Praphulla Pandey,
(Electronics and Communication Engineering
National Institute of technology uttarakhand )
7/13/2016
This Paper mainly Deals with the challenges of deployment
of broadband (Data) over cable television network along
with Voice and Videos. The report consists of some
international experiences of incentives taken by them to
promote the broadband and some technical description of
cable networks.
Acknowledgment
The internship opportunity I had with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India was a great chance for
learning and professional development. Therefore, I consider myself as a very lucky individual as I
was provided with an opportunity to be a part of it. I am also grateful for having a chance to meet so
many wonderful people and professionals who led me though this internship period.
Bearing in mind previous, I am using this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude and special
thanks to the Mr. S.K. Singhal (Advisor B &CS) who in spite of being extraordinarily busy with his
duties, took time out to hear, guide and keep me on the correct path and allowing me to carry out
my project at their esteemed organization and extending during the training.
I express my deepest thanks to Mr. S.M.K. Chandra (Joint Advisor B &CS) for taking part in useful
decision & giving necessary advices and guidance and arranged all facilities to make life easier at
TRAI. I choose this moment to acknowledge his contribution gratefully.
It is my radiant sentiment to place on record my best regards, deepest sense of gratitude to Mr. G.S.
Kesharwani (Dy. Advisor B &CS) and Mr. Anil Kumar Pathak(Senior Research Officer) for their careful
precious suggestions which were extremely valuable for my study both theoretically and practically.
I perceive as this opportunity as a big milestone in my career development. I will strive to use gained
skills and knowledge in the best possible way, and I will continue to work on their improvement, in
order to attain desired career objectives. Hope to continue cooperation with all of you in the future,
Sincerely,
Praphulla Pandey,
New Delhi
Date:-13/07/2016
Contents
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ..4
Introduction to the Project .7
Importance of broadband:-....................................................................................................... 11
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.5.1
2.5.2
2.5.3
2.6
2.6.1
Current status of different technologies used for internet delivery in India:- ..................... 16
2.6.2
2.6.3
2.6.4
2.6.5
2.6.6
2.6.7
2.6.8
2.7
DOCSIS:- .................................................................................................................................... 27
4.1.1
4.1.2
4.1.3
4.1.4
4.1.5
4.2
GPON:- ...................................................................................................................................... 30
4.3.1
4.4
Introduction:- .................................................................................................................... 32
5.1.1
5.1.2
5.1.3
5.2
5.2.1
5.2.2
5.2.3
5.2.4
6.1.1
6.1.2
6.1.3
6.1.4
6.1.5
6.1.6
6.1.7
6.1.8
6.2
4.3
Annexure 1. ........................................................................................................................................... 53
Figure basic DOCSIS Network architecture ................................................................................... 53
CM/CMTS protocol stack:- .................................................................................................................... 56
Major Vendors of DOCSIS:- ................................................................................................................... 57
Annexure 2. ........................................................................................................................................... 57
Annexure 3. ........................................................................................................................................... 64
References:- .......................................................................................................................................... 71
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
In this way, TRAI as a regulatory authority tries to promote the telecom sector. It has accelerated the
telecommunication services with fair and transparent regulatory regime. It is because of its
regulations, India has become of the emerging players in telecom world.
Chapter 1
1.2 Current Market Scenario:The Indian media & entertainment sector is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate
(CAGR) of 13.9% year-on-year to reach Rs 196,400 crore (US$ 28.82 billion) by the year 2019.
In 2015, the overall Media and Entertainment industry grew 11.7 percent over 2014. The largest
fraction, Indias television industry, is expected to maintain its strong growth momentum led by
subscription revenues, representing a year-on-year growth of about 13.2 percent to reach Rs 60,000
crore (US$ 8.8 billion) in 2015.
Industry estimates reveal that video games industry grew at a record 22.4 per cent in 2014 over
2013, wherein its net worth rose to US$ 392 million. The Indian animation industry was valued at
US$ 748 million in 2014 and is forecasted to grow at 15-20 percent per annum.
The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) influences in the information and broadcasting (I&B) sector
(including print media) in the period April 2000 December 2015 stood at US$ 4.55billion, as per
data released by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).
365
320
276
242
116
213
125
245
136
281
155
329
181
361
210
407
548
637
733
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016P 2017P 2018P 2019P 2020P
1. In India, advertisement revenue mainly depends upon the e-commerce and strong
performance of sports like IPL and Cricket World Cup.
2. Subscription revenue is increasing slower than that of advertisement revenue.
3. Advertisement revenue is increasing at a rapid rate Because of digitization, the popularity of
channel is well known to investors. This knowledge of popularity manages the
advertisement revenue in an organized manner.
4. Because of support from current government of India, investment in digital India, also
improves the ad revenue growth rate.
5. In five years between 2015 and 2020, the overall print industry size will grow at a CAGR of
7.8%. However, its advertising revenue will see a better CAGR at 8.6%.
The Government of India has supported Media and Entertainment industrys growth by taking
various initiatives such as digitising the cable distribution sector to attract greater institutional
funding, increasing FDI (A foreign direct investment) limit from 74 per cent to 100 per cent in cable
and DTH satellite platforms, and granting industry status to the film industry for easy access to
institutional finance.
250
200
Free
DTH
Pay DTH
150
100
2020P
2019P
2018P
2017P
2016P
2015
2014
2013
2012
0
2011
Millions
50
digital
TV
Phases
Regulatory date
for shutdown
phase1
June 2
Phase2
Phase3
Phase4
Total
Mar 13
Dec 15
Dec 16
No. of digitized
subscribers (in
million)
1.2
Digitization
including DTH*
(in million)
13
100% (excl
Chennai)
25
1.2
>95%
41
10
~75%
81
52
~35%
160
65
~60%
Figure 1.3.2 Status for digitization in December 2015
With the combined efforts from TRAI and Broadcasters, number of analog TV has
substantially decreased.
With completion of phase 4(excluding some areas), total 60% digitization has been done.
Because of some legal issues, phase 4 is expected to complete by December 2016.
The number of cable TV and satellite TV households is estimated to touch the figure of 160
million.
Excluding the free-Dish services, there are 145 million TV households in India.
ARPU(INR
per
month)
DTH
Digital Cable
2015P
2016P
2017P
2018P
2019P
2020P
5-year CAGR
248
258
266
299
334
367
8%
214
219
230
261
298
343
10%
Figure 1.6 DTH and cable ARPU (Average Revenue per User) Source: KPMG-FCCI Report 2016
The Indian Media and Entertainment industry is on an impressive growth path. The revenue from
advertising is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13 percent and will exceed Rs 81,600 crore (US$ 12.29
billion) in 2019 from Rs 41,400 crore (US$ 6.24 billion) in 2014. Internet access has surpassed the
print segment as the second-largest segment contributing to the overall pie of M&E industry
revenues.
If broadband is combined with Television industry, the revenue generated from the industry is
expected to grow drastically. As customers have choices to switch their preferences. A customer will
have data, voice and video services on the same equipment. The broadcaster will need not to worry
about the maintenance of all the three networks separately. This will make it cost effective. This will
also be a promoter of e-commerce and advertisement revenue, e-governance, entrepreneurship
which will further lead to the employment opportunity.
10
Chapter 2
Importance of broadband:Broadband is a data connection that is able to support interactive services including Internet access
and has the capability of the minimum download speed of 512 kbps to an individual subscriber from
the point of presence (POP) of the service provider intending to provide Broadband service.
Broadband is an important target of MDG. ITU and UNESCO have set up the Broadband Commission
for Digital Development in response to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moons call to step up UN
efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals .Today, the vast majority of the worlds
population now rely on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) networks and
applications, even if they do not themselves have first-hand access. It is now possible to leverage the
tremendous power of ICTs in the development agenda, to help accelerate progress towards meeting
the MDGs through e-health, e-education, e-government, e-agriculture and more.
Simply because broadband penetration is at its lowest levels in developing and least developed
countries do not mean that broadband is irrelevant to the contrary, the benefits of broadband
prove the greatest in those countries where the needs are greatest. Broadband networks offer the
ability to: Control and use energy more efficiently.
Manage healthcare in poor, ageing or isolated populations.
Deliver the best possible education to future generations.
Take better care of our environment.
Streamline transport networks.
Accelerate progress towards the MDGs
Broadband can help the world in many ways. Here are some examples of how broadband can help
achieve the MDGs:
Broadband and MDG 1: Reducing poverty in the Information Age
Broadband and MDG 2: Seventy million children still in need of UPE
Broadband and MDG 3: Can broadband empower women?
Broadband and MDG 4: Child health the most important challenge of broadband?
Broadband and MDG 5: Broadband and maternal health
Broadband and MDG 6: Combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Broadband and MDG 7: Using broadband to ensure environmental sustainability
Broadband and MDG 8: Broadband empowers partnerships for development.
