Transcript No Slide Title

Breaking the Last Mile Speed Limit
©Robin Eckermann
Chief Architect
May 2000
Demand for Bandwidth is exploding!
Bandwidth
Demand
1990
2000
2010
Same message, increasing use of multimedia ...
• Raw text = 0.0017 Mb
• Word document = 0.023 Mb
• Word document with picture = 0.12 Mb
• Radio-quality sound = 0.43 Mb
• Low-grade (15 fps) desktop video = 2.6 Mb
• CD-quality sound = 17 Mb
• Good compressed (MPEG1) video = 38 Mb
We are communicating more in multi-media … to more people!
One single fibre pair
can carry 100 million
simultaneous phone calls
between two centres ...
… but think about what’s
needed at each end to
collect and distribute
those calls!
The local loop (or “last mile”) is by far the most challenging
and expensive communications infrastructure problem!
Why TransACT? Why Canberra?
Opportunity
(great market)
Vacuum
Capability
(bypassed by
cable rollout)
(ACTEW’s
utility assets)
Opportunity: A Great Market
An
An “information
“information economy
economy””
• Public Administration
• Government Policy
• Information Technology
• Education
• Research
Technically literate & well-equipped
• 78% adults use PCs (cf: 60%)
• 57% homes frequently use PCs (cf:38%)
• 55% adults use Internet (cf: 32%)
• 28% homes frequently use Internet (cf: 16%)
Well-educated and relatively affluent
• Highest level of tertiary-educated adults
• High average household income
Capability: ACTEW’s Utility Assets
Leverage
existingeconomy
assets ”
An “information
• Rights of way
• Poles
• Workforce that knows and is known by Canberra
• Culture used to operating life-line systems
• 100% customer base
• Systems and infrastructure
Already a multi-service utility
• Electricity, water, sewerage
• Communications = another network
• Electricity a great model
Utility-specific applications
• Meter reading, demand management
• Defend contestable customer base
Emergence of the TransACT Vision
Advanced
• Fibre deep into network for high capacity
• Oriented to interactive use
Open
• All welcome (no regulatory intervention needed!)
• Service providers not threatened by network owner
Full-Service
• Not biased towards any one service
• Voice, image and data
An Open Business Model
Video
SPs
Data
SPs
Tel.
SPs
The preferred limits
of TransACT’s
business
Residences,
Schools,
Businesses
• Many services on one infrastructure is efficient
• Efficiency = lower costs for users and service providers
• Commercially viable for network owner/operator
• Maximum choice for the customer
Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC)
• Uses shared COAX cable from the end of the fibre to the user
• Like a “party line” - everyone receives everything
• Ideal for broadcast services - like TV
• With interactive services, everyone wants to do their own
thing and this leads to contention for capacity
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
• Uses dedicated copper cable from the end of the fibre to the user
• Each user has their own non-shared capacity
• Ideal for interactive applications
Competing Wireline Camps
Cable Co.
HFC
Coax
Bus
Broadcast
Interactivity
Deeper Fibre
Telco
TECHNOLOGY
“LAST MILE”
TOPOLOGY
STRENGTH
CHALLENGE
SOLUTION
Goal of both
is to win the
broadband
customer
xDSL
Copper
Star
Interactive
Bandwidth
Deeper Fibre
Bandwidth
52 Mbps
Copper
Capacity
VDSL (TransACT)
High definition
TV ~20 Mbps
26 Mbps
Quality digital
TV ~8-10 Mbps
6/8 Mbps
ADSL (most telcos)
1.5 Mbps
0.3 km
1.3 km
3 km
Distance
6 km
Canberra-wide coverage
from several “Hub” sites
GUNGAHLIN
BELCONNEN
NORTH
CANBERRA
Gateway
Site
SOUTH
CANBERRA
WESTON
WODEN
Hub
Site
Backbone
Fibre Ring
TUGGERANONG
Fibre rings within
a Hub Serving Area
Rolling out the Cables
Fibre ring (from Hub)
Broadband fibre & telephony
Battery-backed “Supernode” (telephony-equipped)
Node (broadband electronics only)
Broadband serving area (~50 homes within 300m)
Distribution Cabling within Broadband Serving Area
Node located (for
example) in laneway
Feeder Cabling (fibre + copper, from upstream supernode)
Distribution Cabling (copper, from node to last pole)
Distribution Cabling (copper, from node to last pole)
In-house Wiring
Node
Broadband Service
(various xDSL solutions
including 52/1.6 and
13/13 Mbps non-shared)
Narrowband Service
(could be on same
copper pair as
broadband)
Any existing Digital STB
phone, fax or
TV
modem
Modem
PC, LAN
Main
Fibre
Ring
Node
Supernode
Two “real life”
broadband
serving areas
Video Services
Fully digital service
MPEG2 / ATM / VDSL
Fully switched
- Fast channel change
- Unlimited channels
- VOD capable
Supports browser
SmartCard reader
Integral 10baseT port
for PC connection
Data Services
Fundamental service is bridged
LAN connection
IP / ATM / VDSL Protocols
10baseT interface to customer
Dedicated bandwidth:
- 10 Mbps (max) downstream
- 1 Mbps (max) upstream
10 Mbps symmetrical in Q1’2001
Bandwidth is non-shared
Foundation for many applications
Sample Application: Video on Demand
Selected from previews
and delivered over network
as a stream of light
5 minute trip x 4
20 minutes driving
1 litre of fuel
40 cubic meters of air
Wear & tear on vehicle
Wear & tear on road
Extra unwanted videos
Late fees
TransACT’s infrastructure may be advanced,
but the real excitement lies in the new services and
applications that will change the way we live and work
Video-conferencing
City-wide education campuses
Electronic commerce
Working from home
Tele-medicine
Distributed interactive, multimedia games
New forms of Government-Citizen interaction
Entertainment on demand
Community information & services
etc etc etc etc
Creates a city-wide laboratory for pioneering tomorrow’s
applications and services ready for export to the world
Demand is booming ...
… but without infrastructure
investment, supply is capped!
Bandwidth
The emerging
opportunity for
initiatives like
TransACT
Limits of existing copper
networks (ADSL)
6-8 Mbps (max)
often 1.5 Mbps
Time
Summary
Communications is key to every Australian’s future
Investment in local access infrastructure is needed
Duplicating Pay TV networks isn’t the answer
The Open Network Alternative
… shares costs across many services & providers
… permits/requires a more advanced solution
… makes commercial sense for investors
… gives the customer real choice
… empowers the community
Connecting the Community