Optical Networks in Greece: Past, Present , and Future

1. Optical Networks in Greece: Past, Present, and Future Christos Bouras Professor Computer Engineering and Informatics Dept., Univ. of Patras, and Computer Technology Institute & Press “Diophantus” http://ru6.cti.gr/ru6/bouras/ bouras@cti.gr, bouras@ceid.upatras.gr

2. Outline What has been done in Greece The situation worldwide Broadband penetration in Greece Where we are today How we should move forward

3. What has been done in Greece (1/4) • Projects to develop optical networks from the Operational Programme “Information Society” • Call 93 andCall 145: Development of Additional Broadband Infrastructure (Implementation of Broadband Metropolitan Optical Networks) in less developed areas of the Greek Territory • Projects approved for 69 Municipalities, under Call 93, and for 6 additional Municipalities, under Call 145 • Outside Athens and Thesssaloniki • Call 195: Extension of the of Broadband Metropolitan Optical Networks than had been funded through Calls 93 and 145 of the OP“Information Society”

4. What has been done in Greece (2/4) • Pertinent projects to raise awareness and increase demand for braodband services • Call 84 andCall 192: Promotion of the Demand for Broadband Services • Pertinent projects to implement wireless networks in smaller Municipalities • Call 105 • Various other actions to implement Wi-Fi hotspots in areas of public interest

5. What has been done in Greece (3/4) • Implementation of Broadband Metropolitan Optical Networks • Interconnect Points of Presence of the Public Sector • Mostly passive network • There is some active equipment to activate some connections • Remote Points of Presence connected through wireless connections. • Enough optical fibres to cover all the Points of Presence of the Public Sector • Existence of unused fibres and empty ducts for future connections and future expansion

6. What has been done in Greece (4/4) • Relatively very low (if not zero) use of the infrastructure • There was a provision for guidelines and exploitation plans from the central government that the Municipalities were bound to follow • However no such guidelines and exploitation plans were issues, although the technical consultant submitted their proposals • No legal entity was formed to exploit the infrastructure • The infrastructure does not receive systematic/regular maintenance • The Greek School Network makes good use of the connections terminated to schools • There are some other occasional uses of the infrastructure • The infrastructure was offered to the potential contactors of SYZEYXIS II, as an asset to be used the implementation of it; although it is quite questionable how useful and how exploitable this infrastructure is

7. The situation worldwide (1/3) • In many countries a big percentage of the broadband connections are through an optical access network (FTTH/FTTP/FTTB) • Indicative percentages of the optical connections over all the broadband connections: • Japan: 72.7% • Korea: 68.0% • Sweden: 43.7% • Estonia: 32.9% • Norway: 29.3% • Slovak Republic: 25.8% • Iceland: 25.0% • Slovenia: 22.0% • Portugal: 22.0% • Denmark: 21.6% • This percentage for Greece is practically zero (0.1%) • The average percentage of the optical connections over all the broadband connectionsin the OECD countries is 17.1% • But in many of theme there is a cable tv network • i.e. the rest of the connections are not based only on xDSL

8. The situation worldwide (2/3) • Many cities/mucipalities abroad have FTTH/FTTP/FFTB networks and thus their citizens enjoy super-high speed network connections • Indicative examples of municipal/community optical networks • Already from 2000, the local authorities of the Vastera area in Sweden, were the first to start a cross-municipal enterprise, in cooperation with the municipal power corporation, to implement and operate an open-access broadband optical network • The exploitation model selected is based in a system where the cross-municipal enterprise, that offers the infrastructure, and the Internet Service Providers share the income from its use • In the city of Chattanooga, in Tennessee, USA, the local electricity provider operates an optical network and offers 1Gbps connections (at $69/month)

9. The situation worldwide (3/3) • Indicative examples of municipal/community optical networks (cont.) • Recently a municipal Internet Service provider in Salisbury, North Carolina, USA, announced the availability of a 10Gbps service (!) covering all the city, addressing both enterprises and citizens. • The local company Fibrant, that developed the optical network, was created fiev years ago , after the inability of the local authorities to persuaded the private sector network providers to upgrade their infrastructure • InBorwick (a small community, in a rural areanear Lancaster),in the United Kingdom, the residents, since the telecommunication providers did not offer equivalent services, and after failing to attract funding from the local government , decided to and built their own FTTH network, by opening trenches and laying daucts and optical fibres themselves • The network offers 1Gbps access connections • Many more other similar examples have been recorded in the best practices pagehttp://broadband.cti.gr/el/best_practices/best_practices_examples.phpof the web site for the promotion of broadband culturehttp://broadband.cti.gr/