11
2.2
New business
opportunity
Industrial
Growth
Personal
efficiency
Social
Networking
Sustainable
Society
Broadband
Government
efficiency
Entertainment
Enterprises
Efficiency
2.3
TRAI Recommendations National Broadband Plan 2010:In 2010, the number of broadband connections was only 10.3 million as against a target of 20 million
by the year 2010.Therefore, the requirement of National Broadband plan was felt by the
government and TRAI. The major points and incentives of NBP 2010 are as follows:a. Establishment of national broadband network with open access optical fibre network connecting
all habitation with population of 500 and above in two phases, the 1st phase covering all cities,
urban areas and Gram Panchayats ,completed by the year 2012 and 2nd phase as the extension
of 1st phase, completed by 2013.
b. Establishment of NOFA (National optical Fibre agency), 100% owned by the government, for
establishing the networks in all the 63 cities covered under Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal
Mission (JNURM).
c. Formation of SOFA (State Optical Fibre Agency) ownership 51% and 49% by the central and state
governments respectively. NOFA is the holding companies of all SOFAs.
12
d. SOFAs will be responsible for establishing broadband network in the cities other than JNURMs,
under the guidance of NOFA.
e. The optical fibre network would support backhaul bandwidth requirement for provision of
broadband and facilitate broadband growth.
f. Total estimated cost =60,000 crore, financed by USO fund and the loan given/ guaranteed by
Central Government.
g. Targets= 75 million broadband connections (17 million DSL, 30 Million cable and 28 million
wireless broadband) by the year 2012 and 160 million broadband connections (22 million DSL,
78 million cable and 60 million wireless broadband) by the year 2014.
h. The optical fibre network would support following bandwidths:
10 Mbps download speed per household in 63 Metro and large cities (covered under
JNURM) for every wire-line connection by the year 2014.
4 Mbps download speed per household in 352 cities for every wire-line connection by
the year 2014.
2 Mbps download speed per household in towns and villages for every wire-line
connection by the year 2014.
i. Enabling cable industry to go fully digital.
2.4
National Telecom Policy 2012 vision:a. Boost broadband subscription to 175 million by 2017 and to 600 million by 2020
b. Deliver a minimum download speed of 2Mbps, with speeds of 100Mbps or more available on
demand
c. Increase rural telecom penetration to 70 per-cent by 2017 and to 100 per-cent by 2020
2.5
6Mbps
10Mbps
25Mbps
50Mbps
100Mbps
1Gbps
All
broadband
98.10%
96.17%
94.39%
78.51%
75.15%
47.09%
3.17%
wire-line
Broadband
93.41%
92.81%
90.91%
78.11%
74.85%
46.87%
3.17%
Wireless
Broadband
94.37%
84.17%
80.66%
4.94%
3.03%
1.80%
0.00%
Figure 2.4.1 Speed of internet through different modes of broadband (Source: - Report of white
house, office of Science and Technology Policy &The national Economic council on four years of
broadband growth June 2013.)
From the above chart, it is clear that high speed demand of the world can be fulfilled only by the
fixed broadband. It can be analysed easily that high speed greater than 25 Mbps is possible at large
13
scale only through wire-line. That is why every country has been taking incentives to promote the
wire-line broadband.
Specifications
Speedof
operation
Wired network
Higher
Wireless network
lower compare to wired networks, But
advanced wireless technologies such as
LTE, LTE-A and WLAN-11ad will make it
possible to achieve speed par equivalent to
wired network
System
High
Low, as Frequency Spectrum is very scarce
Bandwidth
resource
Cost
Less as cables are not expensive More as wireless subscriber stations,
wireless routers, wireless access points and
adapters are expensive
Installation
Wired network installation is Wireless network installation is easy and it
cumbersome and it requires requires less time
more time
Mobility
Limited, as it operates in the Not limited, as it operates in the entire
area covered by connected wireless network coverage
systems with the wired network
Transmission
copper wires, optical fibre EM waves or radio waves or infrared
medium
cables, Ethernet
Network
requires hubs and switches for More area is covered by wireless base
coverage
network
coverage
limit stations which are connected to one
extension
extension
another.
Applications
LAN (Ethernet), MAN
WLAN, WPAN(Zigbee, Bluetooth), Infrared,
Cellular(GSM,CDMA, LTE)
Channel
Interference is less as one wired Interference is higher due to obstacles
Interference and network will not affect the between wireless transmitter and receiver
signal power loss other
e.g. weather conditions, reflection from
walls, etc.
QoS (Quality of Better
Poor due to high value of jitter and delay in
Service)
connection setup
Reliability
High compare to wireless Reasonably high, This is due to failure of
counterpart, as manufactured router will affect the entire network.
cables have higher performance
due to existence of wired
technology since years.
Figure 2.3.2 a comparison between wired and wireless network
14
0.73
0.43
Fixed
0.6
0.81
mobile
1.21
1.12
0.77
internet
broadband
Figure 2.4.1 percentage impact of Broadband over GDP Source: Christine Zhen-Wei Qiang (2010) Broadband infrastructure investment in stimulus packages: relevance for developing countriesEmerald Insight
2.5.2 Economic impact of universal internet access:Universal Internet access would add substantially to GDP in major developing countries by 2020.
Achieving universal Internet penetration could expand world output by $6.7 trillion.
1052
1037
376
China
India
152
Indonasia
Brazil
125
Maxico
Figure 2.5.2 Additional cumulative GDP growth from achieving 100% internet penetration ( in US$
billions2014, in selected countries (Source: PWC 2016 report on Connecting the world & Ten
mechanism for Global inclusion)
2.5.3 Need for High speed:The bandwidth needed for different applications are as bellow:Application
VoIP, Basic e-mail, Simple web browsing
Streaming music ,Remote surveillance, Low
quality gaming
Bandwidth required
500 Kbps to 1 Mbps
1 to 5 Mbps
5 to 10 Mbps
10 to 100 Mbps
100 Mbps to 1 Gbps
15
2.6
Current Status of Broadband in India:This section will show the current status of broadband in India with some comparisons among the
BRICS countries, ranking of India etc.
70
17.9
17.5
2.2
1.7
7.7
3.9
0.5
0.3
% of
subscribers
2.6.2
Figure 2.6.1.1 Technology trend for wired and wireless Internet access
Above graph clearly depicts very heavy reliance of Indian subscribers on wireless networks. It is also
increasingly clear that countries aspiring to be on the forefront of innovation, global trade and
knowledge leadership must have next generation broadband roll-out on their agenda. Carriers
should continue pushing mobile broadband as a substitute for fixed broadband in areas with scarce
broadband access, and as a complement to home broadband for urban users until the National
Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) project is implemented.
319.42
331.66
324.95
342.65
300
250
210.57
204.07
200
195.13
192.9
narrowband
150
100
108.85
50
Millions
broadband
120.88
136.53
149.75
total internet
0
Jun-15
Sep-15
Dec-15
Mar-16
Figure 2.6.2.1 Narrowband and broadband internet penetration in India (Data from:-Unleashing
the Potential of the Internet -Indian Case Study)
16
Fixed
broadband
Mobile
Broadband
Internet
Smartphone
Ranking
131
155
136
India Penetration
1.2%
5.5%
18%
167.9M
Worlds average
Penetration
10%
32%
40%
1.91B
Figure 2.6.3.1 India in the world (source: - A Report by the Broadband Commission 2015
Percentage
2013
2014
2013
2014
Brazil
75
76
10.1%
11.5%
China
62
67
13.6%
14.4%
India
117
131
1.2%
1.2%
Russia
51
56
16.6%
17.5%
South Africa
102
110
3.1%
3.2%
Figure 2.6.5.1 Comparison of broadband penetration and ranks of BRICS countries in 2013 and
2014 (ITU 2014, 2015)
17
2.6.7 Affordability of fixed broadband:The scenario in the realm of affordability of internet is not much better for India. Comparable data
for the BRICS countries show that though the average cost of fixed broadband is towards the lower
end at USD 16 in PPP terms and USD 4.8 monthly averages, the percentage of average GDP per
capita required is 3.66%, which is the highest .Consequently, the rank is 74. This becomes worse
when the affordability of mobile broadband is compared. The rank drops to 101 and the percentage
of average GDP per capita required for access becomes a whopping 12.39% with the cost at USD
54.2 in PPP terms. According to PWC 2016 report on Connecting the world & ten mechanisms for
Global inclusion, in India, 66% price reduction needed for internet to make it affordable to 80% of
population. As rural India has 833 Millions of population out of which 66% of population lives on less
than Rs. 35 per day. The table below shows the affordability of broadband in different BRICS
countries.
Country
Rank
Percentage
USD in PPP
1.42%
USD(month
Average)
13.8
Brazil
78
China
73
3.54%
19.4
31.9
India
74
3.66%
4.8
16
Russia
.54%
6.3
11
South Africa
63
2.85%
17.1
30.3
16.6
29.43
30
27.08
28.16
25
20
15 13.31
10
5
12.63
7.1
3.64
6.88
4.73
4.48
0
Brazil
Russia
India
China
Speed in Mbps (
Download)
Speed in Mbps
(Upstream)
South
Africa
2.6.9 Different devices used for accessing internet in India:There is still high growth potential in PC market with just 10% penetration in India. The global PC and
laptop market is growing at 4.2% while smartphone market is growing rapidly at more than 40%.
