Revenue matters in the long run and the benefits matter up front. Up front we want buy-in and residents to love it. In the long run, we

need sustainability, so it does not bleed money in expenses.

Does it solve a problem for the

residents? So, they see the value in it? Will they pay for it? When you start a business, you need to answer these questions. Figure out the price point. Some cities can put a tax out there to pay for the system, but that is not popular in most cities.

One example that I love in this document is the cable companies. They saw broadband up to 1 Gbps as silly, but they really didn’t want to upgrade their system unless they had too. Guess what? They had to! BUT, after they got competition in first form the likes of Verizon, AT&T, and Google running fiber all over the place for a very reasonable cost to the consumer. It paid off. Now all the cable companies are touting higher speeds. They see value because they were losing market share. That’s amazing when you realize they had a monopoly for years in their neighborhoods. They had no competition, but the need for broadband and cheaper video hurt them. They thought they could control the market, but in the USE the market started swinging back with DirecTV and fiber competitors. They suddenly have to be strategic.

OK, let’s get back to the business of broadband. Once you build it, expect competition! If your business model works then more and more people will do it, just look the cable companies. While they had a monopoly for years, they got lazy. Now they have competition, and it’s hurting them. Not just from fiber, most of the younger generation realized that they have a smartphone that can do anything the cable company can do, so why pay for both? Get the picture? The landscape has changed, and if you just look at other companies that do what you do, then you only see part of the competitive landscape.

This is happening with everything because broadband is the pipe to end all pipes. It could be through fiber or wireless, but the internet has opened doors to everything unless you live in China, then it only has a few open doors and a lot of blocked websites.

There is one thing that almost any city can agree on. You need broadband in your city to compete. The question is, “How do we get it here?” This is where you can look at other examples of successes and failures.

Google Fiber was supposed to be the knight in shining armor, but they stopped. They say they are going to wait for wireless, probably CBRS, but to be honest, there are plenty of bands and products that could deliver broadband now. I think that Google realized the profit model was not what they had hoped for, but they never said that officially, they just stopped, laid off a bunch of people, changed some leadership in the company, and they started saying wireless would save the day.

More on Google fiber stopping http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article110655177.html, this is a great article because they talk about all the pain points that Google saw in the real world. TV is expensive, incumbents have more control of the poles than they ever thought possible, and maybe wireless will be easier. They also say demand is not there. I don’t get that excuse at all! It seems lame. I think they should say competition is fiercer than they thought. That is more like it. For me to sum it up, Google should have cherry-picked markets that didn’t have too much competition. They should have focused on tier 2 cities that would not only have appreciated their presence but don’t have an alternative. I live in Pennsylvania, where the cable companies rule. The rules here don’t make it an ideal state to deploy much of anything, but it has plenty of underserved cities that not only want broadband, but they need it to survive. The smaller cable companies will not make the investment until they have too. They won’t spend the money. This is an ideal target for someone like Google Fiber to deploy. But, alas, I am dreaming.

Where was I? Oh yes, economic development. Broadband is a foundation for economic development. We know that businesses need broadband to survive, but how do they get it? Many cities have a dig once policy, so if someone lays broadband, then many people need to get it in while he or she can. This really helps to get things moving and keep the competition behind you if they are late to the game. Fiber companies and deployment companies win! They can lay out the dark fiber and sell it later, not a bad model.

They also cover the 3 models that cities can look at.

Primary

This is where the city takes the lead by using public facilities to roll out the fiber and makes the investment to deploy. They use their assets to mount it. They are the provider. They may partner with someone, but generally, the city runs the business and takes the credit.

An example of this is the Chattanooga, TN, network. In 2010 the city decided to have a gigabit network available for homes. They rolled it out, and since then Volkswagen and Amazon both expanded to that area. We give the broadband credit since it was there and they took a chance to deploy. Their model served other cities like Wilson, NC, and Leverett, Ma.

They also talk about Ammon, Id, who also built the gigabit backbone. They decided to provide the gigabit backbone because the local telco would not spend any money. The city was worried because they would need 50% of the market share to make it pay for itself. Guess what? They got 70% of the market share! When incumbents get lazy, there is a great opportunity!

Huntsville, Al, owns the electric utility. This provided them with the means and foundation to deploy broadband quickly and with an experienced player. They put in the backbone and leased it to Google Fiber. This is a win-win because Google didn’t’ have to deploy the backbone, the fiber is there and ready to use. They could move ahead quickly. The city maintained control and could make money off it right away with a large customer waiting. The negative is that people perceive the fiber being built with city funds, but it worked! They had a utility, an income plan, a customer, so why not do it? They can lease the fiber to anyone, so they are not bound to only one customer, but anyone who wants it or needs it. Awesome! Learn more at https://www.gru.com/GRUComFiberOptics.aspx.

