Using Wi-Fi for cost-effective broadband wireless access in rural and remote areas

Abstract

Although a large number of Internet users now enjoy high-speed access, there are still vast geographic regions where broadband services are either prohibitively expensive or simply unavailable at any price. networks paper examines the alternatives for using 2.4 GHz 802.11b (Wi-Fi) technology to provide fixed broadband access in areas where DSL and cable-based service are frequently not available. We explore the economics of offering wireless broadband service in rural areas consisting of towns, smaller remote communities as well as widely scattered users. We model a network, based on realistic demographics, equipment and operations costs, service revenues, customer demand and usage, and to calculate the life-cycle economics in terms of capital investment and profitability. We compare the cost-benefits of using the conventional Wi-Fi technology, as is typically used in metro areas today, with a novel and promising approach based on dynamically steerable beam-forming antennas to increase the coverage and capacity. Our results show that cost-effective, affordable high-speed wireless Internet access can be provided in rural and remote areas.