Universal Broadband Research Articles

Use of eHealth and remote patient monitoring: a tool to support home dialysis patients, with an emphasis on peritoneal dialysis

ABSTRACT Implementing eHealth requires technological advancement, universal broadband and internet access, and devices to conduct telemedicine and remote patient monitoring in end-stage kidney disease patients receiving home dialysis. Although eHealth was beginning to make inroads in this patient population, the COVID-19 pandemic spurred telemedicine usage when many regulations were waived during the Public Health Emergency to limit the spread of infection by endorsing social distancing. At the same time, two-way communication automatic peritoneal dialysis cyclers were introduced to advance remote patient monitoring. Despite the numerous advantages and potential benefits afforded by both procedures, challenges and untapped resources remain to be addressed. Continuing research to assess the use of eHealth and technological innovation can make eHealth a powerful tool in home dialysis. We review the past, present and future of eHealth and remote patient monitoring in supporting home dialysis.

Model analysis on the economic impact of paid peering: Implications of the Netflix vs. SK broadband dispute

In April 2020, Netflix, Inc. and its Korean subsidiary Netflix Services Korea Ltd. filed a lawsuit against SK Broadband, Inc., seeking confirmation that there were no obligations to bear network costs. On June 25, 2021, the Seoul Central District Court rejected Netflix’s argument and acknowledged the existence of an obligation to negotiate fees. Netflix subsequently appealed the decision on November 5, 2021. However, on September 18, 2023, SK Broadband and parent SK Telecom suddenly announced in a joint statement with Netflix that they had agreed to establish a strategic partnership to end all disputes. This study provides an overview of the case, discusses the related concepts, and analyzes the meaning of the case outcome in terms of efficient resource allocation within the broadband ecosystem. A model analysis revealed that, with the freedom of price setting, the effect of introducing paid peering is neutral with respect to resource allocation; however, when that freedom is impaired, for example by price regulations or net neutrality obligations, the introduction of paid peering not only generates benefits for the introducing players and their customers but it also results in damage to overall social welfare. In addition, this study shows that paid peering can be used as a means of internalizing externalities when the external economies of network/content investment are considered. These arguments are expected to make a theoretical contribution to the debate on shifting the economic burden of network infrastructure to over-the-top players, and help the telecom regulator to better design universal broadband scheme.

A universal broadband and CEP stable seeder for high-power amplifiers

This work presents a universal seeder architecture based on filamentation and parametric amplification from an Ytterbium pump laser for the generation of pulses with versatile properties in terms of central wavelength, bandwidth, CEP, and contrast for seeding high power amplifiers based on various technologies.

Leak-out spectroscopy as alternative method to rare-gas tagging for the Renner-Teller perturbed HCCH+ and DCCD+ ions.

Infrared messenger-tagging predissociation action spectroscopy (IRPD) is a well-established technique to record vibrational spectra of reactive molecular ions. One of its major drawbacks is that the spectrum of the messenger-ion complex is taken instead of that of the bare ion. In particular for small open-shell species, such as the Renner-Teller (RT) affected HCCH+ and DCCD+, the attachment of the tag may have a significant impact on the spectral features. Here we present the application of the novel leak-out spectroscopy (LOS) as a tag-free method to record the cis-bending of the HCCH+ (∼700 cm-1) and DCCD+ cations (∼520 cm-1), using a cryogenic ion trap end user station at the FELIX laboratory. We demonstrate that the obtained LOS spectrum is equivalent to a previously recorded laser-induced reactions (LIR) spectrum of HCCH+. The bending modes are the energetically lowest-lying vibrational modes targeted with LOS so far, showing its potential as a universal broadband spectroscopic technique. Furthermore, we have investigated the effect of the rare gas attachment by recording the vibrational spectra of Ne- and Ar-tagged HCCH+. We found that the Ne-attachment led to a shift in band positions and change in relative intensities, while the Ar-attachment even led to a complete quenching of the RT splitting, showing the importance of using a tag-free method for RT affected systems. The results are interpreted with the help of high-level ab initio calculations in combination with an effective Hamiltonian approach.

