< Previous30CommsMEA January 2020www.commsmea.com FEATURE CONNECTIVITY Regional experts discuss how to connect the unconnected and what digital inclusion can do for remote, and unconnected communities CONNECTING THE UNCONNECTED In September 2019, a new report issued by the ITU-UNESCO-founded Broad- band Commission for Sustainable Development, noted that traditional approaches to improving internet network roll-out and uptake are failing to reach the estimated 3.7 billion people still living and working in areas with no network coverage, according to Leigh Smith, MD of World Telecom Labs. The report calls for new collaborative strategies to help include a greater emphasis on resource sharing and treating broadband as a basic public utility, and necessity. “Even with the involvement and interest of titans like Facebook and Google, con- necting the unconnected in rural Africa is as big a challenge as it has always been. The problems remain the same: capital- intensive infrastructure and low ARPUs makes deployments commercially unvi- able. The ROI on building and maintaining a rural network is just too long. The busi- ness model is difficult,” he said. A global survey of MNOs found that 87 per cent believe costs and complexity of providing backhaul, installation and maintenance, and cost of base stations to be the biggest challenges for rural cover- age. The main challenge is finding a scal- able and sustainable way of addressing the long tail of unconnected; complex areas with low density (<1.000 inhabitants per site) that result in high cost, or inhabitant covered operating cost. The rural land- scape is very heterogeneous; one solution will not fit all scenarios. A sustainable rural mobile broadband will not be widely available unless network deployments downsize the cost structure and are flex- ible by design to sustainably evolve and adapt the network to user demand. “Network innovation historically has not solved these problems. Focus was put on addressing urban issues to increase capacity or spectrum efficiency for densi- fication. Uncertainty in the rural business case [demand side], operational complex- ity [cost side] and competitive pressure in urban market results in MNOs deprior- itising investment in rural in favour of urban,” said Eugina Jordan, VP market- ing, Parallel Wireless. The rural challenge will only be solved with a new technological and business A community network is a solution that can be installed by a mobile operator in very remote communities to provide wireless coverage to the local end users. The solution is easy to deploy with plug-n-play, utilises flexible backhaul, consumes little power, and is easy to manage by the community.” Eugina Jordan, VP marketing, Parallel Wireless. Remote communities can be connected to the rest of the world using community networks IMAGE credit: Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on UnsplashUnsplash31CommsMEA January 2020www.commsmea.com FEATURE CONNECTIVITY approach. New solutions such as PW’s, enable rural connectivity by (i) lower- ing cost, (ii) simplifying installation, and (iii) increasing flexibility/sustainability through software. However, even when the networks are in place the problems continue, said Smith. Highest on the list is device afford- ability – the high cost of smartphones has prevented people from moving from 2G voice and text-capable phones to 3G/4G devices that can access the internet. Ac- cording to research from the GSMA, the threshold lies at $34. However, with the recent emergence of smart feature phones from a company called KaiOS, this is an issue which is being addressed. Second is costs of data – In its October 2019 Affordability report, The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), says that the primary barrier to internet access is the cost of data. In low and middle-income countries, 1GB data costs 4.7 per cent of average income — more than double the UN threshold for internet affordability. Across Africa, this figure rises to 7.1 per cent, making access unaffordable for hundreds of millions of people. In the re- port, A4AI calls for governments to focus their policies and regulations on building healthy broadband markets that improve competition, bring down prices and ex- pand internet access including: • Adopting policy and regulation that sup- port market competition, including fair rules for market entry and incentives to encourage new competitors. • Bringing down costs for new opera- tors by supporting affordable access to wholesale internet data, so that they aren’t locked out by high capital barriers to entry. • Investing in public internet access, such as free public WiFi and telecentres, and supporting community networks to expand internet coverage to those not served by commercial markets. BUILDING WHOLESALE NETWORKS IN RURAL AFRICA World Telecom Labs would like to see regulators concentrate on building open wholesale networks in rural Africa – and to allow open access to all existing Government-owned or sponsored telecom infrastructure. The removal of the CAPEX cost of building a rural network will