Technology Broadband Roadmap for Rural Areas in the Andes and Amazon Regions in Peru

Posted: 2 Apr 2015 Last revised: 3 Jan 2016

See all articles by David Espinoza

David Espinoza

University of Colorado at Boulder, Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program

David Reed

University of Colorado at Boulder, Computer Science Department

Date Written: March 31, 2015

Abstract

In the last five years, several countries in Latin America have launched national broadband plans . Most of these plans have a similar first stage component of deploying, or expanding, the national fiber-optic backbone network to interconnect main urban areas and reach rural areas in order to increase penetration of broadband. For example, Peru is now building a new fiber optic backbone that will expand backbone coverage to 22 states and 180 provinces including urban and rural areas. Once the backbone is deployed, the next big challenge that governments and broadband service providers will face is the deployment and operation of local access networks in underserved and unserved rural areas (in Latin America most of them located in the Andes range and Amazon rainforest). In this scenario, there is a high level of uncertainty as to the best local access technology to deploy and operate. Given this setting in Latin America, and taking Peru as a case study, this research addresses the question: What is the technology roadmap for introducing broadband services to underserved and unserved areas in the Andes and Amazon regions of Peru?

The paper will identify and compare current (WiFi, WiMAX, LTE and TVWS) wireless technology candidates for access networks in the Andes and Amazon regions of Peru. The research will focus on the following key issues:

1. Analysis of the access network deployment cost for these wireless options based on different coverage and speed scenarios.

2. Analysis of operating and maintenance costs for these options after the initial deployment. Once again coverage and speed will play an important role in the analysis. This look at costs over time will allow the development of a broadband roadmap for the region that will describe the forecasted deployment of network capacity over a time period of 10 years.

3. Spectrum management. In the last decade in Peru, most licensed bands used to provide broadband services have been granted to operators on a nationwide and regional basis. This paper will examine current available spectrum and alternatives to enable more spectrum for new access network deployments in underserved or unserved areas in the Andes and Amazon regions.

To address these points, the paper will determine the technical performance and cost of the wireless options using both specialized propagation software to carry out wireless network simulations in this remote environment and a detailed engineering cost model to quantify the cost of the access networks based on coverage and speed in this geographic setting (the Andes and Amazon regions).

The paper will employ a quantitative research methodology that will utilize geographic coverage and demand data provided by Peruvian government agencies (i.e., the telecommunications regulatory agency (OSIPTEL), the universal service fund agency (FITEL), the transport and telecommunications department (MINTEL), etc.) Additionally, the paper will use access network elements and wireless equipment cost data from vendors in Peru and regional vendors.

Keywords: access network, wireless broadband technology, spectrum management, engineering cost model

Suggested Citation

Espinoza, David and Reed, David, Technology Broadband Roadmap for Rural Areas in the Andes and Amazon Regions in Peru (March 31, 2015). TPRC 43: The 43rd Research Conference on Communication, Information and Internet Policy Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2588010

David Espinoza (Contact Author)

University of Colorado at Boulder, Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program ( email )

Boulder, CO
United States

David Reed

University of Colorado at Boulder, Computer Science Department ( email )

1070 Edinboro Drive
Boulder, CO 80309
United States

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