Broadband wireless access. Types of broadband internet connection. Broadband Internet access: background and problems

The Internet boom of 1998-2001 took back investors' money without a return, but the optical fiber laid out for this money has not gone anywhere. The user tried out the fast Internet, and the broadband access market today is growing much better than other sectors of the telecommunications industry.

Broadband access, it is broadband, formally begins with 128 Kbps. At such a speed, for example, Russian schools are connected to the Internet. It would not be a big mistake for simplicity to consider broadband access to the Internet, except for a slow dial-up connection. The point, however, is not the speed of data transmission as such, but the fact that with it the user has fundamentally new opportunities. Such as digital television  over the Internet (IP TV), cheap - up to free - and distance-independent voice communication (VoIP), the ability to remotely store large amounts of data, etc. Thanks to broadband networks and services based on them, a special term has emerged - TMT (Technology, Media & Telecommunications).

Mute the client station

Wired broadband essentially means that there is a physical connection to a physical location through a cable. Companies cable tv  traditionally provide services for coaxial cables. The telephone line connects to the digital subscriber line access multiplexer at the central office of the telephone or, in some cases, in a remotely located junction box in remote areas. The only equipment needed is a modem connected to an existing telephone jack and a filter for each phone in your home or office.

In Russia, the prospects for the development of TMT are excellent. According to Fitch Ratings, the penetration rate of broadband access is only 1.3%, and personal computers - 20%. Each of the users of these computers will sooner or later be a consumer of the broadband access service. Technologies, market, players The Stream project (2004, MTU-Intel company) became the catalyst for the development of broadband access as a mass service in Moscow, and in Russia too. Thanks to Stream, with its cheap traffic, Ethernet network providers (also known as home networks) and cable operators had to reduce their costs, and the process of fast internet  went to the people. In a variety of ways.

Broadband as a corporate connection

Another disadvantage is that the download speed does not match the download speed. A cable modem is an external device that usually has two connections: one to a cable outlet and the other to a computer. Cable service providers offer their services in bundles, which can be an economical way to purchase Internet services.

Types of broadband connection

The advantage of the cable modem is its accessibility to all users of cable networks, where the cable network has been upgraded to provide a cable modem. The distance between your home and the cable company will not affect the speed of your internet.

The domestic specificity of the broadband access market consists, in particular, in the fact that cable television networks have not received from us a distribution sufficient to use them to connect households to the Internet. Although cable networks are there. The main player here is Komkor TV with the Akado network. Komkor has a developed fiber-optic infrastructure for transmitting digital traffic in Moscow and the Moscow region and serves third companies, but sells broadband access also at retail by launching its own TMT (IP TV, Internet radio, broadband access) mass services. Another major participant in the Moscow broadband access market is Teleinform, which, like Comcor, is part of Renova Media holding. Teleinform has been operating since 1991 and provides services in the SEAD of Moscow, where it provides almost 100% coverage with a cable network.

The disadvantage of cable modem services for rural communities is the lack of cable service outside of large cities. Another disadvantage is that the connection is shared between you and other people in the network segment, and therefore the speed can vary greatly in different time day and can significantly slow down in an area where many residents using cable connections simultaneously access the Internet. For example, if you live in an area where a cable modem penetrates, you may notice a significant increase in the time it takes to download and download information in the evening when people return home from work and to school.

But the most promising in the Russian mass market, as shown by the success of Stream, is the ADSL technology prevalent in Europe and Southeast Asia, which allows providing broadband access via ordinary analog telephone networks (the phone remains available for voice transmission). The provider is required to install special equipment on the PBX - ADSL hubs, and from the subscriber - to buy an ADSL modem. Hubs are connected to the high-speed backbone of the optical network, which gives the consumer really high-speed access.

There are two types of connections

Another disadvantage is that the download speed never matches the download speed. Fiber optic technology converts electrical signals into light pulses and sends light pulses through transparent glass fibers relative to the diameter of a human hair. Compared to conventional copper wires or coaxial cables, there is less signal loss or degradation.

