Broadband Users Research Articles

A step toward the modern and sustainable agriculture: Evaluating the impact of information and communication technology on cereal production in China

AbstractAchieving food security has become a critical concern for many nations. China has also made significant efforts to ensure domestic food security. In order to provide an adequate food supply in the future, this research explores the effects of information and communication technology (ICT) on grain production. Pool Mean Group (PMG) method is used to estimate a panel dataset for 31 Chinese province administrative regions from 2005 to 2021. To ensure that the panel dataset is suitable for use with the PMG model, cross‐sectional independence tests, unit root tests, and co‐integration tests are performed. The empirical analysis shows that ICT boosts cereal crops yields over time. In particular, a 1% increase in fixed broadband users and cell phones boosts cereal production by 0.03% and 0.06%, respectively, in the long run. As a result, in order to increase yields, China must expand its use of ICT in agricultural production.

Association of area-level broadband and non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis and guideline-concordant care in the US.

96 Background: Access to broadband is a social determinant of health facilitating connections with healthcare services and other resources and alleviating burdens of travel distance, time, and cost. We used nationwide data to examine the association of zip code-level broadband usage and stage at diagnosis, as well as the receipt of quality care among individuals newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Individuals ≥18 years newly diagnosed with first primary NSCLC between April - December of 2019-2021, were identified from the National Cancer Database (January - March were excluded to match the COVID-19 timeframe in 2020). Broadband usage percentage (the percentage of individuals per zip code with access to fixed broadband at speeds of 25 Mbps/3 Mbps in 2020) were combined with the cohort based on individual’s residential zip code. Multivariable logistic regression models examined associations between broadband usage quartiles and stage at diagnosis, as well as the receipt of guideline-concordant care based on National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, including surgery and radiation, ≥10 lymph nodes sampling, chemotherapy, and neoadjuvant chemoradiation (NACR). Analyses were conducted overall and stratified by metropolitan status and year, adjusting for age group, sex, race and ethnicity, comorbidity, distance to facility, state, and zip code-level social deprivation index (SDI). Results: Cohort included 305,198 individuals newly diagnosed with NSCLC. Individuals living in areas with the highest broadband usage were more likely to be aged 65-74 years, female, non-Hispanic White, with Medicare coverage, living in metropolitan and low SDI areas. In adjusted models, individuals living in areas with the highest broadband usage were more likely to be diagnosed with stage I NSCLC (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.10, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] = 1.01-1.20) and to receive guideline-concordant NACR (AOR = 1.38, 95%CI = 1.09-1.73) compared with those living in areas with the lowest broadband usage in 2020. When stratified by metropolitan status, associations of broadband and diagnosis and receipt of NACR were only observed among individuals living in non-metropolitan areas with medium-low and medium-high broadband usage, respectively (AOR = 1.15, 95%CI = 1.01-1.32; AOR = 1.80, 95%CI = 1.25-2.58). No significant associations were identified for other care modalities or during 2019 and 2021. Conclusions: Increased access to broadband usage is associated with earlier stage NSCLC diagnosis and receiving guideline-concordant NACR in 2020. Our results suggest that increased broadband access, combined with the expansion of telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic, may have improved telehealth utilization throughout 2020, leading to enhanced quality of cancer care, particularly benefiting individuals residing in non-metropolitan areas.

Enhancing Inclusive Finance in Sub‐Saharan Africa: The Collaborative Role of Economic Freedom and Innovative Facilities

