| Broadband Infrastructure for Rural Areas in Developing Countries (BIRD PJ.) - 03/04/2020 |
| Global Plan Inc. |
| Technical Community and Civil Society | Asia & Pacific | Japan |
| COVID-19 Pandemic today has made affordable broadband connectivity a global must for quickly sharing Epidemiological information, Social distancing and at-home sheltering. ITU-standardized unprecedentedly affordable optical cable connectivity is presented here together with its implementation examples. The solution complies with the following three new ITU-T Recommendations: each publication is featured by ITU NEWS, Nov. 21(2016), Jan. 30(2017) and Jan.10(2019), respectively. ITU-T L.1700 (2016) demands cost-effective implementation as the top priority for broadband rural connectivity in developing countries. ITU-T L.110 (2017) specifies lightweight robust optical cables with a welded stainless-steel pipe allowing manual cable installation direct on-surface to underground to air to water. ITU L.163 (2018) focuses on the ease of installation, maintenance, and repair of the L.110 cables by non-skilled local people with everyday tools. The standardized solution was deployed in a Nepal mountain village(10 km) and Mongolia remote areas(22 km). A 45-km cable plan is ongoing in Mt. Everest 4000-5000 m area. Cost reduction example reported for cable + installation is >80% (See C386 to 2020 Feb. ITU-D Q5/SG1)Finally, a part of the statement by Jonathan Spalter (CEO, US Telecom) is reiterated from https://www.ustelecom.org/5g-is-wired-wireless/ as below that identifies the need of affordable optical cable rural connectivity, which is a key to cope with COVID-19 and other potential Pandemics. “A key predicate to bringing the transformative power of 5G to hard-to-reach rural communities is the extension of wired networks deeper into rural areas where we must scale our communications infrastructure and lay lots (and lots) of fiber. This is precisely how we drive a truly connected future across rural America.” |
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Source Link Keywords: COVID-19, Epidemiological information sharing, Social distancing, at-home sheltering, rural broadband connectivity, affordability, ITU-T Standards, ITU-T L.1700, L.110, and L.163, |