Broadband Connectivity Research Articles

A Systems Approach for Solving Inter-Policy Gaps in Dynamic Spectrum Access-Based Wireless Rural Broadband Networks

In this paper, we articulate the challenge of multiple intersecting policies for the realization of rural broadband networks employing dynamic spectrum access (DSA). Broadband connectivity has been identified as a critical component of economic development, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and rural communities have been significantly (and negatively) affected by the lack of this important resource. Although technologies exist that can deliver broadband connectivity, such as 4G LTE and 5G cellular networks, the challenges associated with efficiently deploying this infrastructure within a rural environment are multi-dimensional in terms of the different dependent policy decisions that need to be considered. To resolve this issue, we describe how systems engineering tools can be used for representing these intersecting policies such that system configurations can be optimized for efficient infrastructure deployment and operations. One technology requiring increased attention is DSA, where licensed and emerging wireless services can coexist together via spectrum sharing. However, implementation of this technology is challenging, where highly efficient Radio Access Technology (RAT), available spectrum, and user requirements need to be precisely aligned. All these elements to be configured are typically described by independent policies. While DSA is more complicated than previously used spectrum allocation schemes, inter-policy gaps occur that ultimately decrease the network’s efficiency. Consequently, a systems engineering framework has the potential to obtain the optimal solutions although the systems and wireless communities conceptualize and scope problems differently, which can impede collaboration. We present the use case where 4G LTE RAT technology employing DSA applied to digital terrestrial television (DTT) frequency bands can yield spectral efficiency loss when the different policy dimensions are not sufficiently accounted for within the use case. Numerical experiments have shown that in an example rural scenario the availability of rural broadband can increase from 1% to 21% of locations if the inter-policy gaps are removed.

Measuring user acceptance of satellite broadband in the UAE

The Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) sector provides different connectivity solutions in urban areas. Unfortunately, market players make little effort to ensure connectivity to underserved markets. The analysis of the existing ICT market revealed the possibility of a solution to this problem by utilizing the latest advances in satellite communication. It is recognized that connectivity through satellites is generally not a popular option in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), although there are still some underserved markets in the UAE that require better connectivity solutions. In this study, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been used to assess users’ acceptance in the UAE market to introduce NGSO satellite broadband connectivity. We consider the main two independent variables of the model: perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU). Additional two variables had been proposed which significantly affect UAE consumers’ intention to use satellite broadband which are: innovativeness (INN) and satisfaction with current services (SAT). The study results support that PU, PEU, and INN will positively influence the UAE population’s intention to use the service. The hypothesis that PEU will positively affect PU was also supported. The hypothesis that SAT will negatively influence the UAE population’s intention to the service was not supported. Additionally, the study also shows that UAE consumers’ intention to use satellite broadband is unrelated to gender or age group. A set of recommendations were drawn to support the smooth introduction of NGSO satellite broadband service in the UAE.

Surveying 5G Techno-Economic Research to Inform the Evaluation of 6G Wireless Technologies

Techno-economic assessment is a fundamental technique engineers use for evaluating new communications technologies. However, despite the techno-economics of the fifth cellular generation (5G) being an active research area, it is surprising there are few comprehensive evaluations of this growing literature. With mobile network operators deploying 5G across their networks, it is therefore an opportune time to appraise current accomplishments and review the state-of-the-art. Such insight can inform the flurry of 6G research papers currently underway and help engineers in their mission to provide affordable high-capacity, low-latency broadband connectivity, globally. The survey discusses emerging trends from the 5G techno-economic literature and makes five key recommendations for the design and standardization of Next Generation 6G wireless technologies.

Supporting Targeted Advertising in Integrated Broadcast-Broadband Systems With Automatic Media Content Preparation

Integrated Broadcast-Broadband (IBB) Systems enable a range of new services for viewers, including content personalization, such as targeted advertising. Custom advertising is delivered using the broadband connection synchronized with the broadcast content, demanding high-control synchronization among both communication channels. As the broadband channel is shared among different applications, delays may occur during the transmission of targeted advertisements, which can cause synchronization faults. Aiming at reducing these faults and truly supporting targeted advertising in IBB systems, this work proposes the automatic preparation of media content before its presentation. In order to provide automatic preparation, a preparation plan to orchestrate content loading in advance is also proposed. Our proposal is implemented in the Ginga-NCL middleware, which is a standard for the Brazilian Digital TV System. Our performance evaluation shows that the average switching time from broadcast to broadband is around 40 ms, if automatic content preparation is used, which is an outstanding result.