What would it cost to connect the unconnected? Estimating global universal broadband infrastructure investment

Roughly 3 billion citizens remain offline, equating to approximately 40 percent of the global population. Therefore, providing Internet connectivity is an essential part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (Goal 9). In this paper a high-resolution global model is developed to evaluate the necessary investment requirements to achieve affordable universal broadband. The results indicate that approximately $418 billion needs to be mobilized to connect all unconnected citizens globally (targeting 40–50 GB/Month per user with 95 percent reliability). The bulk of additional investment is for emerging market economies (73 percent) and low-income developing countries (24 percent). To our knowledge, the paper contributes the first high-resolution global assessment which quantifies universal broadband investment at the sub-national level to achieve SDG Goal 9.

Iowa

The Governor’s Budget Recommendations for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023 are focused on the following priorities: Iowa’s Resilient Economy; Putting Students First; Creating Universal Broadband Access; Confronting Iowa’s Child Care Crisis; Expanding Housing Opportunities; Innovating Iowa’s Workforce; Reinvigorating the Iowa Agriculture Economy; Ensuring Strong, Safe Communities; Improving Access to Quality Health Care.

Swarm UAV networking with collaborative beamforming and automated ESN learning in the presence of unknown blockages

This paper aims at designing high-data-rate swarm UAV networks with distributed beamforming capabilities. The primary challenge is that the beamforming gain in swarm UAV networks is highly affected by the UAVs’ flight altitude, their movements and the resulting intermittent link blockages, as well as the availability of channel state information (CSI) at individual UAVs. To address this challenge, we propose FlyBeam, a learning-based framework for joint flight and beamforming control in swarm UAV networks. We first present a mathematical formulation of the control problem with the objective of maximizing the throughput of swarm UAV networks by jointly controlling the flight and distributed beamforming of UAVs. Then, a distributed solution algorithm is designed based on a combination of Echo State Network (ESN) learning and online reinforcement learning. The former is adopted to approximate the utility function for individual UAVs based on online measurements, by jointly considering the unknown blockage dynamics and other factors that affect the beamforming gain. The latter is used to guide the exploitation and exploration in FlyBeam. We further design a scheme referred to as AutoESN to automate the training of the ESN model. AutoESN can update the configurable ESN parameters automatically using a combination of loss function and step size. The effectiveness of FlyBeam is evaluated through an extensive simulation campaign on UBSim, a Python-based Universal Broadband Simulator for integrated aerial and ground wireless networking. The performance of FlyBeam is compared with two benchmark schemes, one designed based on traditional optimization techniques and the other based on learning with utility function approximation through Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). In the performance evaluation, we consider both Zero-Forcing (ZF) and Maximum Ratio Transfer (MRT) for beamforming with sequential and simultaneous channel state estimation. It is shown that significant (up to 450%) beamforming gain can be achieved by FlyBeam. We also investigate the effects of blockages and UAV flight altitude on the beamforming gain. It is found that, somewhat surprisingly, higher (rather than lower) beamforming gain can be achieved by FlyBeam with denser blockages in swarm UAV networks.

The South Korean case of deploying rural broadband via fiber networks by implementing universal service obligation and public-private partnership based project

Despite broadband being essential infrastructure for conducting basic socio-economic activities and reducing inequality and the digital divide, expanding broadband coverage in rural areas remains a significant challenge in many countries due to high deployment costs. South Korea, a developed country in terms of fixed broadband penetration, implemented two policies for rural broadband via fiber access networks simultaneously during the COVID-19 pandemic. One is the universal broadband service at 100 Mbps speed introduced in 2020, and the other is the rural broadband project in terms of a public-private partnership (PPP) that proceeded from August 2020 to 2022. While both policies contribute to reducing the broadband gap between the urban and the rural in the country, it is still important to find the optimal cost-effective combination of the plural rural policies as much as possible from the cost perspective. Accordingly, this study proposes an investment cost estimation model for deploying rural broadband via fiber networks in South Korea and evaluates whether implementing two rural broadband policies in the country is cost-effective. The proposed model is designed according to the bottom-up approach, which involves building an efficient network with the latest technologies; thus, it gives a more accurate and reliable estimation of the investment cost of building rural broadband in the South Korean territory. The significant findings of this study are twofold. First, the PPP-based project could make the participating internet service providers (ISPs) deploy broadband at a cost-effective level, similar or lower to the universal service, and then recover the investment cost per building within a reasonable period. Thus, the result implies that governments need to consider the PPP-based project as an effective measure to deploy rural broadband, in addition to the introduction of universal service. Implementing multiple broadband policies to expand rural broadband coverage could be a reasonable and practical approach to improving broadband availability. Second, the governments still needs to make efforts to solve the complicated difficulties in rural areas in South Korea where rural-related broadband policies are still challenging to implement. This study confirmed that in some regions, the PPP-based project was still inferior to universal service in terms of average investment cost. In contrast, universal service had significant constraints to providing broadband because of the end-users cost burden, resulting in low broadband adoption. Therefore, the government needs to consider some measures to increase broadband availability and broadband adoption, such as widening the rural areas under the jurisdiction of participating ISPs, decreasing the proportion of participating ISPs bearing the investment cost of deploying broadband, and improving the cost burden of the end-users of universal service in some limited areas.