ABSTRACTThis paper gives insight into innovative facilities' role in the effect of economic freedom on inclusive finance in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) using data from 2008 to 2020. After using the generalized method of moment for the analysis, the study concluded that improving economic freedom promotes financial inclusion while expanding innovative facilities in SSA inhibits inclusive finance. The study also discovered that innovative facilities improve the impact of economic freedom on inclusive finance in SSA and subsequently diminish the effect of economic freedom on inclusive finance after certain thresholds (mobile usage 100.75, internet usage 34.1064, fixed broadband usage not applicable, telephone usage 13.3494, and innovative facility index 1.5619). Hence, policymakers are advised to increase freedom in SSA economies to boost financial inclusion by ensuring the bureaucracy for establishing financial institutions is minimized and institutions that ensure property rights and free will are instituted to encourage people to participate in financial services. When it comes to using innovative facilities to enhance freedom‐induced inclusivity in finance, technical and financial knowledge should be enhanced in addition to lowering the cost of using innovative facilities to access financial services in order to eliminate the threshold levels at which innovative facilities reduce inclusive finance SSA.

The Association of Broadband Internet Use With Drug Overdose Mortality Rates in the United States: Cross-Sectional Analysis.

The availability and use of broadband internet play an increasingly important role in health care and public health. This study examined the associations between broadband internet availability and use with drug overdose deaths in the United States. We linked 2019 county-level drug overdose death data in restricted-access multiple causes of death files from the National Vital Statistics System at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the 2019 county-level broadband internet rollout data from the Federal Communications Commission and the 2019 county-level broadband usage data available from Microsoft's Airband Initiative. Cross-sectional analysis was performed with the fixed-effects regression method to assess the association of broadband internet availability and usage with opioid overdose deaths. Our model also controlled for county-level socioeconomic characteristics and county-level health policy variables. Overall, a 1% increase in broadband internet use was linked with a 1.2% increase in overall drug overdose deaths. No significant association was observed for broadband internet availability. Although similar positive associations were found for both male and female populations, the association varied across different age subgroups. The positive association on overall drug overdose deaths was the greatest among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White populations. Broadband internet use was positively associated with increased drug overdose deaths among the overall US population and some subpopulations, even after controlling for broadband availability, sociodemographic characteristics, unemployment, and median household income.

Statistical Measurement of Zhuhai's Digital Economy Development Level Based on Entropy Method

Against the backdrop of the increasing popularity of mobile internet and the expanding commercialization of fifth-generation mobile communications (5G), the digital economy is booming with continuous innovations and integrations of internet technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, and big data. As one of the special economic zones, Zhuhai has emphasized in its work report the need to "vigorously develop the digital economy." Based on panel data from Zhuhai and its surrounding cities from 2018 to 2022, this paper empirically measures the level of digital economic development in Zhuhai and conducts a deep analysis of its development from the perspective of temporal characteristics. The research results indicate that: (1) Among various evaluation indicators of the digital economy, the output value of the communication and other electronic equipment manufacturing industries (in tens of thousands of yuan) has the greatest impact on the development of the digital economy, followed by the total volume of telecommunications business (in tens of thousands of yuan). The number of internet broadband users (in tens of thousands of households) and FTTH/O fiber-optic access users (in tens of thousands of households) have relatively smaller impacts. (2) In terms of temporal characteristics, the annual growth rate of Zhuhai's digital economy exhibits a steady decline, which differs from that of surrounding cities. (3) Regarding spatial characteristics, the development of the digital economy is highly unbalanced among different cities in Guangdong, and there is still a significant gap between Zhuhai and its surrounding cities. Based on the measurement results, countermeasures and suggestions are proposed to enhance the digital economic development in Zhuhai.