Broadband wireless

There are advantages to using fiber optic cable for telecommunications; The main advantage is the ability to provide higher throughput and greater distance between terminals. Compared with ordinary copper wire, fiber optic cable can provide greater bandwidth than ordinary metal wire. Because of its size, many optical fibers can be combined into one outer cover or jacket, which allows for increased bandwidth — more telephone or cable lines through one channel.

In Russia, the telephone infrastructure is almost completely owned by Svyazinvest, and it is almost impossible for other companies to approach it. This is understandable - Svyazinvest itself provides Internet access services via ADSL, planning to increase its share in the broadband Internet market in the Russian Federation from the current 30% to 50% over the next five years. The Stream project mentioned above owes its success to the fact that the company developing it enters with Comstar-UTS together with the Moscow city telephone network. In St. Petersburg, in addition to North-West Telecom (a division of Svyazinvest), Web Plus and Peterstar operate on ADSL technology. In the regions, the ADSL ball is ruled by Svyazinvest.

Fiber optic cable can provide greater bandwidth compared to other broadband technologies with less maintenance costs and allows you to expand and expand opportunities in the future as you develop innovative and entrepreneurial concepts.

Fiber installation and fiber lighting are expensive and possibly expensive for many providers serving rural areas. The fiber cable is fragile, and equipment is also required to convert electrical signals into light signals, and then back to an electrical signal at the receiving end.

Finally, there are still home networks. Specialists use the term ETTH (Ethernet To The Home) to refer to them, and this is correct - it is difficult to call a house party, for example, the Corbina Telecom network with more than 200 thousand subscribers. Although small (home-made) networks still own a significant part of the market, especially in the regions. Even in Moscow with its Stream (36% of broadband access) they hold more than 30% of users. Among the major players, besides “Corbina”, here it should be called “Centel” (the name of the service provided is QWERTY).

Broadband over power lines: advantages. You can upload mail, video files and business data as fast as you can download similar files. Broadband over power lines: Disadvantages. These lines operate on copper or fiber optic cables and are used mainly by enterprises to connect offices that are geographically separated from voice communications and data transmission.

Dedicated lines of the road and rarely used in residential areas. Use radio signals, not cables. A number of different forms of fixed wireless broadband are available for residential and business customers. Internet users who may prefer a fixed wireless connection include people in areas where there is not, or cable television lines. They can still access the Internet via a wireless service that can transfer the connection right to where it needs to go.

As with ADSL or cable networks, ETTH networks rely on fiber optic lines. An optical highway is brought to a residential building or a business center; ethernet switches, allowing to connect via standard twisted pair. This method of connection, unlike ADSL, requires additional costs and time for the construction of wiring inside the building, but provides the best connection speed in comparison with ADSL or cable networks. The subscriber is provided with up to 100 Mbit / s, and if necessary, the provider can increase the speed and up to 1 Gbit / s by replacing only the switch. The focus on speed to the subscriber and the possibility of its increase is made not in vain: the main service advertised now by most broadband operators is no longer just access to the Internet, but digital television. Television as an engine of communication systems progress    For IP TV, a bandwidth of 2-4 Mbps is required, and with the advent of television high definition (HDTV) will need at least 8 Mbps. This is a major problem for ADSL technology. If subscribers are remote from the PBX by more than 1.5 km or on low-quality copper lines, the introduction of ADSL 2/2 + technologies capable of “accelerating” to 24 Mbit / s is by no means possible everywhere. There are several TV sets in modern apartments, and at the same time, different programs can be watched by the family - so for each TV channel you need to allocate bandwidth from 2 to 8 Mbps. This even puts the theoretical limit to the development of ADSL networks. That is why the main players of the ADSL-market in parallel are beginning to expand and access to their network through ETTH - transferring existing customers to a new technology is much better than giving them to competitors. The activity on the IP TV services market is fueled by government plans for a ubiquitous transition in Russia to digital TV by 2015. Most TV channels are ready to switch completely to broadcasting in digital, the main limiting factor is the lack of access networks throughout the country.

Corrected wireless services typically support speeds of up to 30. Like most other Internet access technologies available to home users, fixed wireless Internet providers typically do not apply data restrictions.

