Broadband Coverage Research Articles

Supportive 5G Infrastructure Policies are Essential for Universal 6G: Assessment Using an Open-Source Techno-Economic Simulation Model Utilizing Remote Sensing

Work has now begun on the sixth generation of cellular technologies (‘6G‘) and cost-efficient global broadband coverage is already becoming a key pillar. Indeed, we are still far from providing universal and affordable broadband connectivity, despite this being a key part of the Sustainable Development Goals (Target 9.c). Currently, both Mobile Network Operators and governments still lack independent analysis of the strategies that can help achieve this target with the cellular technologies available (4G and 5G). Therefore, this paper undertakes a quantitative assessment demonstrating how current 5G policies affect universal broadband, drawing conclusions over how decisions made now affect future evolution to 6G. Using a method based on an open-source techno-economic codebase, combining remote sensing with least-cost network algorithms, performance analytics are provided for different 4G and 5G universal broadband strategies. As an example, the assessment approach is applied to India, the world‘s second-largest mobile market and a country with very high spectrum prices. The results demonstrate the trade-offs between technological decisions. This includes demonstrating how important current infrastructure policy is, particularly given fiber backhaul will be essential for delivering 6G quality of service. We find that by <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">eliminating</i> the spectrum licensing costs, 100% 5G population coverage can viably be achieved using fiber backhaul. Therefore, supportive infrastructure policies are essential in providing a superior foundation for evolution to future cellular generation, such as 6G.

Broadband high-resolution molecular spectroscopy with interleaved mid-infrared frequency combs

Traditionally, there has been a trade-off in spectroscopic measurements between high resolution, broadband coverage, and acquisition time. Originally envisioned for precision spectroscopy of the hydrogen atom in the ultraviolet, optical frequency combs are now commonly used for probing molecular ro-vibrational transitions throughout broad spectral bands in the mid-infrared providing superior resolution, speed, and the capability of referencing to the primary frequency standards. Here we demonstrate the acquisition of 2.5 million spectral data points over the continuous wavelength range of 3.17–5.13 µm (frequency span 1200 cm−1, sampling point spacing 13–21 MHz), via interleaving comb-tooth-resolved spectra acquired with a highly-coherent broadband dual-frequency-comb system based on optical subharmonic generation. With the original comb-line spacing of 115 MHz, overlaying eight spectra with gradually shifted comb lines we fully resolve the amplitude and phase spectra of molecules with narrow Doppler lines, such as carbon disulfide (CS2) and its three isotopologues.

Telehealth Use in a Rural State: A Mixed-Methods Study Using Maine's All-Payer Claims Database.

This study assesses trends in telehealth use in Maine-a rural state with comprehensive telehealth policies-across payers, services, and rurality, and identifies barriers and facilitators to the adoption and use of telehealth services. Using a mixed-methods approach, researchers analyzed data from Maine's All Payer Claims Database (2008-2016) and key informant interviews with health care organization leaders to examine telehealth use and explore factors impacting telehealth adoption and implementation. Despite a 14-fold increase in the use of telehealth over the 9-year study period, use remains low-0.28% of individuals used telehealth services in 2016 compared with 0.02% in 2008. Services provided via telehealth varied by rurality; speech language pathology (SLP) was the most common type of service among rural residents, while psychiatric services were most common among urban residents. Medicaid was the primary payer for over 70% of telehealth claims in both rural and urban areas of the state, driving the increase of telehealth claims over time. Issues challenging organizations seeking to deploy telehealth included provider resistance, staff turnover, provider shortages, and lack of broadband. Key informants identified inadequate and inconsistent reimbursement as barriers to comprehensive, systematic billing for telehealth services, resulting in underrepresentation of telehealth services in claims data. Claims covered by Medicaid account for much of the observed expansion of telehealth use in Maine. Telehealth appears to be improving access to behavioral health and SLP services. Provider shortages, broadband, and Medicare and commercial coverage policies limit the use of telehealth services in rural areas.

Digital Economy

The digital economy is growing rapidly across the world, albeit at an uneven pace that transcends different countries. In most countries, however, the digital economy is constantly evolving. This article seeks to explore the possible role of the telecoms regulator within the context of a digital economy in Nigeria. The article starts by providing an overview of digital economy by defining this concept as well as its components. Furthermore, the article provides some examples of emerging technologies, which appears to propel the digital economy and some inherent challenges. The article then discusses the readiness of the Nigerian economy in adopting digital economy which involves broadband coverage, data protection, and interoperability of digital platforms. Finally, the implications for the regulator within the context of having a digital economy is considered and practical recommendations provided.