en- able regulators to pressure previously re- luctant operators to start offering services in these areas. Indeed pressure might not even be needed. For-profit telcos are naturally competitive beasts and will not want to see their rivals scooping up rural custom- ers. Pricing and customer service will, as ever, be the key differentiators. In Tanzania, a company called AMO- TEL has been very open in its support of the wholesale model, cording to Smith. AMOTEL is the first licensed MVNO in the country and was established specifi- cally to embrace new innovations and developments to serve low ARPU rural areas with little or no infrastructure. The company has built networks in a number of villages which were financed by the Universal Communications Service Ac- cess Fund (UCSAF). Whilst in Central Africa, WTL is supplying its equipment and expertise to a number of Govern- ment-sponsored shared access backhaul networks which are being built. Operators are actively being encouraged to use these networks with favourable access fees to reduce the costs of rural expansion. BUILDING A COMMUNITY NETWORK Eugina Jordan, VP Marketing, Parallel Wireless noted that community networks are the way forward to connecting remote communities, but first, what is a commu- nity network? “A community network is a solution that can be installed by a mobile operator in very remote communities to provide wireless coverage to the local end users. The solution is easy to deploy with plug-n- play, utilises flexible backhaul, consumes little power, and is easy to manage by the community. Parallel Wireless has been deploying community networks since 2015 – first one being in the rural UK with EE (now BT) where local communities man- age the installed base station, which con- nects to the EE core. Last year, the team began testing the ability to stretch the capabilities of existing technologies, such as microwave, and exploring new Radio Access Network (RAN) solutions such as Parallel Wireless’ OpenRAN that is built on programmable OpenRAN x86-based technologies to connect remote communi- ties of 100 M unconnected in LATAM with 3G and 4G wireless,” said Jordan. World Telecom Labs is also working hard to enable community network and remote connectivity. The company is providing low-cost, low-power small cells that can be deployed easily in remote locations. “An innovative approach we have taken is to offer our C3 rural communication hub. This changes the model by not trying to cover the whole rural landscape - which may be very expensive for minimal reward - but offers a central point for the local population to access voice, data and power Even with the involvement and interest of titans like Facebook and Google, connecting the unconnected in rural Africa is as big a challenge as it has always been. ” Leigh Smith, MD of World Telecom Labs32CommsMEA January 2020www.commsmea.com FEATURE CONNECTIVITY provision,” said Smith, from World Tel- ecom Labs. “We have particularly focused on the ongoing monthly operating costs of a site. For example, by reducing the power needed and allowing it to be supplied by solar not by diesel generators.” Minimising the CAPEX/OPEX is impor- tant in these low-density areas where there is high uncertainty on return of the MNOs investment, noted Jordan. High operational cost and deployment complexity of low-density deployments have prevented MNOs from bringing cov- erage to those areas in the past. Although we are a long way from having full digital inclusion, new technologies like 5G, SDN, NFV and other infrastructure core services innovations including understanding connectivity challenges to help bridge digital divides is key to successfully achieve a universal and affordable internet in the least developed countries.” Ali Sleiman, regional technical director – Middle East & Africa at Infoblox. Traditional 2G voice only and broad- band 3G or 4G networks, require several high-cost and often bulky equipment to deploy and operate. These types of equipment need large spaces to store, have a short life cycle and consume energy. Hardware-based networks are also dif- ficult to upgrade. “By shifting networks to virtual Open- RAN architectures like Parallel Wire- less’s technology, telecom operators can overcome all these problems and deliver coverage to most remote communities at much lower costs. New solutions such as the one provided by Parallel Wireless are cost-effectively enabling rural con- nectivity, by simplifying installation and increasing flexibility and sustainability through PW’s software,” she said. THE REALITY OF CONNECTING THE WORLD There’s no doubt that there are many efforts being made to address the chal- lenges of building and maintaining com- mercially sustainable networks in rural areas. In November WTL was selected as part of a consortium for a new initiative by the GSMA’s Connected Society Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity. This will see the equipment and approach of a variety of vendors and connectivity providers tested with pilot networks to be rolled out in Ghana and Uganda. “What we really need to see