Engineering-Economic Evaluation of Diffractive NLOS Backhaul (e3nb): A Techno-economic Model for 3D Wireless Backhaul Assessment

Developing ways to affordably deliver broadband connectivity is one of the major issues of our time. In challenging deployment locations with irregular terrain, traditional Clear-Line-Of-Sight (CLOS) wireless links can be uneconomical to deploy, as the number of required towers make infrastructure investment unviable. With new research focusing on developing wireless diffractive backhaul technologies to provide Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) links, this paper evaluates the engineering-economic implications. A Three-Dimensional (3D) techno-economic assessment framework is developed, utilizing a combination of remote sensing and viewshed geospatial techniques, in order to quantify the impact of different wireless backhaul strategies. This framework is applied to assess both Clear-Line-Of-Sight and diffractive Non-Line-Of-Sight strategies for deployment in Peru, as well as the islands of Kalimantan and Papua, in Indonesia. The results find that a hybrid strategy combining the use of Clear-Line-Of-Sight and diffractive Non-Line-Of-Sight links produces a 9–45 percent cost-efficiency saving, relative to only using traditional Clear-Line-Of-Sight wireless backhaul links.

BUILD BACK BETTER WITH BROADBAND

The United Nations Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation states that “meaningful participation in today’s digital age requires a high-speed broadband connection to the Internet”, and that every person should have “safe and affordable access to the Internet by 2030, including meaningful use of digitally enabled services”. As part of efforts to achieve these goals, ITU launched the Connect2Recover initiative in September 2020, to help countries transition from responding to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and natural hazards to building back better with broadband. The initiative has the strong support of Australia, Japan, Lithuania and Saudi Arabia. As part of the Connect2Recover initiative, a research competition was launched in July 2021 to identify promising research proposals from across the world to accelerate digital inclusion during recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in the selection of 15 winning research proposals in December 2021. The 15 research teams, which represent 43 universities and institutions from 22 countries, focused on the themes of digital inclusion (in the areas of education, health care, enterprises and job creation, and vulnerable groups), and digital connectivity and resilience. The wealth of knowledge and insights compiled within are based on diverse methodologies, including desktop research, surveys, interviews and focus groups, which covered 17 countries in Africa, the Americas, Arab States and Asia-Pacific. The research showed that, while the use of broadband and digital technologies has been critical for coping with the pandemic, many people faced challenges and barriers in their adoption and use. In schools and universities, teachers and students struggled to get access to online education. During lockdowns, many in rural communities were isolated from healthcare providers in cities. In the business sector, the financial needs of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) were not adequately addressed by financial institutions. The digital needs of vulnerable groups – such as women and girls, ageing populations and persons with disabilities – were also not adequately addressed. Ubiquitous and reliable network infrastructure, as well as affordable and accessible services, are essential to deliver digital solutions such as telemedicine, e-education and e-business services. Policy and regulatory enablers are also critical. Outdated policies or regulations that are not inclusive or do not meet post-pandemic recovery requirements need to be revamped. Digital skills gaps need to be addressed through sustained efforts for institutional and human capacity building. For instance, teachers, health-care providers and enterprises require digital skills and competencies to thrive and be successful; digital literacy is important for everyone, including vulnerable groups, so that they can fully participate in digital societies and economies. An estimated 2.7 billion people – or one-third of the world’s population – remain unconnected to the Internet in 2022. The goal of universal and meaningful connectivity cannot be addressed through improving coverage alone. By leveraging the lessons learned from these 15 published research reports – and working to ensure access, adoption, affordability and resiliency of broadband services – together we can build back better with broadband.

The Future of Broadband Connectivity: Terrestrial Networks vs Satellite Constellations

This paper looks at the landscape of broadband connectivity as consumers welcome disruptive newcomers, the satellite service providers, into the telecommunication and internet ecosystem. It highlights the developments that have made it possible for satellites communication to form a competitive alternative for terrestrial broadband internet services. We motivate discussions on ways and approaches to ensure terrestrial mobile operators construct effective strategy in integrating and working with the newcomers for interconnecting their terrestrial nodes with those of the satellite service providers. We discuss some technology and business perspectives for a healthy co-existence, and postulate that customers’ finances (price consideration) and perception of quality of experience and satisfaction may be the battleground for satellites and terrestrial service providers. Finally, it is concluded that, in the history of human endeavor, smart and effective cooperation has always been the best strategy to fight extinction.

