Frugal 5G Networks : Addressing the Challenges of Rural Broadband

Connectivity

Pranav Jha Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India

pranavjha@ee.iitb.ac.in

5th February 2019

Internet Penetration Status: Worldwide

Source: https://www.internetworldstats.com/

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Unconnected Population (%)

• Developed countries • Typically enabled through wired communication infrastructure

• Fiber and DSL

• Developing countries • Fiber/DSL Infrastructure - Inadequate

• Cellular Technology - Primary broadband access mechanism

Internet/Broadband Access – How is it enabled?

Wireless Technology for Rural Broadband Connectivity

• Typically focussed on urban usage scenarios • 5G technology targets - 10 Gbps data rate, 1 ms latency, 500 km/h mobility

• Challenges and Characteristics of Rural Connectivity not factored into specification and design

• Variations in use cases across regions, countries, continents ignored

Existing and Emerging Wireless Cellular Standards

• Roll out networks in urban/semi-urban areas

• No compelling commercial reason for them to target rural areas

Operators

Rural Broadband Connectivity – Challenges & Characteristics

• Populated in small clusters with vast open areas in between

• Providing similar type of services over a large geographical area may be inefficient

Sparse Population Density

Example of a rural area - Clustered settlements

(An ellipse denotes a habitat)

Rural Broadband Connectivity – Challenges & Characteristics contd.

High Capital Expenditure Relatively Smaller Population Density

Smaller Revenue Per Square Mile

Courtesy: https://www.comsoc.org/ctn/anyone-out-there-5g-rural-coverage-and-next-1-billion

Low Income – Low ARPU

Rural Broadband Connectivity – Challenges & Characteristics contd.

Remote/Difficult to Access Areas

Intermittent Power Availability Low Mobility

Localized Communication &

Relevance of content

Wireless Broadband Network for Rural Connectivity – Frugal 5G

• Aimed at providing affordable primary broadband connectivity to rural areas

Assumptions

• Low Mobility

• Less Stringent Availability

• Large Coverage

• Localized Communication

Constraints

•Energy Efficiency

•Bandwidth efficiency

•User Satisfaction

Objective

•Maximize Throughput

•Minimize Cost Frugal 5G

Frugal 5G - Middle-Mile Network

• Bharatnet – Optical Fiber to Gram Panchayat • Optical fiber terminates a few km away from villages

• How to Connect Villages/Homes

• Extension of optical PoP to the villages

• End users access the broadband through Wi-Fi Access Points

• Wi-Fi APs connected through a wireless middle mile network

Frugal 5G – Access Network Architecture

Frugal 5G – Key Features

• Large Coverage Area Cells to provide ubiquitous connectivity

• Small Cells (WiFi Hotspots) as access points for high speed data connectivity • WiFi devices are very low cost devices

• SDN & Fog Paradigm • Cloud and Fog based Architecture

• Separate control and data plane

• Integrated Multi-RAT Control in RAN

• Mirrors the population distribution

Standardization Initiative : IEEE P2061 - Architecture for Low Mobility Energy Efficient Network for Affordable Broadband Access

Thank you