Fixed wireless Internet equipment and setup

Fixed radio uses transmitting towers that communicate with each other and with the location of the subscriber. These terrestrial stations are supported by Internet providers similar to towers. cell phone. Subscribers install transceiver equipment in their building to communicate with fixed wireless ground stations. Transceivers consist of a small antenna or a rectangular antenna with radio transmitters attached.

In addition to TV and Internet access, providers also offer so-called VPN networks (a technology that allows you to create a corporate network "on top of the public network") and video conferencing. Private users can be offered video surveillance of the apartment, network data storage, printing photos from home in the offices of the provider, game services, etc.

Unlike systems that communicate in space, fixed wireless dishes and radio communication only communicate with ground stations. Compared to other forms of broadband Internet, fixed wireless Internet  traditionally includes the following limitations.

The cost per Mbps for subscribers tends to be relatively higher than other types of broadband access. Unlike mobile Internet services, such as cellular or fixed wireless service, is tied to one physical subscriber and does not support roaming.

  • The service often requires direct visibility between the subscriber and the ground station.
  • Obstacles from hills or trees impede its installation in some places.
  • Rain or fog can sometimes adversely affect the quality of service.
Many people mistakenly believe that fixed wireless connections  always suffer from problems that cause poor performance.

In Moscow, the battle for the subscriber has already unfolded, and not a joke. The market is close to saturation, the competition is extremely strong. Providers ring up, enticing customers of their competitors. In the regions, the market is not so dense, and this is precisely why large Moscow players are attacking it. This does not mean that in the regions there is no one to resist them. There is. For example, R-Telecom, operating in 15 cities of Russia and providing TV and Internet, or Kazan Teleset. And also, of course, Svyazinvest, which is actively investing in infrastructure development and the provision of new services. It is enough to recall that one of the first successful IP TV networks in Russia was the project of the Krasnodar branch of Southern Telecommunications Company, the regional subsidiary of Svyazinvest. Without wires    In addition to traditional cable broadband access systems, wireless networks are being actively developed. One of the world's largest WiFi projects is Golden WiFi in Moscow (Golden Telecom). This is more than 7 thousand access points in Moscow, which cover almost the entire center. From this summer, Golden WiFi networks in Moscow and St. Petersburg are combined.

While high latency is a problem for satellite Internet, fixed wireless systems do not have this limitation. Customers usually use fixed wireless network  for online games and other applications requiring low network latency.

Visit these pages for more information on their coverage areas and pricing options. Check the site to find out if you have a fixed wireless provider. The term "broadband" technically refers to any type of signaling technology — wired or wireless — that carries two or more different types of data in separate channels. In popular use, this refers to any high-speed Internet connection.

They should take their cellular networks. While GSM-operators are out of the IGL market, but when it comes to the introduction of third-generation technologies (3G), the situation will change. In the meantime, SkyLink, the operator of an alternative GSM-standard, CDMA, thanks to EVDO technology, provides its customers with Internet access at speeds up to 2.4 Mbit / s. The coverage area of ​​this service is Moscow, St. Petersburg, part of the Leningrad Region, Yekaterinburg and Voronezh.

As old network connections  newer, more high-speed alternatives began to be replaced by the Internet, all new technologies were usually sold as “broadband Internet access”. Government and industry groups have attempted to establish official definitions of what distinguishes broadband services from non-broadband, primarily based on the maximum data transfer rate they support.

Types of broadband networking technologies

These definitions have changed over time, as well as by country. In the Philippines, the data rate is 256 for broadband. . Among the technologies of Internet access, which are usually classified as broadband. Internet service that combines separate voice and data channels over a single telephone line. Internet connections for transferring data via smartphones and others mobile devices  into cellular networks and - types of internet services that qualify as broadband internet  under the popular definition, although these technologies carry only one type of data traffic, intended to connect to the Internet. Although both operate at high speeds, none of them is considered broadband.

We also mention the exotic way of delivering traffic - broadband access via power lines wiring. "Internet out of the socket" at speeds up to 200 Mbps. Awesome bandwidth to provide a full range of modern services. This technology is most often called Power Line Communications. Its main advantage is obvious - as in the case of ADSL, there is no need to spend money on distributing communication lines inside the building. The well-known and working project of Power Line Communications - “Spark” from CJSC “Electro-com”. It is implemented in several districts of Moscow, as well as in Nizhny Novgorod.