Santa Monica, Ca built out their network without a municipal department. They did it by connecting public facilities then expanding from there. They have a dig once policy, and when someone would dig, they would lay fiber. Learn more at http://ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/santa-monica-city-net-fiber-2014-2.pdf. They took the slow approach, one that would not have any upfront costs but would remain steady and efficient.

Partial

Usually a public-private partnership, PPP, that the city supports and endorses, but the private partner will be the one doing the heavy lifting and running the business. This would rely heavily on the partner, and the city would give complete support and take some of the credit, but the private business would take the profits. Partnerships matter here more than anywhere. If the partner is an ISP (Internet Service Provider) or a nonprofit, they need to be sure they can do what they say they can do. It matters big time and reputations are key.

ISPs are everywhere, not all of them look good, but many of them provide broadband to the home or local business. They often are rooted in the community if they are local and they want to succeed. However, not all of them do, I’ll point that out farther down.

If you wonder about the nonprofit, I will give you an example of one that I worked on personally. In York, Pa, there is an organization called Crispus Attucks Association that sponsored an initiative to connect the local schools up to wireless broadband. While it went well, they are a shining example of a roll out to the schools in York County. This was one of the first of its kind. While it was later replaced with fiber, it’s an example of how a nonprofit took the lead to deploy broadband. This was over 10 years ago. Gigabit was not thought to be cost-effective back then.

Westminster, Md, is an example of how the community knew they need to do something to attract people from the cities of DC and Baltimore out to their rural area. Beautiful and scenic, but far from major highways. They knew they needed broadband, and decided on fiber.They hooked up with Ting, https://ting.com/blog/next-ting-town-westminster-md/, who was a smaller ISP eager to roll out fiber. The city looked at the fiber as infrastructure, like a building or bridge, seeing it as a city asset and letting Ting manage the operations and customer service and sales. The city has an asset, but little risk and they are not running the day-to-day business, Ting is.

South Portland, Me, laid out $150,000 upfront (http://www.southportland.org/files/7514/0682/8622/06_-_ORDER_12_-_Bid_for_dark_fiber_infrastructure.pdf) to build fiber and chose GWI, https://www.gwi.net/about/ to build it. GWI will build it and run it and give 5% of the revenue back to the city.

Cleveland, Oh, decided to work with a nonprofit called OneCommunity, http://www.onecommunity.org/big-changes-onecommunity-evolves/ who is rolled out the network and is continuing to expand into other communities to increase the reach of broadband across Ohio. They are receiving support from the US Economic Development (EDA) Grant, https://www.eda.gov/grants/, continuing the work.

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Facilitator

Where the city supports the rollout, maybe offers some rules and regulations that make it easier to get started and deploy, but otherwise, it hands off. Cities can still play a part in broadband development if they have companies in their area willing to take charge and make things happen.

East Lansing, Mi, has created the “Gigabit Ready” project which pulled in many groups like Michigan State University, Lansing Economic Act Partnership, various nonprofits, commercial property managers, and anyone else who would sign up. The goal was to roll out gigabit broadband, rather obvious, right? What did they do? They looked at the LEED program and thought, let’s do that for gigabit access. This lead to the creation of the Gigabit Certified Building Program, http://statenews.com/index.php/article/2012/07/msu_lansing_on_track_for_high_speed_internet, to set guidelines and requirements for buildings to add gigabit broadband. This helped Spartan-Net, (taken from the Michigan State Spartans I assume), to partner with DTN Management Co so they could roll out broadband across East Lansing and beyond!

Louisville, KY, worked with Louisville Fiber to create a website that allowed people to request gigabit service across Louisville. Why? So that lawmakers could see the need for speed, and it worked! Using the addresses they gathered, they built a layout of where the heaviest concentration was showing local officials the need. Louisville gave 20-year franchise agreements to BGN Networks, SiFi, and FiberTech. It also helped Louisville to be chosen as a potential Google Fiber City, (which means very little now).

College Station, TX, took a different approach. They put out an RFP to test the market. I personally hate this because when you’re on the other side, you do a lot of work that goes nowhere, but it served the city well because they got what they wanted. Suddenlink responded by promising to put in $250,000,000 into upgrading their network to make it gigabit capable, http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/GigaSpeed-Internet-Soon-to-be-Offered-in-BCS-276059641.html. Suddenlink got scared of having the government compete, so they got off their lazy ass and did something. College Station could motivate these guys into action! It all worked out for the residents.