Design and Performance Study of Soliton based WDM systems for long distance optical communication

The global demand for secure, large distance and high-speed internet services are increasing day by day with the increase in number of users. In order to meet these rising demands, the technologies used in optical communication system need to improve rapidly to keep up the pace. The evolution of fiber optics thus results in broadband connections which provide uninterrupted high speed internet services for large distances. The achievement of having some high data rate communication schemes in any optical fiber systems used for communication is limited by dispersion. Dispersion affects the transmission capacity of the system badly and thus the bandwidth gets reduced. Solitons are an effective solution for overcoming attenuations occurring due to dispersion. Solitons are narrow pulses that can retain their shape after propagating through a large distance but it undergoes interactions and distortions while used in DWDM systems. In this paper, performance of an 8 channel DWDM system at 40 Gbps bit rate employing different dispersion compensation is done and are analyzed in terms of Q-factor and Bit Error Rate (BER). In this design both Dispersion Compensation Fiber (DCF) and Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) are used for improving Q-factor. The results shows that a Q-factor of about 52.1526 with a min BER of zero is obtained.

Indoor and Outdoor Physical Channel Modeling and Efficient Positioning for Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces in mmWave Bands

Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted communication appears as one of the potential enablers for sixth generation (6G) wireless networks by providing a new degree of freedom in the system design to telecom operators. Particularly, RIS-empowered millimeter wave (mmWave) communication systems can be a remedy to provide broadband and ubiquitous connectivity. This paper aims to fill an important gap in the open literature by providing a physical, accurate, open-source, and widely applicable RIS channel model for mmWave frequencies. Our model is not only applicable in various indoor and outdoor environments but also includes the physical characteristics of wireless propagation in the presence of RISs by considering 5G radio channel conditions. Various deployment scenarios are presented for RISs and useful insights are provided for system designers from the perspective of potential RIS use-cases and their efficient positioning. The scenarios in which the use of an RIS makes a big difference or might not have a big impact on the communication system performance, are revealed. The open-source and comprehensive <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">SimRIS Channel Simulator</i> is also introduced in this paper.

Enabling Universal Connectivity via Data-Driven Policymaking: A North American Case Study

The lack of universal broadband connectivity is becoming a significant hurdle in today's growing digital world. Despite considerable efforts via numerous grant programs, subsidies, private investments, and research initiatives, the disparity between urban and rural communities continues to widen. The COVID-19 pandemic has further emphasized the importance of affordable high-speed Internet to access many social and economic opportunities including remote work, distance learning, and telemedicine. Nevertheless, with the rise of big data, it is now possible to better understand this digital divide from a data-driven perspective. In this article, we leverage a massive crowd-sourced dataset of smartphone device measurements to extract key insights regarding the current state of the digital divide in North America. Specifically, we quantify the extent of the gap, examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and explore possible socioeconomic factors that may be influential in operator business models. Finally, we demonstrate how crowdsourced datasets can be leveraged to monitor the impact of emerging technologies, to better direct federal broadband funds, and to make more informed spectrum policy decisions.

Society for Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics Position Statement on Telehealth.

Telehealth has long held promise as a way to increase access to subspecialty care for children and families, including in developmental and behavioral pediatrics (DBP). The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic necessitated rapid uptake of telehealth to continue care delivery that was facilitated by "temporary" policy changes related to the pandemic. As a result, the field of DBP has recognized telehealth as a potential model of care for performing home-based diagnostic assessments, providing medication management follow-up, and delivering therapeutic interventions for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Telehealth has been helpful in mitigating barriers families often face when attending in-person visits (lack of transportation and child care, missed work hours, etc) but has also highlighted additional determinants of health that need to be addressed to provide equitable access to care (broadband connectivity, device access, digital literacy, access to interpretation and sign language services, etc). Anticipating the lifting of pandemic-related emergency declaration and expiration of temporary policies around telehealth, the ability to continue to deliver DBP care by telehealth is uncertain. The purpose of this policy statement is to advocate for legislation and policies that support ongoing, equitable, home-based telehealth care for patients seen by DBP providers while ensuring equitable access to DBP in general. In addition, there is a need to recognize the benefits and challenges of telehealth versus in-person care and to identify clinical scenarios that favor 1 model of care versus the other.