though is for a perfect storm of different operating models, different licensing, different fund- ing sources to come together alongside regulators and MNOs with the political and commercial commitment that is needed to move forward in building rural networks,” said Smith. Connected communities shows higher levels of civic activity. They are for ex- ample more likely to vote, volunteer, or even be more involved in their immedi- ate neighbourhood. This shows that in general people might be influenced by what they see happening online. It might be commercially viable for some opera- tors, while others will not benefit from the investment. Governments should use competition to market strategy to encour- age investment in rural areas where ad- ditional funding will be required to ensure continuous coverage. “We know from experience that the opportunity for digitally connected liv- ing will likely improve the quality of life allowing individuals to fulfil their needs, such as for work, relatedness, and self- development. Although we are a long way from having full digital inclusion, new technologies like 5G, SDN, NFV and other infrastructure core services innovations including understanding connectivity challenges to help bridge digital divides is key to successfully achieve a universal and affordable internet in the least developed countries,” said Ali Sleiman, regional technical director – Middle East & Africa at Infoblox. Digitalisation is an important factor for social and economic progress, and mobile broadband plays a key role in reducing the digital divide. Providing rural coverage has historically been a challenge for SPs; over 3.7 B people globally are uncon- nected, that’s almost 50 per cent of the world’s population! With the UN declaring reliable internet access as a basic human right, a dependable, cost-effective, easy to deploy/maintain solution is needed. According to Sleiman, connectivity leads to a more socially inclusive and economically vibrant and dynamic society – one that is also sustainable. “For example, ubiquitous broadband can improve education of students in remote areas, provide pre-natal care, even when people don’t have access to physi- cal structures, provide access to local and international markets, knowledge as to trends, weather cycles etc for better plan- ning purposes for crops and so on. The list is endless,” he said. “It can then be said that cellular has the potential to truly transform the lives of the people.” The correct regulatory framework is also an essential ingredient in securing digital inclusion. AfricaCom was recently held in Cape Town, South Africa and with it, the first Ministerial round table, at which it was recognised that African countries need to work together to ensure that its people are connected. An ITP Media Group Publication www.commsmea.com Critical analysis for telecommunications executives JANUARY 2020 Download the free CommsMEA app and be the fi rst to read the latest issue on your mobile devices. 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We have been bombarded by adverts, memes, kids toys and collectibles for the last few months with the promise that this movie will be the best ever. However, judging by the movie reviews peppering the internet, it really is not all that it promised to be, to quote the BBC’s review of the movie; “It’s an encore as awkwardly unnecessary as when you bid a How can countries and MNOs measure the benefits of 5G, when the technology is still in its early roll-out stages 5G complexities FROM THE EDITOR Georgina Ford is editor at large tearful farewell to a friend, and then you bump into them and have to say goodbye all over again.” The parallels with 5G are somewhat obvious. Just as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has dominated our screens, so has 5G dominated our indus- try, it’s the ‘thing’ to have, the technology to chase and the ‘must have’ of the season. However, if you look a little deeper, is it really all that, and how can MNOs and service providers work out whether it is indeed, for them? Developing countries in particular need to look long and hard at how this technology will really benefit them, when many are still paying off the 3G and 4G technology they implemented this year and last, and their populations are unable to afford 5G handsets. Bill Menezes, senior principal analyst, Gartner writes on page 40 that organisa- tions need to ask four key questions be- fore implementing 5G. He also notes that many 5G features will not be ready for another five years. The smart thing for many MNOs right now is to stop, step out of the race to the technology finish line, which we all know keeps moving anyway, and really evaluate how this technology will work for them, not just technologi- cally, but financially. In many developing nations, an important financial goal is to connect the unconnected, of which there are many. By bringing new customers on-board MNOs are guaranteeing them- selves an income. Sometimes it is better to pause, evaluate, and make an informed decision rather than being the first in a crowd with