Distributed Intelligence: A Verification for Multi-Agent DRL-Based Multibeam Satellite Resource Allocation

Centralized radio resource management method puts all of the computational burdens in an agent, which is unbearable with the increasing of data dimensionality. This letter focuses on how to schedule limited satellite-based radio resources efficiently to enhance transmission efficiency and extend broadband coverage with low complexity. We propose a cooperative multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (CMDRL) framework to achieve the radio resources management strategy. The bandwidth allocation problem is taken as an example to analyze the proposed novel method in simulation. The experimental results show that this approach is capable of enhancing transmission efficiency and be flexible to achieve the desired goal with low complexity.

Assessing fifteen years of State Aid for broadband in the European Union: A quantitative analysis

In this paper, we document how public funds, or State Aid, have been used to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure in Europe since 2003. Our descriptive analysis relies on a unique data set on all the broadband measures notified to the European Commission by Member States between 2003 and 2018. We identify two waves of State Aid for broadband: one for the deployment of basic broadband, and a more recent one for the roll out of next-generation access networks. The use of State Aid is very heterogeneous across Member States, with a few large countries representing the bulk of the cases. The objective of most plans is to expand broadband coverage. The typical project relies mainly on public funds, and involves a direct grant, an open tender, and a contract for 3–5 years. Access obligations are imposed on networks deployed with State Aid, using a benchmarking approach in most cases. Finally, we show that notifications are associated with a relatively high level of broadband coverage in notifying countries, suggesting that public investment is taking over from private investment.

Controlling for Selection Bias in Social Media Indicators through Official Statistics: a Proposal

Abstract With the increase of social media usage, a huge new source of data has become available. Despite the enthusiasm linked to this revolution, one of the main outstanding criticisms in using these data is selection bias. Indeed, the reference population is unknown. Nevertheless, many studies show evidence that these data constitute a valuable source because they are more timely and possess higher space granularity. We propose to adjust statistics based on Twitter data by anchoring them to reliable official statistics through a weighted, space-time, small area estimation model. As a by-product, the proposed method also stabilizes the social media indicators, which is a welcome property required for official statistics. The method can be adapted anytime official statistics exists at the proper level of granularity and for which social media usage within the population is known. As an example, we adjust a subjective well-being indicator of “working conditions” in Italy, and combine it with relevant official statistics. The weights depend on broadband coverage and the Twitter rate at province level, while the analysis is performed at regional level. The resulting statistics are then compared with survey statistics on the “quality of job” at macro-economic regional level, showing evidence of similar paths.

Panorama de la economía digital en el tejido empresarial y desarrollo económico de latinoamerica

El propósito de la presente revisión, explora el dinamismo de la economía digital en algunos de sus principales indicadores, especialmente en Latinoamérica, la implementación de la banda ancha y el uso de internet en algunos países. Se quiere conocer cómo ha evolucionado la economía digital en la sociedad como parte del desarrollo del ecosistema digital. Mediante un enfoque cualitativo con diseño longitudinal de tendencia, se analizaron diferentes variables como son el Índice social de economía digital (DESI Digital Economy and Society Índex), indicadores de competitividad digital mundial (World Digital Competitiveness ranking (WDCR)), Eurostat, Índice de preparación digital (DRI Digital Readiness Index) Se aplicaron técnicas de vigilancia tecnológica en la identificación de tendencias tecnológicas, y estrategias digitales preferidas por usuarios, especialmente en el mercado de comercio electrónico. Se realiza una aproximación teórica de las TIC, las cuales hacen parte de la economía digital en los negocios y su importancia en la innovación social. Se evidenció que aún se requiere personal especializado deacuerdo a principales tendencias de la nueva era digital y la volatilidad del mercado en varias regiones de Latinoamérica, al igual que el gasto de I+D es relativamente bajo. A pesar de los esfuerzos de los gobiernos por establecer mayor cobertura de banda ancha, está aún no se ve reflejada en un mayor uso del e-commerce en la sociedad.

EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INTEGRATION OF ICT INFRASTRUCTURE WITH OTHER INFRASTRUCTURAL OBJECTS

In the face of the need to reduce digital gaps, the most important thing is enabling broadband Internet users, whose increase leads to an increase in GDP. Broadband coverage remains low in many countries, as investment in ICT infrastructure development is expensive and time consuming. The cost of building fibre optic cable lines can be optimized using the infrastructure of other industries, such as transportation, energy and others, through co-deployment and sharing. The purpose of this work is to determine the effectiveness of integrating the ICT infrastructure with road transport and electricity infrastructure by identifying the main factors and parameters for determining the appropriate co-deployment and the model of this process’s synergetic effect. The paper identifies the main factors (technical, geographical, socio-economic) and the parameters for determining the co-deployment of ICT infrastructure with road transport and electricity, as well as the principles of infrastructure assessment in the context of the proposed parameters. The model of emergence of synergetic effect of economic, social and technical and technological character from co-deployment of infrastructures of all involved spheres is presented. Consequently, the co-deployment of ICT infrastructure with transport and electricity infrastructure will close existing digital gaps and develop the digital economy, and will increase the profitability of all sectors of the economy, and in particular the life-sustaining sector.

Patient Perceptions of Video Visits Using Veterans Affairs Telehealth Tablets: Survey Study.

BackgroundVideo-based health care can help address access gaps for patients and is rapidly being offered by health care organizations. However, patients who lack access to technology may be left behind in these initiatives. In 2016, the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) began distributing video-enabled tablets to provide video visits to veterans with health care access barriers.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate veterans’ experiences with VA-issued tablets and identify patient characteristics associated with preferences for video visits vs in-person care.MethodsA baseline survey was sent to the tablet recipients, and a follow-up survey was sent to the respondents 3 to 6 months later. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify patient characteristics associated with preferences for care, and we examined qualitative themes around care preferences using standard content analysis methods for coding the data collected in the open-ended questions.ResultsPatient-reported access barriers centered around transportation and health-related challenges, outside commitments, and feeling uncomfortable or uneasy at the VA. Satisfaction with the tablet program was high, and in the follow-up survey, approximately two-thirds of tablet recipients preferred care via a tablet (194/604, 32.1%) or expressed that video-based and in-person care were “about the same” (216/604, 35.7%), whereas one-third (192/604, 31.7%) indicated a preference for in-person care. Patients were significantly more likely to report a preference for video visits (vs a preference for in-person visits or rating them “about the same”) if they felt uncomfortable in a VA setting, reported a collaborative communication style with their doctor, had a substance use disorder diagnosis, or lived in a place with better broadband coverage. Patients were less likely to report a preference for video visits if they had more chronic conditions. Qualitative analyses identified four themes related to preferences for video-based care: perceived improvements in access to care, perceived differential quality of care, feasibility of obtaining necessary care, and technology-related challenges.ConclusionsMany recipients of VA-issued tablets report that video care is equivalent to or preferred to in-person care. Results may inform efforts to identify good candidates for virtual care and interventions to support individuals who experience technical challenges.

Are mobile and fixed broadband substitutes or complements? New empirical evidence from Italy and implications for the digital divide policies

The literature on broadband policies has been focusing on the possible role of mobile broadband as a means for addressing geographical digital divide in areas with no or inadequate fixed broadband infrastructure coverage. Broadband plans designed by most of the industrialized countries take the substitutability between fixed and mobile technologies for granted, with restrictions essentially relating only to bandwidth performance. We explore the determinants of individuals' private access (away from work) to the Internet with the smartphone through a mobile broadband connection, focusing on the role played by Internet uses and taking into account the availability of a fixed broadband connection at home. The results of our econometric exercise, carried out on microdata referred to Italian individuals, provide original and interesting evidence: a complementarity effect between mobile and fixed broadband is found for browsing, video streaming, gaming and cloud services; a substitution effect emerges for social networking and music streaming. Such increasing complexity of individuals’ broadband usage patterns should be acknowledged in the way broadband coverage is mapped and policies designed, adopting a more ecosystem-oriented approach which integrates supply- and demand-side features. A first step in this direction is the inclusion of some, so far neglected, key-attributes of the demand (data traffic allowance, latency, ease of interconnection with Internet capable devices) among the relevant dimensions of policy design.

Voter mobilisation in the echo chamber: Broadband internet and the rise of populism in Europe

AbstractCan the diffusion of broadband internet help explain the recent success of populist parties in Europe? Populists cultivate an anti‐elitist communication style, which, they claim, directly connects them with ordinary people. The internet therefore appears to be the perfect tool for populist leaders. This study shows that this notion holds up to rigorous empirical testing. Drawing on survey data from Italy and Germany, a positive correlation is found between use of the internet as a source of political information and voting for populist parties. By instrumenting internet use with broadband coverage at the municipality level, the study then demonstrates that this relationship is causal. The findings suggest that part of the rise of populism can be attributed to the effect of online tools and communication strategies made possible by the proliferation of broadband access.