People living in less populated or underdeveloped areas tend to suffer from a lack of access to broadband Internet services, since providers have less financial incentives to service areas with a relatively smaller number of potential customers. In some areas, so-called municipal broadband networks have been built that offer state-supported Internet services for residents, but they have limited coverage and are said to have caused tension in privately-owned service providers.

Broadband internet access  (in abbreviated terms, broadband access) is also called high-speed access, which reflects the essence of this term - access to the Internet at high speed - from 128 kbps and higher. Today, when 100 Mbit / s are available for home subscribers, the concept of “high speed” has become subjective, depending on the user's needs. But the term broadband access  was introduced at the time of widespread dial-up access (dial-up), when the connection is established using a modem connected to the public telephone network. This technology supports speeds of the order of maximum 56 kbps. Broadband access implies the use of other technologies that provide significantly higher speeds. However, connecting, for example, using ADSL technology with a data transfer rate of 128 kbps also applies to broadband access.

Creating large-scale broadband Internet access networks can be costly due to the extensive infrastructure and industry regulation. High infrastructure costs make it difficult for service providers to cut prices on their subscriptions and reliably offer customers the connection speed they want. In the worst case, users may be charged a high surcharge for exceeding their monthly benefit in terms of providing data or temporarily limiting their service.

Broadband access via a fiber optic link

The old dial-up connection is the only non-broadband Internet service available, and although it is cheaper, most Internet users strive for a fast broadband Internet connection. Here, the speed of the cable Internet connection depends on the number of users of the service at a particular point in time. Given a particular geographic area, users of a broadband cable service use bandwidth that slows down the speed that more users have on the system.

From the history of the development of broadband technology

Around the early 2000s. dial-up technology (dial-up) actively began to replace xDSL technology (ADSL, HDSL, etc.), providing a significantly higher access speed. For example, the ADSL2 + technology allows you to download data at a maximum speed of 24 Mbit / s, and give it at a speed of 3.5 Mbit / s. A modem and a telephone line are also used to access xDSL technology, however, unlike dial-up access, the line is not fully engaged, that is, it remains possible to use both the telephone and the Internet at the same time.

Broadband today

Today, broadband Internet access is provided using various technologies, both wired and wireless. The first are the xDSL technology family, DOCSIS technology (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications - data transmission over a television cable), (data transmission over computer networks using twisted pair, optical cable or coaxial cable), the FTTx technology family (fiber to the x - optical fiber to point X) and PLC (Power line communication - data transmission using power lines). As far as FTTx is concerned, there are two basic types, however, in fact, they differ little from each other, - (fiber to the building - fiber to the building) and FTTH (fiber to the home - fiber to the house).

Today, wireless Internet access technologies, especially mobile, are being actively introduced and developed. Fixed wireless access is provided through satellite Internet, fixed and technology. However, many mobile operators and wireless providers already offer MTS and “” (“), with market shares of 9.5% and 8.3%, respectively. These operators provide Internet access using both wired and third-generation wireless technologies. So, for example, MTS, having acquired the company "", became a major operator of Internet access services using ADSL and ADSL2 + technologies, and. Beeline, in addition to wireless access and mobile communications, provides the service " Home Internet"FTTB technology (fiber to the building - fiber to the building).

On the fourth place with a 7.7% share of the broadband access market is the operator "", providing Internet access services under the Dom.ru brand using FTTB technology. Closes the top five leaders of the Russian market of broadband access company "Akado" with a share of 3.8%. The operator provides Internet access using DOCSIS and Fast Ethernet technologies.

The remaining Russian broadband providers occupy less than half of the market - they account for 34.6%.

Penetration of broadband services

According to iKS-Consulting, in the first quarter of 2011, the penetration of broadband Internet access services in Russia reached 36%, the number of subscribers in the private segment amounted to 19 million users. But one should take into account that local players - for example, St. Petersburg providers or Moscow providers - can occupy significant shares in local markets, overtaking these large players in the aggregate subscriber base. In St. Petersburg, among such players are: "" (InterZet), "" (brand "", which, however, is now included in Rostelecom), (SkyNet)), etc. In Moscow, one may mention of such companies,.