Policy options for broadband infrastructure strategies: A simulation model for affordable universal broadband in Africa

Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals aims to provide universal affordable broadband globally. However, a lack of data, combined with few independent and scientifically reproducible assessments, makes it challenging for governments to make strategic choices to achieve this goal. Therefore, new research approaches are required to support decision evaluation. This paper demonstrates an innovative method that addresses data and model uncertainty by developing open-source software to explore affordable universal broadband strategies, using a scenario-based hypothetical mobile operator. Targets being considered by the United Nations’ Broadband Commission are evaluated, with the financial costs of different infrastructure decisions quantified for the whole of the African continent. The results suggest that ‘leapfrogging’ to 4G is more cost efficient than 3G for providing universal broadband, with savings between 7 and 57 % for 10 GB/Month and 20–47 % for 30 GB/Month. The baseline 4G cost for connecting all unconnected and underserved users across Africa is $0.4 trillion for 10 GB/Month and $0.7–1 trillion for 30 GB/Month.

The (fuzzy) digital divide: the effect of universal broadband on firm performance

Abstract Differences in access to high-speed broadband between urban and rural locations are known as the ‘digital divide’. Governments around the world have committed to spending considerable amounts of money to alleviate disparities in broadband infrastructure. However, to date, there is limited causal evidence for broadband and firm performance with even less of an understanding on whether the effects are distinct between firms located in urban versus rural localities. In this article, we exploit geographical discontinuities in broadband availability across the UK to capture the causal effects on firms on both sides of this divide. We find for both urban and rural firms that broadband causes an increase in their size, but not labor productivity. In addition, we find evidence that these size effects are strongest for urban firms, but for both urban and rural firms, the effects are concentrated in knowledge-intensive industries.

PH Roundtable: Disparities in PH

PH Roundtable: Disparities in PH

Policy choices can help keep 4G and 5G universal broadband affordable

• The UN broadband commission is targeting universal broadband of 10 Mbps by 2030. • This paper evaluates if this is actually feasible, considering viability and affordability. • Deployment of 5G non-standalone costs USD 2 trillion (0.67% of annual GDP for the developing world). • A favorable regulatory environment can reduce this cost by almost half, avoiding public subsidy. • Governments must adopt fiscal and regulatory regimes conducive to lowering broadband costs. • If so, universal broadband may be within reach of most developing countries over the next decade. The UN Broadband Commission has committed to universal broadband by 2030. But can this objective really be affordably delivered? The aim of this paper is to assess universal broadband viability in the developing world, quantifying the relationship between demand-side revenue and supply-side cost. A comprehensive scenario-based simulation model is developed open-source, capable of evaluating the global cost-effectiveness of different 4G and 5G infrastructure strategies. Utilizing remote sensing and demand forecasting, least-cost network designs are developed for eight representative Low and Middle-Income Countries (Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Senegal, Pakistan, Albania, Peru and Mexico), the results from which form the basis for global aggregation via a new assessment framework. The cost of meeting a minimum ∼10 Mbps per user is estimated at USD 2 trillion using 5G Non-Standalone, approximately 0.67% of annual GDP for the developing world over the next decade. However, by creating a favorable regulatory environment, governments can bring down these costs by almost half – to USD 1.2 trillion (approximately 0.41% of annual GDP) – and avoid the need for public subsidy. Providing governments make judicious choices, adopting fiscal and regulatory regimes conducive to lowering costs, universal broadband may be within reach of most developing countries over the next decade.