Internet of-things is bringing a new range of devices such as smart TV, purifiers, glass, watch,
routers, etc. to the ecosystem for connectivity.
80
69
64
60
40
20
26
14
% of device are
used
Figure2.6.7.1 Device used for internet Access in India Source: Deloitte Global Mobile Consumer
Survey, 2013 - India Results
2.7
19
Chapter 3
DTH
HITS
20
21
3.1.2 Direct to home services:DTH is a satellite service that provides TV signals directly to subscriber anywhere in the country.
Signals are directly received by the subscribers from the satellite by using a small outdoor dish
antenna mounted to the point towards the satellite. A customer has to purchase customer premises
equipment including a STB, a small dish antenna and cable for connecting the antenna and STB. The
main advantage of DTH services is that connection can be given to any remote area with advantage
of digital signal but they face problems during the rainfall. There are currently seven DTH operators
in India. They are respectively DD direct plus, Airtel Digital TV, Big TV, Dish TV, Sun Direct, Tata Sky
and Videocon d2h.
3.1.3 Headed in the Sky (HITS) services:HITS services are the mixture of satellite and cable TV. The HITS operator uplinks the TV broadcast to
a satellite, which is further downlinked by LCO and distributed to the subscribers of his area through
a cable network. Thus, HITS operator, supply the signal through a cable TV network to customers.
This broadcasting is relatively low cost and does not require all the users to have a dish antenna
placed at their premises. This is very little vulnerable (effectively not) to rain.
3.1.4 IPTV:Signals are delivered to the customers through a wireline that can also be provided using broadband
internet access. It is purely digital broadcast and in an addressable mode using internet protocol.
This is quite interactive because of availability of two-way communication system between
consumer and service providers. Some of the IPTV features are as discussed below:1. Video on demand (VoD):- customers can browse an album of videos which does include in
TV programmes.
2. Time shifted Television:- consumers can view their television programmes at their
convenient tie using time shifting feature.
3. High picture quality because of use of digital transmission.
4. Live TV related to the current TV show.
5. Triple play services; that is data, voice and video on the same bundled connection.
3.2 Limitations on Analogue Cable TV System:The following the limitations have been obtained by TRAI from the feedbacks of different
stakeholders:
Lack of clarity regarding the cable subscriber base:a) On the basis of data collected from different stakeholders, in analogue TV, it has been seen
that there is no reliable information regarding the channels used by the subscribers. They
have admitted that revenue is made on negotiable based between stakeholders and MSOs.
This leads to mistrust between them in unavailability of proper information about the
distribution of channels.
b) In this type of system, The MSO has to furnish the updated list of cable operators along with
their subscriber base to the broadcasters every month. As the system is non-addressable, it
22
is difficult to workout with real subscriber base. This often leads to disputes between
broadcaster and MSOs. The broadcasters intense is to enhance the subscription
revenue on the basis of the increment in subscriber base of MSOs while that of
MSOs are to reduce the subscription cost on the basis of perceived reduction in
subscriber base. As the number of subscriber is estimated, there is no clarity on
actual subscriber base line.
Frequent disputes and lack of collaboration among stakeholders:a. From the comments and counter comments of stakeholders, it is obvious that
there is a strong mistrust and lack of transparency in business models in the
industry. The major reason behind this is that the subscriber base line is derived
rather than the actual number and mostly it is based on pre-defined cost and the
reported ceiling wholesale price. The decision of price of subscription is made in
absence of accurate data and price of channel cant be effectively negotiated
without exact number of subscriber base.
Relative importance of advertisement revenue in the broadcasters revenue stream
and its impact on content:a. The distribution of subscription revenue across the supply chain, in the absence
of addressability, the subscription revenue transaction is being undertaken either
as a fixed fee or on the basis of negotiated subscriber base. Lack of visibility
impacts the distribution of subscription revenue, so their earnings through this
are limited. Due to all this, broadcasters tend to focus on revenue generated by
advertisements which further depends on the effect of that on the targeted
audience. Since there is no addressability available, so the advertisement
television business is broadly dependent upon the rating of TAM systems which
are available only few major cities.
b. The contents displayed by broadcasters mainly depend upon the interest of
viewers involved in the survey made by TAM system. This is totally dependent
on the Television rating Point (TRP) which is mostly skewed. The content shown
by the broadcasters may not be as much popular as their expectations.
Incidence of carriage and placement fee:In India, analogue cable TV dominates the market with 75% cable and satellite
connections. Cable has a capacity to carry 80 analogue channels however there are
550 analogue channels available in the market. So there is a demand supply
mismatch and this has led to auction of bands to the channels which are willing to
pay more to be carried. In this respect, TRAI has noticed that the incidence of carrier
and placement fee is emerging.
Some technical issues with analogue TV signals:1. Low channel Capacity:In analogue mode of transmission, the PSNR (according to Shannon theorem) is
very low, as at every level there is some noise added. Also, in analogue mode of
transmission, number of channels that can be multiplexed in a single cable is very
less (about 80 channels per cable). Lack of proper compression techniques, the
data rates in analogue mode is very less than that of digital.
2. Security issues:Analogue signals are not suited for encryption. So if an attacker can sense the
signal, he can extract all the information. Although, there is same security
problem with digital signals, but there exist so many techniques to encrypt it for
security.
3. Attenuation problem and environmental factors:Analogue signals face the problem of attenuation and distortion. They mainly
use IIR filters which sometimes are affected by bad environmental conditions.
But in digital signals, they use FIR filters which are free from distortions and
environmental factors.
24
3.3 Need for Digitization and addressability:The need for digitalization and addressability is presented by TRAI is as follow:
For effective and efficient management, all the stakeholders are agreed to deploy digital
methods in place of analogue. This will enable them to reduce the incidence and placement
charges as there will not be any mismatch between demand and supply. It will lead to
better customer experience and lower tariff.
For integration of cable TV into triple play services (data, voice and video), the process of
digitization should adopted.
In the present system of analogue TV, both the stakeholder and consumers are in loss.
Consumers have to pay for the channels which they dont want to watch and same for the
broadcasters. They dont have the exact knowledge of number of subscriber base; so they
have to negotiate with the MSOs for subscription fee. By assigning the digital addresses,
they will be able to have exact data of subscribers which will increase the transparency and
reliability.
The market of advertisement will also improve as broadcasters have the knowledge of
popular channels and shows watched by consumers. So the revenue from advertisement
will improve. This will also cause a race among the broadcasters.
Digitization will solve the problems related to capacity constraints and will enable the value
added services (video on demand, time shifted videos, broadband over cable and radio
services). This will improve the choices of customers and financial viability of service
providers.
The improved broadcasting technology will attracts the investors towards telecom which
will further improve the development rate and it will grow in very organized manner.
penetration in millions)
0.14
25
101
cable Homes
wireless smartphones
wireline phones
fiber homes
220
25
This is clear that availability of cable homes is quite high. Technically, a cable has infinite capacity of
occupying digital signal. Video and voice signals occupy a little amount of bandwidth and remaining
capacity of cable remains unused. So, if we deliver the other services like broadband, value added
services and interactive services, the telecom industry will get a boost which will work as catalyst for
economic and social development. As the digitization is in its progress, So TRAI is taking incentives to
promote broadband over the cable TV network. The issues and incentives are discussed in the
following chapters.
26
Chapter 4
4.1
DOCSIS:-
It is the acronym of Data over cable service interface specification. In coming future, HFC is the
main pathway to broadband because of their omnipresence and inherit greater capacity than
commercial telephone copper wire (DSL). Although cable networks are facing challenges in achieving
the optimum performance because of high deployment costs of fiber to premises network structure.
Cable operators are able to offer a maximum downstream speed of 150 Mbps but not able to sustain
it.
DOCSIS is standardized by ANSI (American National Standard institute) with the help of SCTE (Society
of cable telecommunication Engineers). It has a qualification process for CMTS and cable modems
which is executed by CableLabs. DOCSIS is basically a set rule to define interface specifications for
cable modems that are involved in high speed data (MPEG and IP) transferred over existing cable TV
network.
4.1.1 Different component of DOCSIS:There are two major components in DOCSIS system:a. CM or Cable Modem:It is located at the subscriber end. Various devices like PC, laptop, phone etc. can be
connected through it. It is similar to DSL modem in traditional wire-line broadband system.
b. CMTS or cable modem termination system:It is located at the cable operator end which is called as head end and connected to the
internet.
27
bidirectional IP data flow on the existing cable infrastructure. To achieve this in DOCSIS network, the
IP packet goes through a completely different protocol stack (as shown in the figure).
The increase in speed would require the up gradation in amplifier, nodes, and subscriber drop
cables. In the same way, upgrading to the version of DOCSIS will require the replacement of cable
modem and other active sections. This will incur extra charges both on consumer and service
providers.