10. Broadband penetration in Greece (1/4) • Broadband penetration • Greece slowly approaching the EU average

11. Broadband penetration in Greece (2/4) • Increase in penetration rate • Greece is second best !!!

12. Broadband penetration in Greece (3/4) The progress of broadband penetration in Greece and convergence with the EU average

13. Broadband penetration in Greece (4/4) • Usage of broadband technologies • Unfortunately the broadband penetration in Greece is almost exclusive based on xDSL technologies

14. Where we are today (1/3) • SYZEYXIS • Backbone and access network for the public sector agencies, aiming at covering all their communication needs amongst them, with • Telephony (phoen communication between the agencies), • Data (communicationbetween computers – Internet), and • Video (teleconferencing – open and distance learning). • Network services to 4.500 Points of Presence (i.e. buildings) of public sector agencies+ • Will operate for approximately another year

15. Where we are today (2/3) • SYZEYXIS ΙΙ • The network SYZEYXIS ΙΙ is designed to be the continuation of the network SYZEYXIS, aiming at • incorporating every building of the public sector agencies (estimated at 34,000 building including all schools) • Recently the agencies were asked to update the information on their points of presence • upgrading the broadband level of SYZEYXIS • upgrading the existent services • providing new value-added services • The implementation of the above targets, will be achived through the following 5 actions: • 8 “Islets” – Network access and telephony service for the agencies • Wireless “Islet” – Mobility services • Access–Security–Telephony infrastructure • “Islets” interconnection service – SIX, and NetworkDataCentres • ΙSP/SLA services of SYZEYXIS ΙΙ

16. Where we are today (3/3) • Rural Broadband: Implementation of Broadband Infrastructure in Rural “White” Areas of the Greek Territory, and Services for the Exploitation of the Infrastructure using PPP • Procedures for Public–Private Partnership (PPP) • Installation and operation of broadband network infrastructure in “white” rural and island areas (that amount to almost 50% of the Greek territory) • Segmentation of the Greek territory in three areas (LOTs) • LOT 1:Thrace, Macedonia, western Epirus, North Aegean Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE S.A.) • LOT 2:Thessaly, easternCentral Greece, southern Epirus, Euboea, Cyclades consortium of Intrakat – Intracom Holdings – Hellas On Line • LOT 3: Peloponnese, central Central Greece, Dodecanese και Crete Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE S.A.) • Settlements with ≥ 400 inhabitants will be connected by fibre optic network, but the access network may be of another technology • The infrastructure is expected to be completed by the end of 2016

17. How we should move forward (1/3) • The implementation of Next Generation Networks (i.e. fibre optic networks) fosters growth and innovation, and where such networks have been implemented on a large scale, they created new jobs • It is very important that the projects in Greece proceed without delays and postponements • Furthermore, the agenda should include again the issue of the fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network • The economic crisis and the financial problems seem to hamper the development of FTTH networks • But these networks are tools for the development and their implementation should be strengthen • Our country should not follow in the footsteps of other countries staying at a distance behind them, but to jump ahead and implement new generation networks that reach the end user (citizen)

18. How we should move forward (2/3) • Role and initiatives of the regional and the local administrations (regions / municipalities) • There are municipalities that have embraced new technologies and participate in several on pilot projects, but they have to make the important step and proceed with the implementation of next generation networks on a large scale • There are good practices that have been successfully applied abroad and can be used as guidelines, e.g., • Development of new generation networks by exploiting ways of other utilities’ infrastructure • Sustainable development models and exploitation • Partnership with the private sector

19. How we should move forward (3/3) • Activation of citizens and local communities • Informing citizens who do not know about the advantages of optical networks • Claiming new generation infrastructure for their area • Possible local infrastructure building actions (especially in rural or semi-urban areas where trenches can be easily drilled and without much restoration needed • The municipalities and utilities should facilitate such actions giving easily rights of way and data on existing utilities’ networks

20. Thank you very much! Christos Bouras Professor Computer Engineering and Informatics Dept., Univ. of Patras, and Computer Technology Institute & Press “Diophantus” http://ru6.cti.gr/ru6/bouras?language=el bouras@cti.gr, bouras@ceid.upatras.gr