The Welfare Effects of Mobile Broadband Internet: Evidence from Nigeria

This paper estimates the impacts of mobile broadband coverage on household consumption and poverty in Nigeria, the largest economy and mobile broadband market in Africa. The analysis exploits a unique dataset that integrates three waves of a nationally representative longitudinal household survey on living standards with information from Nigerian mobile operators on the deployment of mobile broadband (3G and 4G) coverage between 2010 and 2016. The estimates show that mobile broadband coverage had large and positive impacts on household consumption levels which increased over time, although at a decreasing rate. Mobile broadband coverage also reduces the proportion of households below the poverty line, driven by higher food and non-food consumption in rural households. These effects are mainly due to an increase in labor force participation and employment, particularly among women.

A Lightweight Key Agreement and Authentication Scheme for Satellite-Communication Systems

Mobile satellite communication is becoming a crucial component for broadcast and broadband coverage in professional, commercial, military and emergency scenarios. Mobile devices and network control center (NCC) are the basic components of Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellites which communicate with each other with the help of gateways. The communication between these components needs high security. The various existing protocols for the environment of mobile satellite communication are insecure against numerous attacks and can be easily attacked by an adversary. So, there is an indispensable requirement of a reliable protocol which can offer efficient and secure communication for mobile satellite system. Therefore, a robust key agreement authentication scheme for mobile satellite environment is proposed in this article. The proposed protocol is developed according to the major security demands in the satellite communication networks. Our protocol provides mutual-authentication, session-key agreement and correct notion of user anonymity. The performance analysis for evaluation shows that the storage, communication and computation cost of the proposed protocol is less than many of existing protocols. Moreover, our protocol offers additional security features than that are available in the existing protocols. Hence, our protocol offers a secure authentication and key agreement for mobile satellite systems.

Computational Doppler-limited dual-comb spectroscopy with a free-running all-fiber laser

Dual-comb spectroscopy has emerged as an indispensable analytical technique in applications that require high resolution and broadband coverage within short acquisition times. Its experimental realization, however, remains hampered by intricate experimental setups with large power consumption. Here, we demonstrate an ultrasimple free-running dual-comb spectrometer realized in a single all-fiber cavity suitable for the most demanding Doppler-limited measurements. Our dual-comb laser utilizes just a few basic fiber components, allows us to tailor the repetition rate difference, and requires only 350 mW of electrical power for sustained operation over a dozen of hours. As a demonstration, we measure low-pressure hydrogen cyanide within 1.7 THz bandwidth and obtain better than 1% transmittance precision over a terahertz in 200 ms enabled by an all-computational phase retrieval and correction algorithm. The combination of the setup simplicity, comb tooth resolution, and high spectroscopic precision paves the way for proliferation of frequency comb spectroscopy on a larger scale.

Comments on the Design of the Rural Digital Opportunities Fund Phase I Auction

The FCC plans to assign up to $20B in subsidies for rural broadband coverage through the Rural Digital Opportunities (RDOF) program. For the RDOF Phase I Auction, it plans to use a multi-round reverse auction design based on the design used in the Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II Auction in 2018. The CAF II auction was, in many ways, a success, assigning $1.49B in support over ten years to provide fixed broadband and voice services to over 700,000 eligible locations. However, CAF II was only the first application of this auction design, and it would be wrong to think that the design is already as good as it can be. After all, the FCC’s forward auction designs have evolved to the point of barely resembling the original designs first used over two decades ago. Each point in that evolution took advantage of the data and experience of prior auctions to make efficiency-enhancing refinements. Similarly, the CAF II auction data and experience are available to help consider and examine potential refinements to this reverse auction design. In this paper, we analyze the CAF II auction to better understand its outcomes and why they occurred. The result of this analysis is a set of proposals that are likely to improve the fairness and efficiency of the RDOF auction. 1. Use CAF II bidding data to update the CAM-driven reserve prices for RDOF in an effort to make more efficient use of the budget. 2. Freeze the price clocks for uncontested areas after the budget clears to facilitate package bidding and the revelation of cost synergies. 3. Modify the information rule to avoid switching bids that are only intended to gather information on the level of competition and hurt competition discovery. 4. Reduce location uncertainty and its negative effects on efficiency and fairness. 5. Use the CAF II performance weights to represent consumers’ preferences and the proposed high latency weight to avoid paying for areas that would be served anyway.