Cost-efficient RAN slicing for service provisioning in 5G/B5G

Network slicing represents a substantial technological advance in 5G mobile network, greatly expanding the variety and manifoldness of network services to be supported. Additionally, 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) has introduced novel features such as mixed numerology and mini-slots, which can be harnessed by network slicing to cater to the diverse requirements of 5G services. While however the co-existence of multiple network slices leads to a challenging resource allocation problem, these new features also severely complicate the management of radio resources. As a further point of attention, the virtualization of radio functions may exact a significant toll from the, already limited, computing resources at the network edge. It follows that a cost-efficient resource allocation across all the slices becomes crucial. In this paper, we address the above-mentioned issues by modeling a cost-efficient radio resource management in 5G NR featuring network slicing, named CERS, through a Mixed Integer Quadratically constrained Program (MIQCP). We maximize the profit of all slices simultaneously guaranteeing the target data rate and delay specified in the service level agreements (SLAs) fo the different traffic flows. To reduce the complexity of the MIQCP problem, we decompose it into two sub-problems, namely, the scheduling problem of enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) user equipments (UEs) on a time-slot basis and of Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (uRLLC) UEs on a mini-slot basis, while keeping the objective unchanged. To address the scheduling issue of eMBB UEs, we employ a heuristic technique, and, by leveraging the outcome of this heuristic, we derive an optimal solution for the problem of uRLLC UEs. The significance of the proposed approach over a baseline approach is evaluated through extensive numerical simulations in terms of the number of allocated uRLLC resource blocks (RBs) per mini-slot. We also assess our approach by measuring the impact of the uRLLC slice changes on the eMBB slice, and vice versa, including delay for uRLLC users and data rates for eMBB users.

Rural broadband usage: analysing satisfaction and internet speed

ABSTRACT Rural access to advanced information communications technology (ICT) lags behind urban areas. ICT availability in rural areas at the household level is understudied. Often, data sources test connectivity at one point in time and then aggregate to a larger geographical region (i.e. county level or census block). Thus, this research collects a high-resolution data set in the midwestern United States through two methods: 1) participants connect a device, recording 1800 readings; and 2) participants take a survey about internet satisfaction. These two methods culminate in a unique high-resolution dataset. Using this data, this article explores how much internet throughput a rural household uses compared to how much a satisfied household consumes, while reviewing the perception of need. Exploratory connections are found between throughput speeds, reliability, and surveyed satisfaction, further validating the research methods. This lends a new perspective to rural broadband usage and the criteria used to set broadband standards.

Determinan Kejahatan Siber (Cybercrime) di ASEAN Tahun 2015-2020: Pendekatan Panel Data Regression with Random Effect

The use of information and communication technology in ASEAN is massive and growing. This development not only has a positive impact, but also a negative one. In addition to advancements in various fields, criminality is also increasing. ASEAN is the fastest growing digital market in the world. As digital technology becomes more integrated into our lives, cybercrime will increase exponentially. This study aims to determine the overview and variables that affect cybercrime in ASEAN in 2015-2020. This research uses secondary data from ITU, World Bank, UNDP, and Transparency International the Global Coalition Against Corruption. Through descriptive analysis, it is found that the value of the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) in ASEAN has increased, but there is still a cybersecurity gap between countries in ASEAN. Through the panel data regression equation formed, it is found that economic growth, mobile broadband users, and average years of schooling significantly affect the GCI in ASEAN in 2015-2020. Meanwhile, the variables of mobile cellular users, technology exports, and corruption perception index do not have a significant effect. Therefore, governments in ASEAN countries are also expected to continue to increase economic growth and allocate budgets for technical implementation of cybersecurity. In addition, the government should maintain the stability of the number of mobile broadband users, and increase the average number of mobile broadband users.

Dual-Band Aerial Networks for Priority-Based Traffic

Unmanned aerial vehicle networks suffer from lackluster performance due to line-of-sight issues as well as resource scarcity. Network slicing, multi-band transmission, and numerology show great potential in mitigating such limitations. In this work, we propose the use of the sub-6 GHz and mmWave bands, the latter of which requires careful consideration of line-of-sight, with numerology for aerial network slicing to provision time-critical services and broadband access. Accordingly, we formulate a user admission control policy to regulate band access after which we formulate a joint resource block and power allocation problem, a mixed-integer non-linear programming problem, to minimize the quality-of-service gap of the throughput-dependent broadband users as a best-effort service and meet the time-critical service requirements. We propose a low-complexity algorithm, PREDICT, to tackle the formulated problem and present extensive simulation results to validate the advantages of our scheme.