Impact of Mobile Phone Services on the Traditional Telecommunication Services in India

Background/Purpose: Telecommunication is a principal element in the current technology-driven world. The impact of mobile phone services over traditional services is the key to India witnessing the Digital revolution. This paper highlights the mobile phone services that have impacted the traditional services and the digital penetration that has been observed in almost every sector. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study is mainly based on the data collected from secondary sources of information. The secondary data sources are from annual reports of the telecom sector and websites. It is an explorative research case study that shows the emergence of mobile phone services over traditional telephone services and performs PESTLE analysis. Findings/Result: Based on the study, India has moved into a digital population to a great extent through the advancements in technology and internet services through data packs and broadband connections. The mobile phone services along with the Telecom sector in India have played a crucial role in this transformation with connectivity, affordability, and technological change. Originality/Value: This paper analyzes and interprets the data collected from the past 10 years with respect to telecommunications services and mobile services in India. Based on the findings and their interpretation, new knowledge in the form of recommendations/suggestions is presented. Paper Type: Industry Analysis as a Research Case Study.

Medicare and telehealth: The impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

Study RationaleThe swift progression of the COVID‐19 pandemic appeared to facilitate the increase in telehealth utilization. However, it is clear neither how telehealth was offered by providers nor how it was used by patients during this time of unusual and rapid change within the health industry.AimTo investigates the telehealth utilization patterns of Medicare beneficiaries during the height of the COVID‐19 pandemic.Methods and MaterialsA cross‐sectional study design was used to examine the responses of 9686 Medicare beneficiaries to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, Fall 2020 COVID‐19 Supplement. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between telehealth offering and beneficiaries' sociodemographic variables.ResultsOver half (58%) of primary care providers provided telehealth services, while only 26%–28% of specialists did. Less than 8% of Medicare beneficiaries reported that they were unable to obtain care because of COVID‐19.ConclusionsThis research found that changes in Medicare policy, associated with CMS' declaration of telehealth waivers during the Public Health Emergency (PHE), likely increased the proliferation and utilization of telehealth services during the COVID‐19 pandemic, providing important access to care for certain populations. With the impending conclusion of the PHE, policymakers must 1) ascertain which elements of the new telehealth landscape will be retained, 2) modernize the regulatory, accreditation and reimbursement framework to maintain pace with care model innovation and 3) address disparities in access to broadband connectivity with a particular focus on rural and underserved communities.

Abstract 9423: Virtual Reality (VR) Guided Telerobotic Cardiac Catheter Ablation is Feasible Over Low Bandwidth Network Connection

Introduction: Telerobotic operation in which a remote surgeon performs an operation over distance has long held the promise of providing a more equitable distribution of healthcare in rural and underserved regions of the world. One of the technological limitations that has hampered the adoption of telerobotic surgery is the need for a broadband connection to transmit high-resolution video of the operative field. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that we could develop a low-bandwidth system for telerobotic cardiac catheter ablation that deploys a virtual reality (VR)-based surgical guidance system to allow remote operation without the need for high-resolution video transmission. Methods: We assembled a portable pre-clinical telerobotic catheter ablation system from commercial-grade components by 3 rd party vendors. Raw sensor data from the catheter ablation system requiring a bitrate of less than 100kb/sec was streamed in real-time over distance using a standard internet connection. We used a proprietary service (DOPL Technologies, Seattle, WA) and an Oculus Quest (Oculus, Inc. Menlo Park, CA) to generate a shared, virtual operative field and operating room environment. No video data was transmitted. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the University of Washington (Seattle, WA) approved the study performed on a 14-week (27 kg) Yorkshire pig. The operator was located 6 miles from the OR at the time of the operation. Results: A successful proof of concept telerobotic cardiac catheter ablation in an animal model was performed without video transmission. The remote surgeon applied radiofrequency energy lesions in the animal’s cavotricuspid isthmus region. The visual depiction of the operative environment was successfully constructed in virtual reality from sensor data generated from the animal subject and surgical instruments. The remote operator conducted the ablation while interacting in a shared virtual OR environment with members of the surgical team present in the physical operating room and three remote observers. Conclusions: Telerobotic cardiac catheter ablation is feasible without video transmission. This approach could reduce network bandwidth requirements for telerobotic operations in rural areas.

E-Commerce And Showrooming: How Retail is Changing

Distribution channels are undergoing a radical change. The success of the online channel and digitalization driven by a few leading companies in recent years has dramatically changed the way people live and change their purchasing patterns. New technologies have multiplied the points of contact; broadband connection has increased the number of always-on consumers and, at the same time, has developed online shopping (Pentina &amp; Hasty, 2009). What are the implications of digital technological innovations? Will the physical store continue to play a key role? Will online shopping be able to offer an engaging and exciting consumer experience? For example, showrooming is becoming a common practice. It consists in obtaining all relevant information about a product at the point of sale and finally, buying it online. This practice is often used in order to save money since online prices are known to be lower than in retail shops. It is also driven by the customer's need to touch a product before buying it. More and more retailers are dealing with this phenomenon of being a storefront, providing information, letting people touch products and eventually making fewer sales.