DOCSIS 3.0
DOCSIS 2.0
DOCSIS 1.1
DOCSIS 1.0
high speed
internet
Voice,
Gaming,
Streaming
capacity for
Symmetric
services
Cannel
Bonding, IPV6
DOCSIS 3.1
OFDM,
Wideband
Channel
29
DOCSIS 3.0
Higher number of throughputs
Multi-channel bonding
Supports up to 128QAM upstream modulation
5 to 85MHz
108MHz to 1.002GHz
Figure 4.1.5.1 the comparison between DOCSIS 3.0 and 3.1 (source: - CISCO)
4.2
GPON:-
4.2.1 Exact definition of GPON:Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) is defined by ITU-T recommendation series G.984.1 through
G.984.4. G.984 standard series define general characteristics of GPON (G.984.1) as well as physical
layer specification(G.984.2), transmission layer specification(G.984.3) and ONU (Optical Network
Unit)management and control specification (G.984.4).GPON can transport not only Ethernet, but
ATM and TDM (including PSTN, ISDN, E1 and E3) traffic by using GPON encapsulating method.
4.2.2 GPON network model:Gigabit passive optical networks (GPONs), which represent one optical solution for local access
networks typically, provide distributed connectivity over a large geographic area. Its topology is as
30
similar to as that of tree, consisting of one OLT, ONT and OND (optical network distribution/
splitters).
The OLT is the starting optical point in GPON access network. It terminates the GPON Transmission
Convergence (GTC) layer on the user side and forwards Ethernet frames to Ethernet layer on the
network side. Figure bellow shows the basic network model for a traditional GPON technology. OLT
is generally located at central office and ONU is at customer home or curb. The splitters are in
between OLT and ONU which divide single fibre into separate strands provide connections to many
users. The GPON and EPON provide broadband symmetrical (upstream and downstream) up-to
2.488 Gbps and 1 Gbps respectively. One OLT can support ten ONUs and provide broadband speed
at a high rate irrespective of distance ( 20 kms). In this technology we generally use WDM(
wavelength division multiplexing in which we transmit signal in optical fibre using different
wavelengths of LASER).
Only single mode optical fibre runs from the central office to splitters. At central office, there is a
wavelength multiplexer where different data for different customer is being uploaded on the line.
Then by the splitter connection is divided to many of the customers using optical fibre itself. The
number of splitting path varies from 2 to 64 paths.
1.24416/2.4882
20 km
Split Ratio
1:64/1:128
20 km
31
10Gigabit capable
PON
-PON standard
dominate in Europe
-standard ITU-TG.987
NGPON2
-10Gbps down/2.5 Up
(XG-PON1)
Minimum
requirement
-Statndard ITUTG.984
- 2.5Gbps
down/1.25Gbps up
-Upto 20 Kms
-TDM/TDMA
2009
-10Gbps down/up
(XG-PON2)
-upto 40 Kms
Forecast of
development and
standardization
-64 users
-TDM/TDMA
2012
2015
4.3
Metro Ethernet:-
4.3.1 Introduction:A Metro Ethernet Network is the generally defined as the network that bridges or connects
geographically separated enterprise LANs while also connecting across the WAN or backbone
networks that are generally owned by service providers. The Metro Ethernet Networks provide
connectivity services across Metro geography utilizing Ethernet as the core protocol and enabling
broadband applications.
Ethernet is a widely deployed cost-effective and well-known technology, and Ethernet interfaces are
available on a plethora of data communication/telecommunication devices. Standards-compliant
interfaces are available for 10/100/1000 Mbps and the standard for 10 Gbps Ethernet was ratified in
the IEEE in 2002.
32
4.4
4.4.1
4.4.2
33
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.
s.
t.
u.
v.
w.
x.
y.
z.
aa.
bb.
cc.
dd.
Thus the infrastructure and features of different cable networks have been discussed. From the
discussion it is clear that high speed demand of internet can be fulfilled only through optical fiber
networks. Although one time deployment cost for FTTx networks may be high, but the maintenance
cost and delivery charges are very less. Most of the developed countries and some developing
countries are deploying fiber optics network for the delivery of broadband.
The deployment of metro Ethernet is 40% cost effective than that of DOCSIS. The cost of deploying
DOCSIS is Rs 8000 per connection (assuming 20% penetration) whereas that of metro Ethernet is Rs
5000 only.
34
Chapter 5
issues related to MSO and LCO disputes, MSOs think that if the collection of the bill is made by LCOs,
then it may not reach to them properly.
LCOs are hesitant to invest in providing broadband because of following two reasons:1. Spending money on the reality which may not yield in benefit as other technologies can.
2. The ownership of the customer being at MSO they may get customers at a slow rate, which
may expedite the development of cable networks.
3. Elements of last mile are quite expensive.
36
5.1.3 Broadband Plan of different countries and their targets:Establish Broadband Delivery UK, 2010
25+ Mbps 90% coverage, 2015
25+ Mbps 95% coverage by 2017
25+ Mbps 100% coverage by 2020
Singapore began Next Gen NBN project for laying FTTH, 2010
100 Mbps 95% coverage by 2014
100 Mbps 100% coverage by 2015
5.2
Funding Models:-
Funding
Structure
Funding
Requirement
Funding Overview
United
Kingdom
Public Funding
and Private
Sector Funding
(Debt &
Private Bond)
1.7 billion in
Public Funding
(Estimated)
Structure/Owners
hip Gap
intervention
France
Bank Debt
(Construction)
and Project
Bond Initiative
(Operations)
189.1m
Structure /
Ownership Public
Private
Partnership
(PPP)
38
Australia
Government
Equity
(Construction)
and Private
Sector
Investment /
Debt
(Operations)
$44bn Structure/
Ownership Public
Sector designed,
built, owned and
operated
New
Zealand
Share Rights,
Government
Funding,
Private Debt
and Bonds.
$1.35bn
government
funding and
varying levels of
private funding
39
Italy
Equity, Debt
and Mezzanine
2bn
40
5.2.2 Funding scheme adopted by South Korea:The South Korean governments national broadband strategy includes direct and indirect support for
broadband infrastructure development, including loans and other incentives. The KII(Korea
information and Infrastructure) consisted of three sectors and three phases: KII-Government, KIIPrivate, and KII-Test bed called KOREN (Korea Advanced Research Network). KII-Government spent
$24 billion to construct a national high-speed public backbone network, which service providers
could use to deploy broadband services to about 30,000 government and research institutes and
around 10,000 schools.
The Korean initiative also provided government test beds for companies to use for research and
development. Meanwhile, KII-Private worked to spur private funding to construct an access network
for homes and businesses, aiming to stimulate broadband deployment in the last mile. The KII
provided a combination of government support and private sector investment. Specifically, the
government provided $1.76 billion in government low-cost loans between 2000 and 2005 from its
Public Fund Program while the private sector invested $14.5 billion for a total public-private
investment of $16.3 billion.
In addition, to stimulate demand for broadband, the South Korean government gave small and
medium-sized businesses a tax exemption equal to 5 per-cents of their total investment in
broadband communications systems. The lop-sidedness of the percentage of government to private
funding reflects the fact that the South Korean government expects its private companies to drive
the investment in broadband infrastructure with government support in the form of loans and tax
subsidies as their incentive. This pattern continued with the successor programs to the KII the
Broadband Convergence Network (BcN) and the IT839, though which the Korean government
provided broadband service providers incentives of over $70 billion in low-cost loans to build high
speed broadband networks while broadband providers pledged to invest an equal amount.
5.2.3 Funding Scheme adopted by United States of America:Connect America Fund (High-Cost) Program (~$3.75 billion disbursed in 2014; capped at $4.5
billion/year):In 2011, the Commission comprehensively reformed and modernized the high-cost program to focus
support on voice and broadband capable networks. Of the $4.5 billion annual budget, the
Commission allocated up to $1.8 billion to geographic areas served by the larger
telecommunications carriers (known as Phase II of the Connect America Fund), up to $2 billion to
those areas served by the smaller carriers, $500 million to the Mobility Fund, and at least $100
million for remote areas.
Ten telecommunications carriers accepted $1.5 billion in annual support for rural broadband
deployment. Most of the ten carriers are major national carriers, and their acceptance will infuse
over $9 billion from the Connect America Fund into rural broadband over the next six years. The
2011 Order largely maintained existing support mechanisms for the smaller carriers, but phased out
some forms of legacy high-cost support and limited support to $250/month/line.
As of December 31, 2013, approximately 23 million Americans lacked access to infrastructure
capable of providing 10/1 Mbps fixed broadband. Phase I of the Connect America Fund authorized
41
nearly $440 million in funding to serve over 1.66 million previously un-served individuals in 45 states
and Puerto Rico. Phase I of the Mobility Fund is making available up to $300 million to address gaps
in mobile coverage in rural areas, with recipients extending mobile service to up to 83,000 road
miles in 31 states and 1 territory. Phase II of the Connect America Fund aims to bring broadband
service to the Americans living in rural areas lacking broadband through a combination of wire-line,
fixed wireless and satellite technologies.
5.2.4 Funding Scheme Adopted by Sri Lanka:Every International operator has to pay an international telecommunications operator levy (ITO
Levy) to the TRCSL in respect of every incoming international call terminated within Sri Lanka with
effect from 3rd March 2003. A defined percentage of this levy is considered as a Telecom
Development Charge (TDC) which is paid by the operator directly to the TRCSL. Each operator may
claim up to two thirds of the funds paid by him to the TDC within a period of three years for
telecommunication network development in underserved and un-served areas as determined by the
Commission. Guidelines for the disbursement of the TDC fund were formulated by the TRCSL to be
utilized exclusively for meeting Universal Service Obligations.