Multi-Connectivity for URLLC and Coexistence With eMBB in Time-Varying and Frequency-Selective Fading Channels

Multi-connectivity enables a 5G cellular system to meet the challenging reliability requirements of downlink ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) data traffic. In it, multiple base stations (BSs) transmit to the URLLC user by pre-empting time-frequency resources assigned to enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) users. We derive insightful expressions for achievability, which is the probability that the URLLC user’s block error rate (BLER) requirement is met by multi-connectivity. We do so for both joint transmission (JT) and orthogonal transmission (OT) modes of URLLC for the general case in which the transmissions occur over frequency-selective channels. We then propose a low-complexity algorithm to jointly select the set of cooperating BSs and their modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) to minimize the eMBB throughput loss. For time-varying channels with feedback delays, we present an alternate stochastic reliability requirement for URLLC traffic. The MCS selected on the basis of this requirement has a markedly higher probability of meeting the BLER target over the grid of URLLC user locations. Our results highlight the different trade-offs between URLLC achievability, eMBB throughput loss, and channel state information feedback overhead of OT and JT. They bring out the significant impact of feedback delays even at moderate Doppler spreads.

Three types of calls admission control methods considering seek‐bar operation

AbstractMany network devices, such as a smartphones and tablets, and streaming services, such as YouTube and Netflix, have become widespread. This causes network‐bandwidth congestion, so users require stable and consistent communication quality. Call admission control (CAC) has been proposed to solve these bandwidth resource problems. Some CACs have been proposed in order to maintain QoS. However, these CAC does not assume user behaviour. If CAC assumes some user behaviour, optimal control parameter derived conventional CAC may change because traffic load change by considering user behaviour. This article assumes that arriving types of flows are of three types: narrowband flows, broadband flow without seek‐bar operation, and broadband flows with seek‐bar operation. Under this assumpution, two CAC methods with single threshold or two thresholds are proposed. With these methods, it is assumed that all arriving flows result in the same user satisfaction when accommodated in a network. Under this assumption, the maximum of each user satisfaction is the same as the maximum number of accommodated flows. Using the call loss probability characteristics of Method 1, the objective function in Method 2 is modified. By using the modified objective function, CAC can be realised while properly accommodating broadband users who have been excessively rejected.

Does network infrastructure construction reduce energy intensity? Based on the “Broadband China” strategy

As one of the new economic forms, the digital economy has penetrated into all sub-sectors of the economy becoming a new engine for economic growth. Network infrastructure is the pillar and core driver for the development of the digital economy, getting increasingly evident and important. Meanwhile, green development has become a time trend for the more and more serious global climate problems. Thereinto, reducing energy intensity is an important starting point for achieving green development. The impact of network infrastructure on energy intensity should not be ignored. This article uses the “Broadband China” demonstration cities as a quasi-natural experiment to reflect the improvement of network construction and build a time-varying difference-in-differences (time-varying DID) model to explore the impact of network construction on Chinese prefecture-level energy intensity. The results show that: (1) The construction of network infrastructure can significantly reduce prefecture-level energy intensity, and this conclusion still holds after a series of robustness tests. (2) Network infrastructure construction will reduce prefecture-level energy intensity through the mediating effect of energy efficiency, market environment, and innovation. (3) The effect will be more obvious in Northeast China, with huge scale, high levels of human capital, perfect broadband user access, complex industrial structures and better financial development levels. We hope this research provides empirical evidence for improving the construction of network facilities and realizing the “Two-Wheel Drive” of digitizing and greening.