The digital divide: Implications for agribusiness and entrepreneurship. Lessons from Wales

Abstract This paper investigates the impact of broadband access on agribusiness in rural Wales and the resulting implications on entrepreneurial activity. Despite attempts by Government and telecommunications providers to develop widespread broadband coverage in Wales, concerns remain in relation to an increasing digital divide between urban and rural locations. Broadband is a key enabling technology therefore connectivity is significant, not only in communication, but also in the ability for businesses to innovate and grow. Wales is a predominantly rural country with 84% of the total land area in Wales being used for agriculture (Welsh Government, 2013). The food and farming sector represents a significant part of the Welsh economy, and is dominated by small businesses. Connectivity and increased use of technology are vital for these businesses to overcome location constraints and various industrial challenges, notably Brexit. The research uses survey data from 738 farmers and 107 food SMEs in Wales, with 19 follow-up semi-structured interviews. The survey results highlight issues of technology adoption, with 19% of farmers in the survey having no access to broadband internet, with others reporting the speed of connection being a limiting factor. The consequences of poor connectivity point to limited computer skills and low levels of soft technology adoption, a lack of engagement with social media, limited scope for innovation and restricted business growth, with 55.1% of food respondents identifying poor broadband access as a barrier to internationalisation. This has led to agrifood businesses adopting a passive approach to growth opportunities. The findings suggest that rural areas remain at a disadvantage due to poor connectivity, an issue that must be tackled by the Welsh Government to readdress the balance in the economy and limit a brain drain of skilled people moving to urban areas, often outside Wales. Support for such businesses is vital, particularly given the pressures and uncertainty in the industry, as broadband access represents an important enabler for future innovation and entrepreneurial activity.

Broadband terahertz heterodyne spectrometer exploiting synchrotron radiation at megahertz resolution.

A new spectrometer allowing both high resolution and broadband coverage in the terahertz (THz) domain is proposed. This instrument exploits the heterodyne technique between broadband synchrotron radiation and a quantum-cascade-laser-based molecular THz laser that acts as the local oscillator. Proof of principle for exploitation for spectroscopy is provided by the recording of molecular absorptions of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and methanol (CH3OH) around 1.073THz. Ultimately, the spectrometer will enable to cover the 1-4THz region in 5GHz windows at Doppler resolution.

Vaccine hesitancy and (fake) news: Quasi-experimental evidence from Italy.

The spread of fake news and misinformation on social media is blamed as a primary cause of vaccine hesitancy, which is one of the major threats to global health, according to the World Health Organization. This paper studies the effect of the diffusion of misinformation on immunization rates in Italy by exploiting a quasi‐experiment that occurred in 2012, when the Court of Rimini officially recognized a causal link between the measles‐mumps‐rubella vaccine and autism and awarded injury compensation. To this end, we exploit the virality of misinformation following the 2012 Italian court's ruling, along with the intensity of exposure to nontraditional media driven by regional infrastructural differences in Internet broadband coverage. Using a Difference‐in‐Differences regression on regional panel data, we show that the spread of this news resulted in a decrease in child immunization rates for all types of vaccines.

Technological literacy and interrupted internet access

ABSTRACT As everyday practices are increasingly digitalised, many countries are prioritising broadband rollout. However, infrastructure provision under national policies has not been uniform. In comparison to urban populations, rural communities often have inferior broadband infrastructure and services and there are disparities in digital opportunities between rural and urban areas. A case study of twenty rural Australian internet users reveals that rural communities suffer from limited access, inconsistent and unreliable services, and rural broadband plans’ data restrictions and high prices, which we conceptualise as ‘interrupted access’. Rural internet experiences are subsequently shaped by the availability, speed, stability and affordability of connections. As a response, a form of ‘technological literacy’ is emerging through which rural consumers undertake technical and social manoeuvrings to self-address challenges from interrupted access and increase their opportunities for digital inclusion. Participants developed innovative local solutions, such as self-installed auxiliary hardware and mobile towers, which they used to improve mobile broadband coverage. Those unable to build such solutions displayed new types of knowledge encompassing broader contexts of connectivity (infrastructure, devices and plans) and re-structured rural life to accommodate internet use that is shaped by interrupted access. Growing community-level capacity and interest in broadband development suggests national policies could better reduce rural-urban inequities by supporting and empowering localised solutions. Without addressing the interrupted nature of rural connectivity to improve service quality and affordability, disparities in the digital opportunities available to rural and urban consumers will persist.