Already financial support for infrastructure under the TDC fund has been provided as subsidy
support for setting up of 9 hundred and 9 towers in 23 districts spread over 9 provinces for mobile
and fixed wireless services in specified rural and remote areas where there were inadequate existing
fixed wireless and mobile coverage. The infrastructure so created is shared by operators. The TRCSL
has disbursed Rs3457 million (approx. 31.42 US$ million) from March 2003 to March 2008. The
Commission is in the process of finalizing the disbursement for the period 2008-2009 and is
scheduled to disburse up to Rs2326 million (approx. 21.14 US$ million). The infrastructure support
under the TDC has resulted in the use of such infrastructure for the development of broadband
services. For the installation of rural household telephone connections during March 2003 to March
2008 the Commission has disbursed a subsidy of Rs2563 Million (approx. US$ 23.3Million) from this
fund. The disbursements from the TDC fund for 2008/09 for fixed domestic PSTN operators are
expected to be approx. Rs177 million (US $ 1.6 million).
5.3 Indian Strategy:5.3.1 Analysis of approx. cost of deploying optical fibre:Cost of fibre, trenching and laying
Cost of Optical Fibre (Rs/Km)
30,000 Rs/km
Average Digging and pulling Cost of OFC (Rs/ Km)
1,62,000 Rs/km
Cost of HDPE Pipes In Rs. Per Km
33,000 Rs/Km
Total cost of OFC including labour and material 2,25,000 Rs/km
(Rs/Km)
Cost of end equipment
5.
Cost of OLT per unit
80,000 Rs
6.
Cost of ONT per unit
15,000
Figure 5.3.1table of cost analysis of deploying optical fibre, data From: National Broadband Plan
2010.
1.
2.
3.
4.
The total cost of the fibre network to be created by the proposed agency would be Rs 55298 crores.
If it is presumed that priority would be given to 63 cities identified by the Jawarharlal Nehru Urban
Renewal Mission (JNURM) i.e. 7 Category A (above 4 million populations), 28 Category B (1-4 million
42
populations) and 28 Category C(less than 1 million population) cities. To make an estimation of cost,
based on feedback for some service providers, it is estimated that the Category A cities would
require on an average about 1000 route km of fibre, Category B cities about 500 route km of fibre
and the rest of the cities on an average about 300 route km fibre. The total requirement would,
therefore, be about 29,400 route km of fibre at a cost of about Rs 662 crores. For the remaining
4315 towns if we presume that 100 km of fibre will be laid then the total cost would be about Rs.
9709 crores.
5.3.2 Total Estimated cost:Rural+ JNURM cities+ Other cities= 55298 crores+ 662 crores+ 9709 crores= 65669 crores
In NBP 2010, it was suggested that the project would own by central and state Governments. The
Government would make available the funds for creation of the block level aggregation network and
the backhaul. The company would be eligible to get grants from Government funds like USOF and
MGNERGS. USOF had an available balance of about Rs 13789 cr. The previous year collection was
5778.00cr and assuming same collection for next two years then funds of the order of 24000 cr
would be available. The company can also raise finance from the market.
5.4
5.41 Regulatory Hurdles:According to World Bank, it is estimated that a 10% increase in broadband penetration improves the
economic growth by 1.38% in developing countries. Apart from the regulatory issues, Indian telecom
sector was hard hit by the onslaught of multiple issues and procedural delays typically associated
with public offices. Investors in telecom industry, who got their fingers burnt in 2G (in 2G scam),
taught the industry that investment in Indias telecom sector is a risky affair. Also, the reactionary
policies that immediately follow such delays and implemented without having a futuristic outlook,
make the scenario worse for the investors. So, Regulatory has to take care of the benefits of
stakeholders, MSOs, LCOs and consumers. It is a tough practice to create a balance among them.
5.4.2 Lack of fibre infrastructure:The poor quality of service (QoS) and call drop issues are primarily attributed to the countrys low
investment in fibre and backhaul infrastructure The fact that less than 20% of the towers in India are
backhauled compared with an average of 80% in countries like the US, China, and Korea emphasizes
the need for an effective policy that gives due importance to fibre deployments. It is revealed in
Industry reports that in India, currently an average of 15 million kilometres of fibre is deployed every
year in contrast with current demands indicate it needs to increase to at least 50 million kilometres
per year. But the major problem is that the deployment of such a large network will require a large
amount of investment, but from where this investment will come? Regulatory and government of
India should be clear about this. The disparity in broadband penetration between urban and rural
43
India continues to haunt Indian economy. TRAIs September 2015 report reveals that Indias rural
tele-density is less than 50% whereas the urban figure comes about 150%.
5.4.3 Issues related to Right of Way:Currently RoW charges vary from a few lakhs to Rs 1.5 crore per km across different states. With
different states having different RoW policies; telcos are losing out significant amount of their
infrastructure investment to municipal bodies across different states.
5.4.4 Last mile Connectivity:The NOFN project was launched to bring optic fibre as close to the end-user as possible so that
high-speed broadband can be made available to the customers. The NOFN had envisaged laying
OFC connecting all the 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats of the country. The work for laying the cable was
allotted to three CPSUsBSNL, RailTel and PGCILin the ratio of 70:15:15 respectively. Also, nondiscriminatory access to the NOFN was to be provided to all service providers. The network was
supposed to be commissioned in two years; however as per the information available from BBNL,
as on November 2015 only limited Gram Panchayats have been connected despite best efforts.
From the above description, it is clear that in order to provide the fast and universal broadband,
the government of India and TRAI will have to work together, keeping the benefits of stakeholders,
MSOs, LCOs and customers in mind.
44
Chapter 6
Recommendations by TRAI:-
In order to promote broadband services, Telecom Regulatory authority of India reviews the situation
of broadband and made recommendations time to time. The following sections will give a glimpse of
Recommendations made by TRAI:-
6.1.1 NOFN Network project:The NOFN project was approved by Cabinet in 2011 and deadline to connect all panchayats was
fixed by end of 2013 then deferred to September 2015 by UPA government. The Mr. Narendra
Modi-led government re-examined project status and set target to complete roll out in 50,000
village panchayats by March 31, 2015, and another 1 lakh by March 2016 and the rest by end of
2016.
At present OFC (Optical Fibre Cable) connectivity is available in all State Capitals, Districts, HQs and
up to the Block Level. There is a plan to connect all the 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats in the country.
This will be done by utilizing existing fibers of PSUs (BSNL, Railtel and Power Grid) and laying
incremental fiber to connect to Gram Panchayats wherever necessary. Dark fiber network thus
created will be lit by appropriate technology thus creating sufficient bandwidth at the Gram
Panchayats. This will be called the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN). Thus connectivity gap
between Gram Panchayats and Blocks will be filled.
Non-discriminatory access to the NOFN will be provided to all the Service Providers. These service
providers like Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), ISPs, Cable TV operators and Content providers can
launch various services in rural areas. Various categories of applications like e-health, e-education
and e-governance etc. can be provided by these operators. The NOFN project is estimated to cost
about Rs. 20,000 Cr. It is proposed to be completed in 2 years time. The project will be funded by
the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
In its recommendations on delivering broadband quickly, TRAI has made following recommendations
regarding NOFN project:a. It recommends that there should be strict rules to complete the each milestones at
prescribe time. For this, there is a need to set up a monitoring system that measure the
quality of work on every milestone completion.
b. Bharat broadband network limited (BBNL) should be managed professionally like Delhi
Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
c. Project implementation on central state private public partnership mode by involving private
sectors and state governments.
d. Engineering procurement Construction should be given on contracts by the BBNL to private
sectors. The role of private sectors whether they will work for regional-wise.
45
6.1.2 TRAI recommendations on Bharat net:National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) was initiated in 2011 and has already missed several
deadlines. The project was to be funded by Universal Service Obligation Fund with the aim of
providing broadband connectivity to over 2 lakh gram panchayats (GPs). On 1st Feb 2016, after a
detailed review and discussion with stakeholders, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has
recommended the following points:1.
Public private partnership (PPP) that aligns private incentives with long term service delivery
in the vein of the Build-Own-Operate Transfer/Build-Operate-Transfer models as the
preferred choice for the national broadband network, BharatNet.
2. In its recommendations to the government, the telecom regulator has suggested
broadening of the work of Private Sector Company or concessionaire to include deployment
and implementation optic fibre cable (OFC) as well as operating the network. It has also
suggested that period of concession should be of 25 years which can be further extended in
block of 10, 20 or 30 years.
3. The model tries to implement a BOOT (built, own, operate and transfer) protocol. TRAI has
suggested that concessionaires be selected through a reverse bidding process to determine
minimum viability gap funding (VGF) sought for the concession. The area of implementation
may be analogous with the licensed service areas (LSAs) of the state/union territory.