Universal Broadband Assessment of Low Earth Orbit Satellite Constellations: Evaluating Capacity, Coverage, Cost, and Environmental Emissions

Universal Broadband Assessment of Low Earth Orbit Satellite Constellations: Evaluating Capacity, Coverage, Cost, and Environmental Emissions

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.

Remote and Indigenous Broadband: A Comparison of Canadian and US Initiatives and Indigenous Engagement

This paper compares funding and other policies for broadband for rural and Indigenous regions initiated by the Canadian and US regulators and policy agencies. In 2016, the CRTC determined that broadband was to be considered a basic service available to all Canadians and set targets for universal broadband at 50 mbps download and 10 mbps upload speed. The Commission also recognized that public sector funding could be required to accomplish the goal of extending broadband to rural and remote regions, but deferred addressing specifics of a broadband fund. In 2019, the CRTC initiated a consultation on draft criteria for a broadband fund. It then published a call for proposals and has provided funding for several projects. Based on comments from small and Indigenous providers who participated in the consultation, the CRTC opened a further proceeding on barriers to deployment of broadband and then on regulatory measures to make access to poles and other existing terrestrial infrastructure more efficient. In the U.S., among FCC broadband funding programs that include rural and Tribal regions are the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, which will commit at least $20.4 billion over the next decade to support high-speed broadband networks in rural America (approved in 2020 by the previous administration) and the Emergency Broadband Connectivity Fund, a broadband subsidy for consumers, announced in January 2021. The FCC also opened a Rural Tribal Priority Window for licenses to use 2.5 GHz spectrum for networks on Tribal lands in 2020. This paper compares the issues raised and policies adopted or proposed by the CRTC and the FCC concerning remote and Indigenous broadband access and affordability, and activities related to Indigenous engagement in policy and regulatory issues in each country. It concludes with lessons from the Canadian and US regulatory experience that can be relevant for rural and Indigenous regions in other countries.

Telecom's Road to 2030: “What If We Were to Do Nothing?”

Telecom’s Road to 2030: “What if We Were to Do Nothing?” By 2030, current U.S. broadband policy may be unable to fulfill its mission of providing all Americans with equal access to the capabilities of advanced digital products and services, while geopolitical competitors forge ahead. This paper compares the information technology strategies of the U.S., the EU and China, and proposes a distinctively American leadership vision, building from the FCC’s 2010 National Broadband Plan (NBP). According to Blair Levin, NBP Exc. Dir., “We started with the question of what if we were to do nothing; what would be the biggest problem in a decade?” Revisiting that question in 2021 reveals very different problems and calls for a new paradigm for solutions. Digital networks are growing at near-exponential rates, along with networked technologies, platforms and applications which are increasingly critical for full societal participation. According to the NBP, “Broadband networks only create value to consumers and businesses when they are used in conjunction with broadband capable devices to deliver useful applications and content.” By 2030, for U.S. citizens to be fully engaged and productive members of society, broadband access alone will not be enough. Multi-Gb connectivity will be near ubiquitous, with mobile and fixed technologies functionally equivalent. The goal of universal broadband access will shift from connecting geographies and devices to connecting individuals (PANs, wearables, implantables), enabling use of an array of networked services and applications. Leading geopolitical competitors are aggressively pursuing new information technology opportunities. The EU hopes to become a global rule-maker for consumer digital protection. It is calling the current decade, “Europe’s Digital Decade”, embracing “digital citizenship”. In addition to the 2018 GDPR, the Digital Services and Digital Markets Acts, and rules for Commercial Data and AI are pending. China, in its 13th and now 14th Five Year Plans, is focused on international market leadership in critical new technologies (e.g., “Made in China 2025”), integrating strategies for AI, quantum information, Cyberspace, Big Data centers, and 5G, while domestically emphasizing rural development, social stability and regime perpetuation, merging Informatization with Cybersecurity. The paper compares the current goals, laws and structures of each related to emerging digital technologies. It asks if the U.S. is disadvantaged relative to its main competitors and offers a holistic policy alternative. It argues it is time to reforge U.S. broadband policy so policy and technology can develop in tandem. This will require an evolved policy framework that is flexible and responsive, with an integrative view of the digital ecosystem, focused on outcomes, not technologies, with full digital inclusion as the basic condition of the social contract. What if we were to do nothing? Domestically, broadband policy and regulation would become progressively dysfunctional. Globally, the U.S. would fall behind in technology markets and leadership in international fora as a respected source of norm making based on digital inclusion for all. It is time to go beyond “access” and take a vision of universal digital inclusion to the next level. This paper proposes such a path.

