When investigating access technologies for a specific scenario, the following considerations should be taken:
- Existence of legacy lines
- Availability of fiber
- Required bandwidth
- Requirement for symmetric or mainly downlink bandwidth
- Resiliency requirements
- Long or short reach
- Need to support TDM circuits
When planning Carrier Ethernet service for a small office/home office (SoHo) that is located in a new neighborhood, it is likely that there is fiber to the premise already available. Since this is a residential area, it is also quite possible that HFC is in place. However, HFC has limited upload bandwidth, which can be sufficient if the SoHo only requires access to Internet services. A higher symmetrical bandwidth service would be offered via direct active fiber.
A SoHo requires access to Internet services. This SoHo is located in an urban location. It is likely that there is no fiber to the premise and digging fiber is not feasible from a cost and time perspective. More probable options include Ethernet over bonded copper, or wireless Internet access services through WiMAX or LTE technologies.
A remote farm requires services for enabling video delivery and weather information. Since the requirement is for high bandwidth of 20 Mbps, the solution would be packet microwave which is ideal for remote locations. Such rates would exclude 3G/CDMA access, leaving WiMax or Point-to-Point microwave as possible alternatives.
EnvoEnvo is an environmental science company located in North America. They specialize in data collection and analysis. Their instruments measure hydrology, chemistry, strain, pressure, chromatography, vibration, temperature, particulates, aerosols, and other critical variables of interest to business, industry and government. Monitoring services are provided for clients large and small throughout the southeast US in both urban and rural areas. Data throughput requirements range from a few hundred kbps to 500Mbps depending on the application. They also have truck-based mobile facilities used for temporary installations.
A ubiquitous, flexible, secure and diverse network is required to support all of EnvoEnvo's customers. EnvoEnvo's IT Director, working with the local cable operator in northern Florida created a network that meets his challenging requirements. Because most of the EnvoEnvo equipment has Ethernet ports, over time he has created a large Ethernet WAN to collect data from remote locations.
The local cable company manages the primary network. It was able to reach many of the customer monitoring locations with an EPON network that supports business and residential subscribers in the region. In some cases the MSO contracts with the local ILEC or CLEC to reach locations using bonded T1s and SONET and in some cases mid-band Ethernet over bonded copper pairs. To meet the needs of extremely remote off-net locations, the IT Director created a wireless system for the mobile facilities that can be connected to most service provider's facilities. The core regional network aggregates these signals for transmission over the MSO fiber on dedicated CWDM wavelengths.
Sample Access Connections into EnvoEnvo's E-LAN Service | ||||
B/W | Access Media | AccessTechnology | ServiceProvider | Application |
500kbps | Wireless | Wifi | CLEC | Hydrological pressure measurement |
100Mbps | Fiber | Ethernet | MSO | Remote imaging & chemical analysis |
4Mbps | Copper - Twisted Pair | EFMCu | ILEC | Water, air, wind, temperature |
50Mbps | Fiber | Ethernet | MSO | Motion and air quality measurement |
10Mbps | Fiber | Ethernet | MSO | Motion and air quality measurement |
500kbps | Wireless | Broadband Wireless | Wireless Operator | Hydrological pressure measurement |
10Mbps | Copper – T1 | Ethernet over Bonded T1 | ILEC | Air quality measurement |
150Mbps | Fiber | Ethernet over SONET | CLEC | Remote imaging & chemical analysis |
2Mbps | Copper - Coaxial | HFC/DOCSIS | MSO | Chemical analysis |
500Mbps | Fiber | Direct Fiber Ethernet | MSO | Remote imaging & chemical analysis |
6Mbps | Wireless | Microwave | MSO | Solar, humidity, wind and other |
3Mbps | Copper - Coaxial | HFC/DOCSIS | MSO | Chemical analysis |