Latency Equalization Policy of End-to-End Network Slicing Based on Reinforcement Learning

Network slicing can provide logically isolated networks on the shared network infrastructure by invoking multiple technologies and administrative domains to fulfill end-to-end (E2E) service level agreements (SLAs). To guarantee the E2E service communication quality in the sliced network, an SLA-based cross-domain orchestration framework is proposed in this paper. The framework includes an E2E cross-domain coordination orchestrator at the upper layer and multiple subordinate domain controllers. Furthermore, we design two latency equalization policies applied to the upper layer orchestrator to divide the latency budget for each lower layer domain. Based on the reinforcement learning approach, Double Deep Q-Network with Prioritized Experience Replay (DDQN-PER) and Pointer Network SFC Mapping (PN-SFC), intra-domain resource allocation/mapping algorithms are designed independently for the lower radio access network (RAN) and core network (CN) domain controllers, respectively. The above algorithms are used to jointly optimize the enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) users service satisfaction level and maximize the number of E2E accessed users. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithm can effectively guarantee the eMBB users QoS and improve the network capacity.

Post Covid-19 Agenda: Maximizing human resources for health towards Universal Health Coverage in Africa

Aim: To analyse options for maximising the capacity of human resources for health to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Africa. Methods: Articles were retrieved from a Pubmed search and additional snowballing was conducted to provide other relevant sources. Further utilizations were made of Campbell's modified framework of the Human Resources for Health (HRH) and Universal Health Coverage with the WHO labour market dynamics framework for Universal Health Coverage. Four sub-themes viz improved HRH performance, Labour Market Factors, Rural Health Workers Retention Factors, and Information Technology Factors were analysed. Results: Labour market factors such as the dynamics of demand and supply of health workers determine the availability of health workers. Supportive supervision enables the health workers to improve in their performance and enhance optimised utilisation of available resources. This supervision can be more effective by complementing it with tools such as information technology that focus on improving the quality of health care, considering the growth in the number of internet and broadband users in the continent. Conclusion: Expanding the training opportunities for health workers and also increasing the funding to human resources for health are useful policy options to consider. Cost-effective approaches such as a focus on community health committees which stimulate the demand for health services in rural communities to tackle the disproportionate distribution of health workers should be considered in the context of the uncertain economic aftermath of the covid-19 outbreak. Sources of Funding Nil Acknowledgement We express profound gratitude to Prof Flavia Senkubuge for providing technical help and writing assistance during the preparation of this manuscript. We also appreciate Dr. Aborisade Adetayo for assisting with editing of the manuscript. Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. Author Contributions MIA drafted the entire manuscript. ICE provided a critical review and made substantial contributions to the design of the manuscript.

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF DUAL-PARALLEL/DUAL-ELECTRODE MACH-ZEHENDER MODULATOR-BASED RADIO-OVER-FIBER SYSTEM AGAINST THIRD-ORDER INTERMODULATION ERRORS

The rapid development in wireless networks required by mobile and broadband users in terms of capacity, data rate, bandwidth, cost effectivity, green communications, proper quality of service, and so on create the need of a robust system against nonlinear errors. In view of this, the performance of a dual-parallel/dual-electrode Mach-Zehender modulator-based targeted radio-over-fiber (RoF) system for multitone transmission against severe nonlinear errors (i.e., third-order intermodulation) is analyzed. Two-tone radio frequency signals, operating at 9 GHz and 8 GHz, are used in the proposed system. The analytical analysis is confirmed and validated by simulation results using OptSim software. Further, comparative findings are found by considering a conventional Mach-Zehender modulator-based RoF system. The reduction in the third-order intermodulation errors of 21 dB over a fiber distance of 10 km by the proposed method over a conventional system and the obtained results find the implementation of the proposed method to be a robust wireless network.