that new shiny thing that doesn’t quite work just yet. DOWNLOAD OR UPDATE THE APP NOW ON YOUR IOS DEVICE 5G, is it a necessity or a paper dragon? IMAGE credit: Photo by Martin Widenk a on Unsplash 35www.commsmea.comCommsMEA January 2020 SPECIAL REPORT EDITOR’S INTROWhile 3G brought high speed data to mobile devices, and 4G allowed to develop mobile broadband services, 5G will allow to deliver fibre like speeds on wireless endpoints, besides developing new services such as massive IoT and critical machine communications. Compared to 4G, 5G will increase network capacity by 100x, to increase spec- trum efficiency 3x, increase network speed 10x, while decreasing latency 10x….these massive improvements will allow operators to developed fixed wireless offers offering unlimited data usage at ultra-high speeds. 5G will also bring the standardisation of software defined networks. This will bring station and for end clients) holistically, such as Verizon in the USA with its “One Fibre” programme will allow to develop fixed wireless access plans matching the performances of fixed wireline plans, which will contribute to blur the frontiers between fixed and mobile connectivity for B2C and B2B clients. 5G will bring home very high broad- band to the many Until now mobile network operators (MNOs) have been pushing ‘FWA offers’ that are much more akin to MBB offers used in a fixed fashion, as those offers have been launched on top of “a mobile network for mobile only”. These offers are provided a new feature called ‘network slicing’ al- lowing to create virtual networks matching customer requirements in terms of speed and latency. As a result, operators will be able to develop wireless offers with differ- entiated features, with extra or premium features generating a price premium. Until now there was not enough capacity to develop unlimited data plans while keep- ing very high broadband speeds with 4G/ LTE, as a result fixed wireless access (FWA) plans are currently positioned as a stop measure rather than a substitute to wire- line networks. 5G technical features and a new approach to network design, envision- ing mobile networks and fixed networks (I.e. fixed fibre connectivity for mobile base 5G is a step change for telecoms industry explains Tariq Ashraf, telecoms strategy and marketing expert, and José Alejandro Rojas, telecommunications economics expert. 5G FIXED WIRELESS ACCESS WILL RESHUFFLE THE FIXED VS. MOBILE PARADIGM FWA POSITIONING A new FWA definition and value proposition......leveraging “guaranteed/prioritised” dedicated QoS for premium positioning Until now MNOs have been pushing “FWA offers” that are much more akin to MBB offers used in a fixed fashion, as those offers have been launched on top of “a mobile network for mobile” • Portable mobile router (CPE) • Standard MBB pricing Fixed wireless acess • Managed router (CPE), indoor or outdoor • “Guaranteed/ prioritised” Qos (Throughput level and consistency • Subscription/Qos tied to specfied location In some markets network dimensioning has allowed to push with fixed broadband used in a best effort fashion extracting a small premium” • Fixed nomadic mobile router (CPE) • Best effort QoS (Throughput level and consistency) Fixed broadband used in a best effort fashion • Fixed nomadicmobile router(CPE) • Best effort Qos (Throughput level and consistency) • May involve special MBB pricing Mobile broadband used in a fixed fashion • Portable mobile router(CPE) • Standard MBB pricing • Device are tethring to the MBB routervia Wi-Fi We define fixed wireless access by specific QoS, whether best effort or “guaranteed/prioritised” QoS in terms of throughput level and consistency), the latter positioning the offer as a “like for like” fixed broadband replacement and enabling a price premium” • Managed indoor and/or mobile router (CPE) • “Guaranteed/prioritised” QoS (Throughput level and consistency) •Subscription/QoS tied to specified location Value Proposition Fixed Broadbrand experince Mobile Broadbrand experince Premium pricing Entry le vel Pricing Pricing 36www.commsmea.com 5G OPINION CommsMEA January 2020using a portable mobile router at a stand- ard mobile broadband pricing. Thanks to 5G, new fixed wireless access plans will have a ‘guaranteed/priori- tised’ quality of service (QoS) in terms of throughput level and consistency. As a result these offers will be positioned as a like-for-like fixed broadband replacement, enabling a price premium compared to mo- bile broadband offers. 