4. It has also suggested that central and state government should become minority partner of
the concessionaire with 26 per-cent stake as it can lower the perceived risks and cost of
obtaining private finances for the project. Central and state government should become
anchor client of this project to purchase minimum bandwidth of 100 Mbps at market rate as
well as suggested arms length relationship between concessionaire and service providers,
adding that 50 per cent of the optical fibre should be reserved for telecom and cable service
providers.
6.1.3 Concept of MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator):A mobile Virtual Network Operators (VNO) is an operator that offers mobile services but does not
own its own radio frequency. Usually, this operator has its own network code and in many cases
issues its own SIM card. The mobile VNO can be a mobile service provider or a value-added service
provider. (Definition Given by ITU).
According to TRAI, the following recommendations are made for MVNOs:a. MVNO should be free to choose its business model. However MVNO shall not set up its
own Radio Access Network (RAN)/ Base Station Subsystem (BSS).
b. The licensed service area (circle) of MVNO should be same as that of parent MNO.
However, the MVNO could offer service anywhere within the licensed service area
(circle) of the parent MNO as specified in the mutual agreement between MNO and
MVNO. Separate licence for each service area shall be required.
c. Net worth: 10% of the net worth specified for the MNO for the service area i.e. Rs.10
Crores for Metros/A Category, Rs 5 Crores for B Category, Rs 3 crores for C Category
d. Paid up Capital: 10% of the prescribed net worth for the MVNO.
46
e. If due to some reason, agreement between MVNO & MNO is terminated, the license of
the MVNO would also be terminated. Fresh licence will have to be obtained by the
MVNO if new agreement is being signed by the MVNO with another MNO.
f. MVNO cannot get attached to more than one MNO in the same service area.
Responsibility of MVNOs:
Entry Fee for MVNOs:The entry fee imposed on MVNO should be nominal. It may be 10% of MNOs entry fee as prevailing
on date in that service area subject to a maximum of Rs. 5 crores for Metros and Category A, Rs. 3
crores for Category B and Rs. 1 crore for Category C.
The rate of annual licence fee as well as definition of AGR for MVNO shall be on similar lines as
defined in the Access Service Providers licence to which the MVNO is parented.
To harmonize the FDI limit for various services in telecom sector, level of FDI up to 74% may be
permitted in MVNO. As in the case of MNO up to 49% FDI through automatic route and beyond 49%
up to 74% with prior FIPB (foreign investment promotion board) approval may be prescribed. All the
other conditions related to FDI applicable to MNO would be applicable to MVNO also.
VNOs are retailers of telecom services who buy bulk minutes from telecom operators and
sell them under a different brand. So, a VNO is an entity providing telecom services like
mobile landline and internet but only as retailer for full-fledged telecom operators such as
BSNL, MTNL and Airtel etc.
For obtaining UL VNO, interested companies will need to pay a one-time non-refundable
entry fee for authorisation of each service they want to provide and for each service area
where they wish to operate in.
According to guidelines of DoT, the total amount of entry fee shall be subject to a
maximum of Rs 7.5 crore, for those who want to offer all telecom services For others, the
fee would range from Rs 15 lakh for national-level Internet services to Rs 1.25 crore for a
long-distance telecom licence.
The permits would be valid for 10 years, which could be reviewed after three-four years
depending upon the technological changes and experience gathered.
47
VNOs will pay a licence fee and spectrum usage charges (SUC) in addition to the entry fee.
At present, the licence fee is 8% of the annual revenue, including the USO levy. The SUCs
will correspond to that of the network service operator and may change from time to time.
6.1.5 Waive Landline Broadband Fee to Lower Cost:On 17 April 2015, TRAI has asked the government to exempt fixed line broadband service from
license fee for at least 5 years and suggested a series of measures to expedite the roll out of highspeed network. It has suggested allowing telecom operators to bundle desktops, laptops, tablets and
so on with their broadband schemes.
6.1.6 TRAI recommendations to promote the broadband quickly:On 17th April 2015, in its recommendation to promote broadband quickly, TRAI has recommended
following incentives in order to promote the fixed-line broadband:a. For using the electric pole for last mile delivery, workout with state governments.
b. Duct or optical fibre penetration should be made mandatory in the laws for the certifications of
a building like electricity, water supply.
c. Central government as well as state governments should follow the rules and standard process
for fibre deployment.
6.1.7 Tax exemptions in Broadband infrastructure:Other measures are to bring down customs duties and other taxes. The telecom sector has one of
the highest tax structures in the country. The government needs to relax this regime as lower cost
services will lead to higher adoption, more efficiencies in the economy and more income and service
tax to the government.
To promote fixed line BB, the TRAI has recommended that the license fee on the revenues earned on
fixed line BB should be exempted for at least 5 years. The infrastructure of PSUs is lying unutilized
and thus they should be mandated to unbundle their network and allow sharing of outside plant.
The TRAI has already noted this in its plan for making cable digitized and addressable, but the
principle potentially has wider applicability throughout the sector.
Exemptions offered by government of India under the promotion of Make in India are as follow:1. Sector specific initiatives: The government of India provides sector specific subsidies for
promoting manufacturing for example in order to boost manufacturing of electronics, the
Govt. of India provides capital subsidy of up to 25% for 10 years.
2. Export Incentives: Under the foreign trade policy exports have been provided with several
incentives like duty drawback, duty remission schemes etc.
3. Initial validity period of Industrial License has been increased to three years from two years,
also, two extensions of two years each in the initial validity of three years of the Industrial
License shall now be allowed up to seven years.
48
6.1.8
TRAI has taken actions to promote broadband through cable TV. It has recommended Cable
operators should be allowed to function as resellers of ISP license holders to enable them to take
advantage of their cable network to provide BB. A viable business model is to be created by
encouraging the LCOs entrepreneurship skills. LCOs should be given proper financial support by
loans from banks and USOF (universal service obligation fund).
The timeline for the digitization of tier 2 and tier 3 should be completed within time bound. And
proper time extension if needed for the next phases. Tier 4 is expected to be completed by
December 2016. Lower the costs of infrastructure investment by lowering customs duty on Hybrid
Fibre Coaxial (HFC) based network equipment and Customer Premises Equipment (CPE).
Other incentives taken by TRAI are to allow TSPs bundled tariff schemes on customer premises for
broadband, making people aware and interested in Broadband services by promoting the eGovernance, computer education in school, making the certain availability of contents in regional
languages on internet.
6.2
Possible Solutions:
The provision of broadband throughout India is a worthy goal, TRAIs emphasis in the National
Broadband Plan on cable is appropriate.
a. For the promotion of high speed wire-line broadband network access, the following incentive
can be taken :1. Street side cable installation permission to TSPs
2. Mandatory broadband connectivity in buildings like water and electricity connections
3. NOFN project would promote a strong middle mile but for a sustainable and scalable
ecosystem with viable and profitable business models. The biggest problem with NOFN
is that it doesnt focus on core and last mile access.
4. The role of private ISPs was not mentioned in the NOFN project. With the experience of
most of the developed countries with high broadband penetrations, it is clear that
private ISPs play a major part of actions.
b. For Cost Minimization, following steps are needed for Wire-line broadband access
technologies:1. Reduce Customs duty and declare Customs Holiday for wire-line broadband access
infrastructure and CPE.
2. Get Wire-line Infrastructure and CPE to be manufactured in India.
3. Apart from the above suggested measures, Government can also incentivize TSPs in
terms of lower license fee especially in rural India.
4. Uniform/ Nil RoW for promotion of wire-line based services
c. Suggestion to Right of Way (RoW ) issues:1. No RoW charges for lying of fibre by Private TSPs. This is similar to the RoW waiver
provided for the NOFN project.
49
2. JNURM Cities to be graded into a tiered model and rates to be Uniform and to be fixed
by the Ministry of Urban Development and to be accepted by State Governments.
3. Urgent need for a centralized and common procedure for RoW permissions and charges.
d. Promotion of Optical fibre networks:It has been seen internationally, that almost all the countries with high broadband penetrations,
have encouraged the deployment of optical fibre networks. The USA has created the rural utilities
services broadband loan program and has allocated USD 11.4 billion in 2005 and USD 329.4 billion in
2006. Japan and Korea rep. have already upgraded their network up to the subscribers home.
1. To enhance fibre density in the country, the Government should entrust OFC rollout in a
PPP mode to potential implementing agencies (such as agencies with a proven track
record of meeting target time frames).
2. All buildings/towers should be provisioned with vertical conduits for carrying out last
mile building wiring for FTTH services
3. Use of wireless for providing last mile broadband access is critical. In addition to
backhaul, such access requires a large number of towers and small cells. Nondiscriminatory access to government land and street infrastructure (street lights etc.) for
putting up such towers and small cells is needed. In order to improve the efficiency of
resources and reach the masses, such infrastructure should be allowed to be deployed,
especially if it is shared among broadband service providers.
4. Places where digging is not possible and RoW is not available, there should be proper
overhead space for pulling fibre and associated infra.
e. Promotion of Broadband over cable TV Network:1. Regulator to mandate for Global Standards guide lines.
2. To bring Cable Operators under licensing and Interconnect Regime and hence also make
QoS provisions of TRAI applicable on them also.
3. As most of the cable operators have upgraded their network infrastructure, they should
be encouraged to promote broadband through cable TV network.