Campaign Contributions and New Technology Adoption in the US Broadband Industry

Campaign Contributions and New Technology Adoption in the US Broadband Industry

Internet of things in health care: case of cardiovascular diseases in Congo Brazzaville

In this paper, we present the implementation of a system to prevent cases of cardiovascular disease by allowing patients to have optimal monitoring at a lower cost every day. To achieve this, a system containing a connected cardiogram was designed through telecommunications and digital technology. The results obtained are encouraging insofar as this system facilitates the permanent monitoring of the evolution of heart rhythm in patients. It also enables telemedicine for all doctors, physists and professors in Africa, as the number of specialists is very low. But broadband usage in Africa is about 46%; in Congo Brazzaville, for example, it is 5%, with internet costs very high compared to international offers and the Congolese minimum wage. This work is an important detail to take into account in the development of our work in order to reduce the costs of this digital surveillance as much as possible.

The relationship between mobile broadband usage and user mobility with lockdown restrictions in Spain

ABSTRACT This paper studies how COVID-19 lockdown restrictions encouraged and allowed people to form habits of increased mobile phone usage in Spain, even after the most restrictive measures were lifted. We have used data from the mobile network of a national telecommunications operator to study the influence of 15 different mobility restrictions on citizens’ use of mobile phones from 15 March 2020 to 15 April 2021 in a big Spanish city. In order to approach this issue, a quasi-experimental technique (before and after methodology) was implemented. We found that the use of smartphones presented an initial reduction with the first and most drastic mobility restrictions, but showed a growing use after their removal. However, user mobility was negatively influenced by all the mobility restrictions.

Revolution of optical computing logic gates based on its applications: an extensive survey

Nowadays, communication has grown into a key area with a rapidly growing user community. The existing broadband users are overcrowded, and its faster speed has now become an essential parameter to meet the consumer’s expectations in the growing technology. As a result of our growth in computer technologies, high-speed processors are necessary, which provide simultaneous data computing with lower costs and a performance of more than 10,000 times quicker than electrical computers. Optics has become a more feasible alternative to electronics because of its greater speed. In this study, various methods of photonic crystals (PhCs) have been thoroughly examined, with essential properties and their benefits explained over previously identified methods (semiconductor optical amplifier and nonlinear waveguides) utilized to construct all-optical logic circuits. Particularly, evaluated a number of articles that covered topics including self-collimation effects, PhC waveguide intersection, and multi-mode interference with nonlinear effects. The merits and demerits of each technology are analyzed. Finally, concluded the major difficulties and the potential usage of every method. PhCs are used in logic circuits and devices for high data transmission. The performances of different types of logic gates based on PhC are studied.

Abstract 10423: US Counties With Low Broadband Internet Access Have a High Burden of Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Disease, and Mortality

Introduction: Nationwide broadband internet access is a major federal priority. The bipartisan infrastructure law invested $65 billion into equitable broadband expansion, driven by concern that broadband access is a social determinant of health. However, the difference in health outcomes between counties with low vs. higher broadband access has not been studied, and could provide insights on the implications of expansion efforts. Objectives: We evaluated demographic factors, health resources, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden in counties with low broadband access compared to those with higher access. Methods: We assessed all 3,142 US counties in 2019 and identified those with low broadband access, defined as <50% of residents having access to internet subscriptions with speeds > 25 Mbps download / > 3 Mbps upload, using the US Broadband Usage Percentages Dataset. We linked these data to the American Community Survey, American Health Resource File, PLACES, and CDC WONDER for demographic, health resource, CVD risk factor and outcomes, and mortality data respectively. Results: There were 461 counties with low broadband access and 2,650 counties with higher access. Compared to those with higher broadband access, counties with low broadband access had lower high school graduation rates (47% vs 54%, p<0.001) and were more likely to be rural (86% vs 59%, p<0.001). Low-access counties had fewer primary care physicians and fewer cardiologists, but similar hospital beds per capita ( Table ). These counties had higher rates of CVD risk factors, coronary artery disease, and stroke, as well as higher age-adjusted rates of CVD mortality and all-cause mortality ( Table ). Conclusions: Counties with low broadband access have lower access to physicians and significantly higher rates of CVD risk factors, CVD, and CVD mortality. Expanding access to broadband internet and telemedicine has the potential to improve access to care and reduce disparities in CVD outcomes.