5G plans will include • Managed indoor and/or mobile router (CPE) • ‘Guaranteed/prioritised’ QoS (Through- put level and consistency) • Subscription/QoS tied to specified loca- tion Very high broadband access remains relatively limited today, in part due to the fact that wireline access are more profit- able in highly populated areas than in low population density areas. FWA has several advantages that will enable to increase the number of households with fixed broadband connections. In terms of rollout costs, wireline networks require important CAPEX related to civil works, without any guaranteed take-up from a client perspective. The longer the distance between customers premises the higher the network rollout costs will be, as a result fixed wireline networks are more profit- able in densely populated areas. Wireline CAPEX tends also to increase in densely populated areas if the rollout involves civil works in historical city centres. As a result FWA will help to reduce the investments related to deploying a very high broadband local loop in medium or low density areas or in historical city centres, at the very least on the client last mile. FWA device installation on consumer premises is faster and easier compared to regular wireline access. Depending on the type of 5G network FWA installation can be as easy as simply turning on the device. In some cases, if FWA devices uses a millimetre wave-based network it may also require the installation a small antenna outside the customers premise that can be mostly done by the client. The overall result will be that the number of households with very high broadband will increase. This increase will be driven both by a replacement in exist- ing ageing fixed line networks (xDSL and cable) and by covering new customers in areas that were previously unconnected. The USA are at the vanguard of this trend, with telecoms operators such as Verizon, Starry and T-Mobile, pushing forward with FWA offerings. The absence of network sharing regula- tion in some countries such as the US, or in Africa regarding a wireline local loop (Either for copper or fibre networks) has created two sets of telecoms operators in associated markets, on the one hand con- vergent (Mobile and fixed) operators and mobile only/centric one. Urban Areas Emerging Countries Urban Areas Developed Countries Suburban Developed Countries Rural Developed Countries Market Features• Low fixed broadband penetration • Incumbent does not have extensive very high broadband (VHBBo coverage • Important fixed broadband penetration • Increasing VHBB take up • Limited number of competitors • Important fixed broadband penetration • One VHHB provider • Competitors with BB or VHBB networks • Geographical zone lacking fixed line broadband service in terms of coverage and throughput (Speed) Geo-type Assessment• High population density • Tall buildings building penetration required • High population density • Medium height building • Medium population density • Low to medium height buildings • Low population density • Low height buildings Most Suitable Frequency Bands Mid-bands with frequency aggregation Mmwave Dedicated AccessMid-bands with frequency aggregation or mmWave dedicated access depending on competitor’s strategy Mid Band with frequency aggregation Customer NeedsMainly broadband, very high broadband for some client segments Very high broadbandBroadband to very high broadband Mainly broadband connectivity ServicesBroadband connectivity (ADSL/VDSL) and home entertainment Very high broadband connectivity and home entertainment Broadband and very high broadband connectivity and home entertainment Broadband connectivity (ADSL/VDSL) and home entertainment Over ApproachFully “convergent telecoms operator” positioning with IPTV/Home entertainment: connecting the “un connected” Deploying FWA in a tactical fashion in order to grab market share, before deploying fibre to the premises Deploying full fledged FWA for last mile connectivity (Cost advantage compared to fibre to the premises) Fully “convergent telecoms operator” positioning with IPTV/Home entertainment: connecting the “un connected” Examples• Asia Pacific XL axiata Globe • United States Verizon • Eastern Europe Orange • United kingdom/ Italy Vodafone • Middle East Viva • United States Verizon • United kingdom/ Italy Vodafone • Middle East Viva • United States Verizon T Mobile Starry • Continental Europe Vodafone 37www.commsmea.com 5G OPINION CommsMEA January 2020The goal of digital transformation is to enable CSPs to better compete in the digital economy with a flexible and programmable network, powered by network functions virtualisation (NFV), and software-defined networking (SDN).” Ahmed Auda, managing director, METNA, VMware The telecoms industry is experienc- ing a moment of unprecedented disruption. As it prepares to shift from 4G to 5G, they find them- selves having to manage both physical and virtual infrastructures on a scale never before seen, while also contending with the growing importance of the network edge. That’s before the demands of innova- tions such as smart cities and an expanding IoT universe are taken into account, plus a predicted increase in communication intensity, or time spent connected, of 63 per cent over the next ten years. All of this against a backdrop of height- ened customer expectations that must be completely satisfied. To meet these challenges head on, CSPs worldwide are having to go through major digital transformation to increase service and business agility. Why are they putting themselves through this? Because of the huge opportunities this period of transition offers – new lines of business and sources of revenue, coupled with the multitude of efficiencies