Students’ Attitudes and Perceptions of Smart Online Learning through Podcast Content Development

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic spreading around the globe, it has affected many fields of human life, including educational services. It has been closed for months to eradicate the transmission of its virus. Corresponding to the situation, which changes dramatically, the educational institutions made some transformations and innovations to keep the class and instructional running safely for all by moving the regular sitting class face-to-face to online learning. Educational institutions, as well as podcasts, have developed several online learning media. This study explored the students' attitudes and preference towards creating content for online learning materials/ content by utilizing podcasts in innovative learning through an online survey of 84 students. The study results showed that most respondents (80%) stated that they were about to be enthusiastic, welcoming a new pattern of the instructional process by applying podcasts to develop subject content. The findings show the respondents’ attitudes and perceptions toward Podcast Content Development for Smart Learning are very positive with efficiency (80%), accessibility (90%), interactivity (90%), quality (82%). They preferred to access online learning materials by maximizing the smartphone as its effective and efficient reason. They tend to have brief and meaningful content considering the size and broadband connectivity to achieve flexible and convenient online classes for smart learning

A Survey on the Implementation and Management of Secure Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and Virtual LANs (VLANs) in Static and Mobile Scenarios

Nowadays, the demand for connection between the remote offices of a company, or between research locations, and constantly increasing work mobility (partly due to the current pandemic emergency) have grown hand in hand with the quality and speed of broadband connections. The logical consequence of this scenario is the increasingly widespread use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections. They allow one to securely connect the two ends of a connection via a dedicated network, typically using the Internet and reducing the costs of Content Delivery Network (CDN) lines (dedicated connections). At the same time, Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) are able to decrease the impact of some scalability issues of large networks. Given the background above, this paper is focused on overviewing and surveying the main progresses related to VPNs and VLANs in wireless networks, by collecting the most important contributions in this area and describing how they can be implemented. We state that security issues in VLANs can be effectively mitigated through the combination of good network-management practices, effective network design and the application of advanced security products. However, obviously, the implementation of VPNs and VLANs poses specific issues regarding information and network security; thus some good solutions are also surveyed.

A Laser Link From Lunar Surface Employing Line-of-Sight MIMO

Future exploration of our planetary system relies on the Moon as a base and stepping stone to other planets. A high-rate data connection to this celestial body is, therefore, imperative. Free-space optical (FSO) communications will enable continuous broadband connectivity to Earth. Currently pursued concepts incorporate data relay satellites orbiting the Moon, where each individual satellite terminal has to overcome the lunar distance facing restraints on telescope apertures and on beam pointing and tracking accuracies. We propose a concept of one dedicated link originating from a robotic telescope station installed on the lunar surface. We study the conceptual architecture of such an FSO ground node at the lunar surface with a spotlight on the link design at the physical layer. In particular, we increase the FSO channel capacity through multiple transmission- and receiving-apertures. Our findings encourage the application of the Line-of-Sight (LOS) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology to FSO communications at large link distances typically coming along with space missions, as thereby the maximum MIMO capacity can be achieved. Directing our study on the link geometry such connections seem technically feasible at relatively low system complexity with the receivers located at a single site and the transmitters only few meters apart.

Mobile Education Resource Sharing Method for Wireless Broadband Connection

The recall rate and precision rate of current mobile education resource sharing methods are low, and the resource sharing time is long, so a mobile education resource sharing method based on wireless broadband connection is proposed. Ant colony algorithm was used to optimize the focused crawler, the optimized crawler was used to capture the data of mobile education resources and extract the semantic features of the captured data, and the K-means clustering algorithm was used to cluster all the data. Based on the calculation results of network centrality and network density, a wireless broadband connection is used to schedule mobile education resources to complete the sharing of mobile education resources. The experimental results show that the proposed method’s recall rate and precision rate are above 95% and 96%, and the average resource sharing time is 0.63 s. The comprehensive performance of the proposed method is better.

An economic model of the last-mile internet

Pricing decisions of an internet service provider (ISP) are studied in a model based on complementarity between broadband connection and content, congestion externalities on consumer side and oligopolistic externalities on content provider side. When consumers face two-part tariffs from the ISP, the equilibrium is sensitive to usage price level but is invariant to its structure on two sides. With nonlinear pricing, the markup of content providers affects consumer prices while congestion externalities and elasticity of content demand shape the price for providers. For the zero-price rule, a neutrality-of-policy result holds with two-part tariffs but not with nonlinear pricing.