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OVERVIEW
The Internet has emerged as a basic necessity in modern life around the world. The exponential demand for data and high-speed broadband connectivity is encouraging telcos from around the world to upgrade their access networks using optical fiber (FTTx). High-speed fixed wireless access (FWA) based on 4G/LTE and pre-5G technologies have also emerged as suitable alternatives in areas where fiber laying is difficult due to right-of-way issues or terrain limitations.
Tejas Networks has extensive experience in building national and rural broadband networks around the world especially in the SAARC region. Tejas is one of the largest suppliers of optical GPON equipment for Government of India’s BharatNet project which is one of the world’s largest National Optical Fiber Networks (NOFN) that extends high-speed broadband (up to 100Mbps) to 250,000 village offices across the country.
NETWORK REQUIREMENTS
SDN/NFV-ready Products: As telcos expand their broadband access offerings, they are increasingly seeking new software based products to realize on-demand service provisioning, low-cost “virtualized” customer premise offerings and to lower ongoing operational expenses. Open source cloud-based frameworks such as VOLTHA (Virtual OLT Hardware Abstraction) and OpenMCI are being promoted by a few large service providers for greater inter-operability and cost reduction. VIrtual slicing of access networks to smaller retail service providers or VNOs is finding favour in many countries to create more differentiated broadband service offerings.
Optimized for Rural Environments: It is now widely recognized that a lack of access to high-speed Internet severely constrains the ability of the excluded and under-privileged communities from taking full advantage of the educational and livelihood opportunities or to avail critical government services. Therefore, Governments in emerging and developed markets are exploring cost-effective broadband access solutions to expand broadband services to suburban and rural areas and to bridge the growing “digital divide” between urban and rural areas.
Multiservice Access: Telecom operators deploying broadband access networks are also exploring opportunities to generate additional revenues by using the same infrastructure to sell high-quality SLA-driven connectivity services to businesses or other cellular operators in the area. This requires an ability to satisfy varying performance criteria for different types of traffic and customers while managing the overall capex and opex.
Flexibility: Modern broadband access equipment should be adaptable to support a mix of wireless and wireline (primarily fiber) media to address diverse terrain features, population densities, accessibility or other infrastructural constraints. The equipment used should be ruggedized for outdoor use and in adverse weather conditions. Since availability of commercial power may be a limitation in many rural areas, the terminating devices used such as GPON ONT (Optical Network Terminal) and LTE CPE (Customer Premise Equipment) will be designed to operate on solar power.