In North Carolina, the NCNGN, North Carolina Next Generation Network, formed a group of universities and cities. Wake Forest, University of North Carolina, Duke, and North Carolina State got together to work with Carrboro, Cary, Winston-Salem, Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh to make this happen. This is a large group and has deep resources in knowledge, data, and money. Who saw this as an opportunity? AT&T moved in and started deploying fiber. Then, not to be left behind, Frontier Communications started their deployment. Finally, RST Fiber got rolling as well. Then Google started to deploy. Now you have all the competition to make it happen and affordable.

Connecticut did something similar where 46 communities all got together to host a gigabit conference to share their vision to become the first Gigabit state, https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2015/01/16/connecticut-could-be-first-gigabit-state2/.

To be continued!

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The Dallas Smart City Case Study

October 30, 2017 Wade Leave a comment

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What are some smart city use cases? Well, here is Dallas. This is from my upcoming book on Smart City Use Cases.

You have been asking for smart city examples and what is in each smart city. Here is an example. This is from a new book to be released very soon called, Smart City Use Cases. We are always looking for real-world smart city examples. They are out there so why not collect many of them into a book? We all want to see what’s being done, well, here it is, one example. It is an overview but gives you an idea of what Dallas is doing.

Dallas

Of course, we all know where Dallas is, quite a city, in the heart of Texas. The larger part of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Home to over 1.2 million people.

I have been in that area for work over 15 years ago. It is a beautiful area. One that I really enjoy working in and love visiting. I would recommend anyone going there for to stay for vacation. Don’t get me wrong, they have their share of problems, like any city. They deal with traffic, crime, growth issues, and struggle to get people to live in the city limits. Not only that, but Texas has no state income tax, which is awesome! Let’s compare, the California state income tax is

over 9% and is as complicated as the federal income tax. That means you don’t have to give a chunk your paycheck to the state government each payday. A nice perk for living in Texas, specifically Dallas.

Sorry, I digress, why do we notice Dallas as a smart city? Well, they are actively moving into that area. They partnered with AT&T to move ahead with smart city innovation. They created the Dallas Innovation Alliance. It is their job to bring innovation to Dallas.

While I am not clear on what they mean by innovation, they do point out that they want to bring smart tech to the city and improve the connections. In 2016 they release a small online publication explaining what they intend to do and how they intend to do it, It explains how they are converting streets to smart lighting using LED lights and installing sensors to track air quality and crowd noise. There it is, the special sensors that go above and beyond smart lighting. The sensors sense air quality. Sensors that detect noise. These are what makes the poles so smart.

They mention the digital kiosks, again, these are the smart keystones of the city because they are symbolic of the smart city progression.

They mention network connectivity and specify the fiber build out and the addition of cellular in the city. They also mention public Wi-Fi which is what the citizens associate with anytime connections.

Finally waste management. They have plans in place to have solar-powered trash compactors for collection throughout the city.

Smart parking to allow available spaces to be monitored and broadcast to people looking for spaces. This should ease traffic congestion if people use the apps.

All of this is going to be made possible with the apps that connect all the information to the end-user. That is the key! Using a common app to allow for all of the sensors information to make the information useful. Installing all of this stuff is one thing, to make it accessible to the people that need it is another. Who needs it?

Open parking spaces – the drivers and city planners
Live video – police, fire, city planners, and the public
Air sensors – police, fire, and city planners
Noise sensors – police, city planners
Waste management – Waste department, city planners.
Broadband access – the public, everyone else.

Do you see who needs this the most, the city planners? They should be using this data to improve the city. Each year they should evaluate the data and create a new plan for development based on what they learn. It’s not just what they see, but what’s missing as well. They need to take it all into account. Make use of the data provided to them to improve and eliminate. Then they will have a cost-effective city that is on a positive growth track.

Who is a major partner in this venture? Dallas is working with AT&T to make this happen. AT&T and the DIA have created the “Smart Cities Living Lab” to understand how the changes will improve the city. This lab lets them see how to use intelligent LED lighting. They are testing the kiosks, specifically with the CIVIQ kiosk to understand how to build the Interactive Digital WayPoint, which is a model for the CIVIQ kiosk and really cool. They have been testing sensors with Ericsson. The Living Lab is pretty cool, but eventually, it has to go live.

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It’s not an Interactive Kiosk. It’s a Smart City Hub!

October 23, 2017 Wade Leave a comment

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This is a chapter from my upcoming book about Smart City use cases.

It’s a good overview of the kiosk and how it is transforming major cities. This interactive kiosk will be the keystone of any smart city because it’s visible to people in the city. They can’t see the fiber or the cell sites or the Wi-Fi hotspots. They can see and interact with. It’s pretty nice how they can appreciate it like the Wi-Fi.

