US-Korea Joint Workshop on Digital Libraries SDSC - August 10-11, 2000

1. US-Korea Joint Workshop onDigital LibrariesSDSC - August 10-11, 2000 Broadband Wireless Networking in Rural VirginiaCase study: Blacksburg Edward A. Fox and Cortney Martin Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

2. Applications such as digital libraries, distance learning, telemedicine, video streaming, videoconferencing, and the e-economy are dependent on next generation broadband networks. But these applications hit a bottleneck at most offices and homes. The Problem Modem, DSL, Cable Modem High Capacity Backbone Network Largely copper and coax

3. Connectivity Options • Dial-up Modems • xDSL - limited availability, constraints on distance from CO. • Cable Modems- shared medium limits avail. bandwidth, not available to most businesses. • Satellite – one way, uses telephone return; not good for serving information. • Leased lines • Direct Fiber – limited availability Bandwidth Affordability

4. One Solution is Broadband Wireless, or LMDS • Local Multipoint Distribution Service • A “Last Mile” communication solution • 1150 MHz of licensed microwave frequency in 28-31 GHz range • A broadband wireless alternative to fiber, copper or coax • Will remove the bottlenecks between advanced communication networks and the home and office • More than twice the bandwidth of the combined total of radio, broadcast television, and cell telephone • Throughput of 10 Gbps (10,000 Mbps)

5. Virginia Tech Won Four A Block Licenses in the 17th FCC Spectrum Auction 40% of the area of Virginia

6. LMDS offers a LOT of bandwidth(comparison to previous auctions) LMDS MMDS DBS PCS A-C Block LMDS is: - 1300 MHz in two “Blocks” ( 28-31 GHz) - Over 2X bandwidth of AM/FM radio, VHF/UHF television, and Cellular telephone combined. - More than sum of previous 16 auctions Cellular Unserved Digital Audio Radio Service PCS D-F Block Wireless Communications Service Interactive & Video Data 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 MHz

7. LMDS is just another access medium and can be used for voice data or video A network can be made up of any combination of point-to-point wireless, point-to-multipoint, and wireline solutions Images from www.wavtrace.com

8. Advantages of LMDS • Fast to deploy, no digging roads • Solution to lack of fiber in some rural areas • Build-out on demand, scalable • Multi-Gigabit capacity • Can provide integrated services: voice/data/video Challenges • Requires “line of sight” between Tx and Rx • Signal attenuation by rain and moisture in vegetation • Shorter range requires more hub sites for coverage

9. Multi-disciplinary Team is Working to Solve the Problems • Information Systems • Communications Network Services • Digital Library Research Laboratory • Academic Departments & Research Centers • Center for Wireless Telecommunications • Space and Wireless Business Center (SAWBUC) • Virginia Tech Foundation • Area Communities Operational Deployments, Community Outreach Engineering and Business Research

10. Virginia Tech and Wavtrace Deployed an LMDS Testbed in Blacksburg, VA • First deployed in May, 1999 - First TDD system, first rural deployment • Wavtrace Point-to-Multipoint wireless SONET supports N x T1 at remote sites • Typical services include Ethernet/IP and T1 channels for Internet/Intranet access; analog voice lines; VoIP; streaming video; H.323/MPEG-2 videoconferencing • Wavtrace next generation system uses wireless ATM to support up to 180 Mbps per carrier

11. Blacksburg LMDS Deployment March 2000(Hub, 3 beams, 8 remotes; serving offices, apartments, ISPs) Area: 19 sq miles Pop: 36,000

12. Viewshed From LMDS Hub

13. LMDS Hub Site at Slusher Hall Wavtrace Tower 1 Wavtrace Tower 2 Radio Hut

14. Hub Indoor Equipment at Slusher Radio Hut OC3 link to MSAP Net Mgmt Ports

15. Remote outdoor equipment can be mounted in a variety of ways Slusher Tower

16. Apartment Owners Want Obscure Antennas Wavtrace Remote TRA

17. Weather data is collected at several sites • Signal attenuation due to rainfall continues is of interest to the industry • Rain cells are typically small • Station tracks: • Outdoor temperature • Indoor temperature • Wind speed and direction • Rainfall http://remote1.lmds.vt.edu/weather.htm

18. Temporary Indoor Equipment Configuration Adtran T1 CSU/DSU/Voice Mux Baytech Remote Controller Cisco 2621 Router 3COM Ethernet Hub for Mgmt Wavtrace Indoor Unit

19. Experience with LMDS • Quick to deploy (enables service provider to capture customers before a competitor does) • Build-out, or relocate, as needed • Useful for sites not readily accessible to other broadband services • Signal loss due to rain must be compensated for • Operation, Administration, Maintenance, and Provisioning is similar to other telecomm. equip.

20. Ways to Profitability? • Provide good performance and reliability • Create an MSAP for local high speed peering, collocation, and content services • Bundle and/or integrate voice, data, and video services–partner if needed • Make use of fiber, twisted-pair, coax, and other media, in addition to wireless, where effective

21. MSAP Management Content Directory Security Cache IP Routing Local NAP Local Government Local Businesses Local Businesses Local Schools College- Univ. Local ISP Local ISP LMDS Connects to Blacksburg MSAP (Multimedia Service Access Point) Network VA / Internet Community Internet • Facility for local peering and collocation of broadband network and appl. services • Reduces cost for service providers by reducing need for higher tier Internet capacity • Improves network performance by removing Internet bottlenecks • Facilitates broadband applications (e.g., VoIP, music, video on demand, home office, distance learning) • Makes customers happy!!! Fiber Wireless LMDS

22. Eventually LMDS could be used in combination with other wireless and wireline technologies to reach individual homes

23. There is a great deal of interest in LMDS in rural SW Virginia and planning for deployments is underway by CNS and CWT Floyd County Smyth County

24. For more information: www.lmds.vt.edu lmds@vt.edu Cortney MartinCommunications Network Services