4. For this purpose, Authority should give some tax exemptions to the service providers
who want to provide triple play services through cable TV.
f. Promotion of e-commerce:1. Some tax incentives can be given to the e-commerce business, they should be
encouraged to insure the security.
2. Strict actions should be taken against the cyber criminals, so that people can be insured
that internet is not stealing or publishing their privacy.
3. They should be promoted to attract the people towards the e-shopping. This will
develop a mind set up among the people and they will move towards internet.
g. Promotion of Broadband in areas with low population Density:There are still wide differences in the availability of broadband in the different Member States and in
different regions. In particular, remote or rural areas, where population density is low, lag behind
urban areas in terms of broadband infrastructure, with implications for society in terms of a 'digital
divide'. Financial support can be used to encourage market players to provide broadband in rural
areas where the population density may not be great enough to justify deployment costs. The
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concept of local loop unbundling appears here in which the private players are allowed to convey
the broadband (triple play services) over the infrastructure of some PSU like BSNL. They are allowed
to use the local office of that PSU and their on ground infrastructure.
4.3
a. what is Digital India:Digital India is a Programme to prepare India for a knowledge future. Hon'ble Shri Narender Modi,
Prime Minister of India has laid emphasis on National e- governance plan and has gave its approval
for Digital India A programme to transform India into digital empowered society and knowledge
economy.
Rs 113000 crores have been projected for this multipurpose project. This will be for preparing the
India for the knowledge based transformation and delivering good governance to citizens by
synchronized and co-ordinated engagement with both Central Government and State Government.
b. Vision of Digital India:A. Infrastructure Utility to Every Citizen:High speed internet shall be made available in all gram panchayats; Cradle to grave digital identity;
Mobile and Bank account would enable participation in digital and financial space at individual level;
Easy access to common service centre within their locality; Shareable private space on a public
cloud; and Safe and secure cyber space in the country.
B. Government and Services on Demand:Single window access to all persons by seamlessly integrating departments or jurisdictions;
availability of government services in online and mobile platforms; All citizen entitlements to be
available on the Cloud to ensure easy access; Government services to be digitally transformed for
improving ease of doing business; Making financial transactions above a threshold, electronic and
cashless; and Leveraging GIS for decision support systems and development.
c.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G. Electronics manufacturing
H. IT training
I. Early Harvest Programs
The essential thing for the success of Digital India is the high speed broadband. AS from the
experience of different countries, we have come to know that the high speed internet is possible
only through the deployment of Optical fibre Network. So, directly the success of Digital India is
dependent upon the success of the deployment of fibre network that is the success of NOFN project.
As it is seen in the National Broadband strategy of Germany is that the achievement of their policy
goal, they have created total 968,000 jobs which further led the Germany in improving its condition.
Digital India is also promoting the Make in India plan under which the most Electronics
Manufacturing should take place in India itself and its strategy is net zero import policy.
As responded by different Stakeholders in their response to the questions asked in TRAIs
consultation paper, they have emphasized on the tax incentives and custom duty on electronics
equipment. So if these things are manufactured in India itself, this will give them a relief and as the
demand of these equipment increases drastically with time, the investment will also increase in this
sector. In this way the broadband will be affordable to most of the citizens of India. More job
opportunities will be created which will abolish the poverty and unrest in youths of India. This will
further lead India to a state of a developed competitor.
Although, India is a country of Diversities. One strategy that works for one region may not apply for
the other regions. So, it is essential to promote the broadband through the state governments. State
governments should take initiatives to promote broadband according to their regions interest.
Private players can play important role in the promotion. They should be given some exemptions
and should be encouraged for the delivery of fixed broadband. The first and foremost thing to
promote any service in India is to promote the education. Educated person will automatically
understand the requirement of broadband and internet. By promoting education, there will be
number of entrepreneurs and as a result of their demand, the penetration of broadband as well the
employment will increase.
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Annexure 1.
DOCSIS
Introduction:
A cable modem termination system (CMTS) at the cable operator end (also known as headend).
Cable modem (CM) which is located at the subscribers end.
Devices connected to cable modem
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Cable modem termination system:1. The CMTS is a provider edge system which interfaces the RF cable plant side to the provider IP
core network.
2. CMTSs allow Service Providers to offer broadband High Speed Data (HSD) and other IP based
services to the end subscribers connected to their cable network including Voice and Video.
3. DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification): Defines interface requirements for
cable modems involved in high-speed data delivery over cable's hybrid fibre-coaxial plant.
2. M-CMTS:The contents of a downstream channel are encapsulated into a DEPI Tunnel for transmission.
a. DEPI = Downstream External Physical Interface
b. EQAM = Edge Quadrature Amplitude Modulation
55
The above image shows only the CMTS portion of the stack. CM and CMTS both can act as end hosts
and forwarding agents. While sharing some controlling information the packets are destined to CM
and CMTS only so in that case they act as end-hosts while in case a device connected to CM is
interacting with some other host on Internet then in that case the CM and CMTS are only acting as
forwarding agents.
Since CM-CMTS can act both as end-host and as forwarding agents so different protocol stacks exist
in CM/CMTS for each role (as shown in the figure). CM-CMTS interaction holds the key to smooth
bidirectional IP data flow on the existing cable infrastructure. To achieve this in DOCSIS network, the
IP packet goes through a completely different protocol stack (as shown in the figure).
The function of each layer has been discussed briefly:
LLC (Logical Link Control) layer is used for address resolution (for identifying source and
destination addresses).
Security layer is used for providing data encryption so that data remains safe on network.
Mac layer provides the protocol for CM-CMTS interaction. Using Mac messages the CMTS
and CM share control information between each other.
PHY layer deals with transmission and reception of data on the cable network.
In case of US flow, PHY layer is composed of US PMD layer.
In case of DS flow, PHY layer is composed of TC layer and PMD layer.
In case of US flow, access methods like FDMA/TDMA/S-CDMA are used.
The use of these methods is configured by the CMTS via MAC messaging.
The DS Transmission Convergence (TC) sub-layer is defined as a continuous series of 188byte MPEG packets, each consisting of a 4-byte header followed by 184 bytes of payload.
The header identifies the payload as belonging to the data-over-cable MAC.
Other values of the header may indicate other payloads (For example: Digital Video).
The CMTS DS cable PMD layer caters to modulation, amplification and transmission of the
data on cable network while the CM DS cable PMD receives and demodulates the data and
sends up the protocol stack.
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Major Vendors of DOCSIS:1. Arris Cadent C4 and Cadent C3 series CMTS products.
2. Blonder Tongue Communication Station CMTS product.
3. C9 Networks CMTS Products: Innovative, integrated and user-friendly.
4. Coaxial Networks IRIS CMTS and provisioning software.
5. Casa Systems C2200 CMTS product and DOCSIS 3.0 qualified C3200 CMTS product.
6. Cisco uBR10000 and uBR7200 series CMTS products. Cisco sales information.
7. ChongQing JingHong JH-HE2080 CMTS. 1U design, integrated upconverter.
8. Damery OPAL DOCSIS 2.0 CMTS series for indoor and outdoor usage.
9. Daphne JADE series CMTS products..
10. Motorola BSR 64000 and BSR 2000 series CMTS products.
Annexure 2.
GPON
GPON network model:
Gigabit passive optical networks (GPONs), which represent one optical solution for local access
networks typically, provide distributed connectivity over a large geographic area. Its topology is as
similar to as that of tree, consisting of one OLT, ONT and OND (optical network distribution/
splitters).
The OLT is the starting optical point in GPON access network. It terminates the GPON Transmission
Convergence (GTC) layer on the user side and forwards Ethernet frames to Ethernet layer on the
network side. Figure bellow shows the basic network model for a traditional GPON technology. OLT
is generally located at central office and ONU is at customer home or curb. The splitters are in
between OLT and ONU which divide single fibre into separate strands provide connections to many
users. The GPON and EPON provide broadband symmetrical (upstream and downstream) up-to
2.488 Gbps and 1 Gbps respectively. One OLT can support ten ONUs and provide broadband speed
at a high rate irrespective of distance (20 kms). In this technology we generally use WDM(
wavelength division multiplexing in which we transmit signal in optical fibre using different
wavelengths of LASER).
57
58
59
5. Optical splitter:Besides the SMF cables, another major component of the ODN is the optical splitters. These
are purely passive devices that divide the 1490nm optical input signal from the OLT equally
among numbers of the output ports and send it downstream to the ONUs. For upstream
traffic, the splitter serves as a passive aggregation point, combining the 1300nm optical
signals from the ONUs to the OLT.
6. Other fibre optical Accessories:Other accessories like Fibre Connectors, fibre Patch Panel, wall mount fibre enclosure, Fibre
wall outlet face plate.
Working mechanism of GPON:Gigabit passive optical network works on the WDM method over an optical fibre bi-directionally.
GPON uses broadband technology for downstream data transmission and uses TDM for upstream
data transmissions. GPON is considered to be the best technology for the triple play services like
high speed internet, broadcasting video and IP telephony. GPON uses GEM as a method which
encapsulates data over GPON. Although any type of data can be encapsulated, actual types depend
on service situation. GEM provides connection-oriented communication.