It’s not a kiosk! It’s the keystone to any smart city. A digital, interactive, video kiosk that you may see in a very large mall. It’s something that you think could not be outside, yet they are, and they earn revenue for the city. They are a beautiful piece of street furniture that we all notice and admire.

What can a kiosk do for a smart city? An interactive kiosk placed downtown can do a lot. As I said, it’s the keystone of the smart city. It’s a beacon of what the city has to offer. People walking around the city can see them stand out, they can see ads on them for movies, local restaurants, and local retailers. They can then walk up to it and

touch it to get directions to the nearest business. They can find the nearest bus stop, subway access, and cab stop. They could ask it where to go to eat for a specific type of restaurant. They could interact with it in a quick and convenient way that may not be so easy on their smartphone. It’s really a fun device.

What can it do for the city other than being the beacon of interactive public service to citizens and tourists? It can bring income to the city by adding Wi-Fi, getting paid for advertising, housing small cells, housing fiber hubs, be the smart parking meter interface, be the bike rental interface, and allow locals to download coupons to the nearest businesses.

Let’s not forget the emergency aspects. The kiosk can have sensors for air quality, gun detection, noise detection, and the ever important 911 push button interface with full video and possibly the control for lights around it. Push the 911 button, and the video feed goes live along with all the lights around it so that the 911 operator can see and record everything real time! Emergency dispatch loves this thing when they are used properly.

In New York City, they deployed 7,500 digital kiosks for 2 reasons, to allow users to access the internet and to deploy Wi-Fi for people on the street. This was no accident. It was something that people can see, touch, and use. It’s something to identify that the city wants to interact with citizens. While it didn’t always have a good reputation, it is a great way to show people how smart your city really is.

London did the same thing with LinkUK kiosks. It’s really a great concept. Both cities replaced their payphones with something very modern and attractive. What a great idea.

Kiosks are gaining popularity because they serve so many functions. They help visitors to find their way around and see what’s happening in that part of the city. They are street furniture that can house not only Wi-Fi but small cells. It can be a fiber hub. It could have wireless backhaul that connects to a fiber center at a building. The possibilities are all there. They also house applications for local businesses to track customers. Cameras and 911 call buttons can be added for public safety. They can be real-time alerts for Amber alerts, weather alerts, or evacuation notices if ever needed. All because it has a connection to a NOC and a big interactive screen for people to see. Don’t forget that it can bring in revenue from advertising.

When thinking of how to spread the news of your smart city, think about the foot traffic and take it from there.

The key to getting these deployed was the partnership between businesses and cities. They worked together. There is a way to make money off of these devices with advertising, nation and local. Also with apps, data analytics, and small cell rental.

The other way to fund digital kiosks is with public safety funds. What a great way to promote them, in the name of public safety for alerts, video surveillance and 911 call buttons. Think about it. One platform can be the e911 NOC’s link to the city.

Funding is always the issue, so the fact these things can generate revenue is amazing and very attractive. You just need to plan ahead. It’s being done today.

Revenue generation can be done several ways. Movie trailers are a big source of revenue where there is a large amount of traffic, larger cities. But let’s not forget the local businesses, they can advertise as well. Can you imagine the local business putting up an add for people walking on the street letting them know of the specials they will have in the next 2 hours? Maybe that happy hour starts in 15 minutes, a digital kiosk can put that out there in real time so that someone walking by can eat or drink at their fine establishment. Talk about targeted advertising. Let’ not forget about the data the kiosk can capture, the Wi-Fi hotspot it can provide, small cell rental it could house, be a fiber hub, provide apps to the people walking by. Even as a billboard for street traffic or the payment hub for parking meters or bike rental.

It’s going to be a game changer and one that is already rolling out to several cities and universities across the world. Many malls have these in because the maps are very localized. They also offer information for the people looking at it to get apps to their smartphone in real time, then the kiosk becomes part of the smartphone and more data can be tracked in real time across town or the mall. That really expands the reach of the kiosk beyond the spot it is planted. That’s why cities are dropping dozens across their cities, like Dallas, Kansas City, NYC, and more.

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What is NR?

How does this help the business of 5G?

The end-user:

For the Carrier:

It’s not all savings!

Sprint gets the last laugh.

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What is MIMO?

What is massive MIMO?

Why do we need massive MIMO?

What does the BBU need to do to support massive MIMO?

What about the backhaul?

What about the fronthaul?

Can CRAN or C-RAN be a massive MIMO system?

What about CRAN and C-RAN?

How does it affect the UE device?

What changes at the site?

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Smart City Broadband Initiatives

Primary

Partial

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Facilitator

To be continued!

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Dallas

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