Estimating the deployment costs of broadband universal service via fiber networks in Korea

While both broadband itself and its speed are becoming increasingly important in all spheres of society, the high cost of providing broadband as a universal service at high speed still raises a fundamental question: Is the introduction of the universal service obligation (USO) necessary? Therefore, the introduction of universal broadband service at 100 Mbps in Korea in 2020 could be a meaningful case study to evaluate the necessity of broadband USO. This study proposes an estimation model of the costs of providing universal broadband service in Korea and assesses whether the introduction of the broadband USO was appropriate in Korea. Since the proposed model was based on the bottom-up (BU) approach, which establishes an efficient network using the latest technologies, the estimated cost of providing universal broadband service nationwide in Korea is accurate and reliable. The main findings are threefold. First, the total cost of providing broadband USO at 100 Mbps through the fiber-to-the-home technology was about 1.1 trillion Korean Won. Since this is a relatively small amount compared with previous evaluations, it could be recovered within a reasonable period from the monthly broadband fee that subscribers pay. Therefore, the result supports the introduction of universal broadband service in Korea. Second, there was no significant difference in the average cost per building for broadband USO between 50 Mbps and 100 Mbps; thus, the Korean government's decision to set the broadband speed for broadband USO at 100 Mbps was reasonable, at least from a cost perspective. These results imply that developed countries with relatively high broadband penetration, in particular, could consider providing universal broadband services of at least 50 Mbps by fiber-based technologies. Lastly, although the total cost of offering fiber-based universal broadband services in Korea was acceptable, the government could also consider including wireless access technology as a technological alternative to reduce the costs of the USO policy.

Achieving Equity in Telehealth: "Centering at the Margins" in Access, Provision, and Reimbursement.

The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic has led to rapid transformation of health care delivery and access with increased provision of telehealth services despite previously identified barriers and limitations to this care. While telehealth was initially envisioned to increase equitable access to care for under-resourced populations, the way in which telehealth provision is designed and implemented may result in worsening disparities if not thoughtfully done. This commentary seeks to demonstrate the opportunities for telehealth equity based on past research, recent developments, and a recent patient experience case example highlighting benefits of telehealth care in underserved patient populations. Recommendations to improve equity in telehealth provision include improved virtual visit technology with a focus on patient ease of use, strategies to increase access to video visit equipment, universal broadband wireless, and inclusion of telephone visits in CMS reimbursement criteria for telehealth.

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.

Beam Learning in MmWave/THz-Band Drone Networks Under In-Flight Mobility Uncertainties

This article focuses on designing high-data-rate wireless communications for drone networks in the mmWave and terahertz (THz) frequency bands. MmWave/THz-band communications have been envisioned as key technologies to achieve ultra broadband wireless links through beamforming in 5G and beyond networks. However, a main challenge with these frequency bands is that the narrow-beam directional wireless links can be easily disconnected because of the beam misalignment in mobile environments. To address this challenge, in this article we design a new beam control scheme called <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">LeBeam</i> , with the objective of maximizing the expected capacity of the mmWave/THz-band links by determining the optimal beamwidth dynamically under the mobility uncertainties of flying drones. In <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">LeBeam</i> , an Echo State Network (ESN) is adopted to capture the mobility uncertainties of the drones dynamically and predict the optimal beamwidth based on the first- and second-order moments of the drone mobility. The ESN has been trained based on real drone flight traces. To this end, we measure and analyze the mobility uncertainties of flying drones by carrying out a series of field experiments in different weather. It is found that flying drones experience micro-, small- and large-scale mobility uncertainties, and the resulting mobility behavior cannot be characterized with any existing statistical models. The performance of <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">LeBeam</i> is evaluated over UBSim, a newly developed trace-driven Universal Broadband Simulator for integrated aerial and ground wireless networking. Results indicate that the micro-scale mobility has only negligible effects on the link capacity (less than 1 percent), while the wireless links may experience significant capacity degradation (over 50 percent on average) in the presence of small- and large-scale mobility uncertainties.