Downstream data transmission:TDM method is used to transmit data from OLT to all ONUs. Before sending the data, it is encrypted
to be decrypted on the time allocated to its ONU. The downstream frame consists of the physical
control block downstream (PCBd), the ATM partition and the GEM partition. The downstream frame
provides the common time reference for the PON and provides the common control signalling for
the upstream.
PCBd n
payload n
PCDd n+1
Payload n+1
PCBd n+1
T=125 s
N*53 B
Fig. Downstream GPON Frame
The frame delay for both data streams is 125 s. GPON frame consists of a header and a payload
section. The header is called the Physical Control Block downstream (PCBd). Data to be transmitted
lie on the payload sections. For keeping the synchronization between OLT and ONT, frames are
always transmitted even if there is no data to be transmitted.
Upstream data transmission:For upstream transmission, each ONU has its own transmitter to transmit data to OLT. As OLT has
only one optical receiver, it needs to be allocated times when its data is to be multiplexed. This
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method is known as Time Division Multiplexing. OLT, at central office controls the access over
upstream transmission; allocate variable time lengths for the transmission of upstream data
according to the preference set by central office. The upstream frame has multiple transmission
bursts. Every burst must have minimum of one payload besides of PLOs and it can have PLOAMu
also.
PLOu
PLOAMu PLSu
DBRu
Payload DBRu
X
Payload
Y
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ONU Identifier (ONU-ID):ONUID is an 8bit identifier that an OLT assigns to an ONU during ONU activation via PLOAM
messages. The ONUID is unique across the PON and remains until the ONU is powered off or
deactivated by the OLT. The ONU receives the BW Map from OLT and sends the data in the specified
time slots. When an ONU has no information to send, upon receiving a grant from the OLT, it sends
an idle cell upstream to indicate that its buffer is empty. This informs the OLT that the grants for that
TCONT can be assigned to other TCONTs. If an ONU has a long queue waiting in its buffer, the OLT
can assign multiple TCONTs to that ONT.
Allocation Identifier (ALLOC-ID):ALLOC_ID is a 12bit number that the OLT assigns to an ONU to identify a traffic bearing entity that is
a recipient of upstream bandwidth allocations within that ONU. This traffic bearing entity is also
called T-CONT. Each upstream transmission burst contains an upstream physical layer overhead
(PLOu) section and one or more bandwidth allocation intervals associated with individual ALLOCIDs.
The BW map dictates the arrangement of the bursts within the frame and the allocation intervals
within each burst.
Transmission container (T_CONT):This is a connection between passive optical network end and the asynchronous transfer mode.
During upstream transmission does not only depend upon ONUs status but also upon the pattern of
ONUs. Because medium is shared, so any upstream transmission initialized by ONU can cause
overwriting and information to be retransmitted which further results in degraded performance.
Therefore time allocation is important in upstream transmission. The ONU demands for bandwidth
from OLT, OLT assigns it a time slot between downstream transmissions. There are total five types of
T CONT:1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Static T_CONT which is not serviced by DBA. It allows the fixed payload allocation.
This assigns variable bit rate to each ONU with delay and useful in streaming videos.
This is intended for guaranteed delay.
This type of T-CONT is intended for best effort in traffic.
This type of T-CONT is assigned individual bandwidth
Per T-CONT Upstream Map
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GEM: - GPON encapsulation methods:GPON uses two types of encapsulation methods- Asynchronous Transfer Mode and GEM. GEM maps
all the traffic across the GPON network system by using Synchronous optical network variant generic
framing. The smallest service port in GPON system is GEM. One or more type of service streams can
be carried through GEM. A GEM port must be mapped to a T_CONT upstream service schedule after
servicing the streams. It supports transport videos, IP, data by avoiding the concatenation of
Asynchronous transfer mode or encapsulation layer.
PLI
PORT-ID
PTI
12- BITS
12-BITS
3-BITS
HEC
13-BITS
FREMENT PAYLOAD
L- BIT
PLI-payload length indicator=indicates the length of payload and synchronizes the next frame
PTI- payload type indicator=used to identify the contents of payload
HEC-header error control=control error generation in headers
Optical splitter:It connects single fibre from OLT to multiple ONUs. By use of optical splitters, point to multipoint
connectivity is obtained between OLT and ONU by the use of passive network elements (by
removing active RF amplifier or by using deep HFC. It is a bidirectional device mainly manufactured
using two techniques: - 1. Fused bi-conical taper (FBT) 2. And planner light wave circuits (PLC). FBT is
made by fusing two optical fibres together. PLC is made of optical networks etched on silicon wafer.
Mapping of TDM Service in GPON:-
c.
Featuring fixed length, GEM frames benefits the transmission of TDM services
Occam
Calix
Adtran
Allied Telesis
Enablence
Alcatel-Lucent
ZTE
Zhone
Huawei
Ericsson
Adtran
Fiberhome
Motorola
Annexure 3.
Metro Ethernet
All Ethernet services share some common attributes, but there are differences. Ethernet Service is
provided by the Metro Ethernet Network (MEN) provider. Customer Equipment (CE) attaches to the
network at the User-Network Interface (UNI) using a standard 10Mbps, 100Mbps, 1Gbps or 10Gbps
Ethernet interface.
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Connects two or more subscriber sites (UNIs) enabling the transfer of Ethernet service
Frames between them.
Prevents data transfer between subscriber sites that are not part of the same EVC. This
capability enables an EVC to provide data privacy and security similar to a Frame Relay or
ATM Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC).
Two basic rules govern delivery of Ethernet frames over an EVC. First, a service frame must
never be delivered back to the UNI from which it originated. Second, service frames must be
delivered with the Ethernet MAC addresses and frame contents unchanged, i.e., the Ethernet
frame remains intact from source to destination(s). Contrast this to a typical routed network
where the Ethernet frame headers are removed and discarded.
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Point to Point
b. Multipoint to multipoint
Ethernet Service Definition Framework:To help subscribers better understand the variations among Ethernet services, the MEF has
developed the Ethernet Service Definition Framework. The goals of this framework are to:
1.
To fully specify an Ethernet Service, a provider must define the service type and UNI and EVC service
attributes associated with the service type. These service attributes can be grouped under the
following categories:
Ethernet Service type:The Ethernet Line Service (E-Line Service) provides a point-to-point Ethernet Virtual Connection
(EVC) between two UNIs. The E-Line Service is used for Ethernet point-to-point connectivity.
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In its simplest form, an E-Line Service can provide symmetrical bandwidth for data sent in either
direction with no performance assurances, e.g., best effort service between two 10Mbps UNIs. In
more sophisticated forms, an E-Line Service may provide a CIR (Committed Information Rate) and
associated CBS (Committed Burst Size), EIR (Excess Information Rate) and associated EBS (Excess
Burst Size) and delay, jitter, and loss performance assurances between two different speed UNIs.
makes the MEN look like a LAN. An E-LAN Service can be used to create a broad range of services. In
its simplest form, an E-LAN Service can provide a best effort service with no performance
assurances. In more sophisticated forms, an E-LAN Service may define a CIR (Committed Information
Rate) and associated CBS (Committed Burst Size), EIR (Excess Information Rate) and associated EBS
(Excess Burst Size) (refer to Bandwidth Profile section) and delay, jitter, and loss performance
assurances for the service.
E-NNI Technical Specification:The purpose of E-NNI specification is to develop the requirements for the E-NNI, an interface
between two MENs where each MEN is under the control of a distinct administrative authority. It is
also intended to specify sufficient details of the protocol operating at the E-NNI to ensure
interoperability. A component Ethernet Virtual Connection (CEVC) is a building block for multi-MEN
EVCs. While EVC is defined as an association of two or more UNIs, a CEVC is defined as an association
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of at least one UNI and at least one E-NNI, or an association of two or more E-NNIs attached to a
single MEN.
Traffic management Specification in Metro Ethernet:Traffic Management Specification defines the traffic and performance parameters that may be
specified as part of an Ethernet SLS. These parameters are defined to enable the subscriber to
quantitatively and qualitatively measure the service being provided. Consistent use of these
parameters in the SLS will allow subscribers to compare various offerings. Additionally, service
providers may use these parameters as guidelines for specifying CoS-based Ethernet services.
CES Requirements:Circuit Emulation Services (CES) is the emulation of TDM circuits over MEN. CES is a useful technique
to allow MEN service providers to offer services to customers who are outside the reach of the MEN
itself or who already have TDM-based equipment. As a result, MEN service providers can extend
their reach and addressable customer base.
Protection Requirements:The scope of these requirements includes protection control and signalling, QoS during protection,
interaction of such mechanisms with transport and application specific protection mechanisms etc.
Protection Frame- work:To deliver protection to Ethernet services implemented over MEN, a reference model has been
created to allow description of a unified protection structure. The Protection Reference Model
(PRM) allows a consistent description of protection capabilities applied on these services across
various transport technologies, network topologies and policies, thereby enabling the description of
protection of ETH layer services.
The following styles of network protection mechanisms are currently under consideration:
References:1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
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