enhanced optimisation and automation promise. SUCCESSFUL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION BRINGS INCREASED COMPLEXITY The goal of digital transformation is to en- able CSPs to better compete in the digital economy with a flexible and programmable network, powered by network functions virtualisation (NFV), and software-defined networking (SDN). Together, these two technologies significantly increase network complexity, resulting in new require- ments and pressure points for opera- tions. More devices, more variables, more complexity – it is increasingly difficult established players. All of this means CSPs must prepare for tomorrow while still delivering the essentials of today. That’s easier said and than done, so how do they go about achieving this? Ultimately, they need to work backwards from the customer. It is the experience of providers that matters, meaning they should continu- ally be asking how much and what sort of resource would be best deployed. On the front line, for example, success- fully dealing with customers requires to have end-to-end visibility and assess actual network issues in real time. This in turns limits CSPs’ ability to link network performance with service quality and cus- tomer experience, which is vital to provide actionable intelligence for the physical and virtual networks tasked with delivering dynamic digital services. That is the major issue. CSPs cannot ex- pect customers to put up with continuous disruption. There are alternatives to their offerings, whether new entrants lacking legacy infrastructure or better prepared By Ahmed Auda, managing director, METNA, VMware 5G: AUTOMATING TO TACKLE UNPRECEDENTED DISRUPTION 38www.commsmea.com SPECIAL REPORT EXPERT OPINION CommsMEA January 2020human interaction – to empathise, to connect, to offer tailored solutions and facilitate those experiences consumers expect. But as we get further from the cus- tomer, how much human is really needed? It may seem counter-intuitive, but does the answer to best supporting human work- forces in delivering exceptional customer experiences actually lie in automating where possible? SMARTER AUTOMATION FOR BETTER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES Currently, CSPs rely on human inter- vention at each layer, reacting to issues. Greater speed is required, however, if they’re going to keep up with, and ahead of, the disruptive opportunities within the industry. In order to deliver on the promise of 5G and digital transformation, CSPs must embrace operations automation and look at every opportunity to reduce hu- man intervention. This can be completely supported by comprehensive management tools already available – ones that can integrate and interlink multiple networks to ensure the highest possible experience for their customers. To that end, what if CSPs could adopt truly smart automation, removing that need for intervention and shifting them from a reactive to proactive footing? Suddenly, they can continuously moni- tor for the situations that could cause any network incidents, detecting abnormal pat- terns before these have a chance to disrupt service. And, when incidents cannot be prevented, automatically identify the root cause of the problem. Furthermore, as new devices or virtual functions are moved, added or changed, smart automation tools ensure the network topology is automatically updated and refreshed, eliminating the need for manual updates by the network ops team. This level of assurance automation is even more critical in NFV and cloud-native networks due to the inherently dynamic nature of virtual network functions (VNFs) and service chains. So, everything moves faster – when is- sues are identified proactively, solutions can be deployed before users flag the prob- lems. And with the right tools, the manage- ment of different environments can all be delivered through one solution. In other words, having complete, end-to-end visibil- ity. As a result, network operators can focus on delivering quality of service guarantees, meet stringent service level agreements, and provide a high-quality customer experience, rather than spend their time troubleshooting network problems. HIGH STANDARDS TODAY, FUTURE- PROOFED FOR TOMORROW In doing so, CSPs can continue to deliver a high standard today, while investing and deploying for tomorrow. Rather than frus- trating people with railway-style upgrades, new services simply appear in the eyes of the customer, with no inclination of the alterations happening behind the scene. It is a rich, integrated approach to man- aging ever-changing networks. It goes beyond the traditional service assurance and infrastructure monitoring to provide a complete end-to-end approach to physical, virtual and service-based m/network management. This automated approach is the only way CSPs can keep pace with the avalanche of new services, tighter cross-domain depend- encies and virtualised networks. Currently, CSPs rely on human intervention at each layer, reacting to issues. ◊ 39www.commsmea.com SPECIAL REPORT EXPERT OPINION CommsMEA January 2020Next >