WHAT IS BROADBAND?

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Broadband basics

IT'S not like any scene from Sydney's Olympic stadium, but various players in the country are participating in broadband technology, promising to score big in the looming wideband market.

Broadband Internet access is becoming a byword for Filipinos who find their productivity seriously hampered by constantly dialing and establishing connections to the Internet, only to experience long download times and dropped connections. More people feel that the promise of broadband access over the Net means high-speed data transmission, voice and video and an "always-on" connection with content-rich applications. This also goes for those who wish for richer content experience.

Broadband technology has many components-it could be via cable, DSL (digital subscriber lines using twisted copper lines), wireless broadband technology (Local Multipoint Distribution System or LMDS), fiber optic cabling system, satellite Internet access or other emerging technologies that should be here in the near future.

The clamor for broadband is amplified by the fact that should the Philippines not find its way to high-speed transmission capacity and broadband networks, e-commerce, WAP and convergence will have a hard time flourishing in the country.

Early local broadband players include Internet cable providers which are supposed to give consumers not just broadband Internet access, but also high-quality video, games and other interactive applications as well. The objective is to make dial-ups for Net access a thing of the past because of the uninterrupted connection broadband cable is supposed to provide. Globe Telecom's assistant vice president for business communications (fixed network group) Jesus "Boboy" Romero describes broadband cable as more suitable for the residential market because of the nature of the "parent" service which is embodied in television.

However, cable critics say that as the local user base grows, the service of cable providers slows down in tandem, and bottlenecks would crop up when too many users are online at the same time. It is even dubbed "often broadband in but narrowband out" by cable detractors. In addition, cable is available only in limited areas.

While broadband cable players are busy staving off competition and improving their technology, different broadband service players are starting to come in.

Globe Telecoms recently offered another promise that, according to them, would turn copper into gold-Net access via xDSL technology (digital subscriber lines). This would bring high-bandwidth information to homes and small businesses over ordinary copper telephone lines. Primarily, Globe will service corporate clients. Its plans include offering up to 1.5 mbps upstream and 8 mbps downstream which Globe says is over 100 times faster than ordinary 56 kbps dial ups. Its GlobeNet DSL'S 128 kbps business-class SDSL service, says Romero, starts at $1,000. He said that the single user version for individuals will be coming out very soon. Major promises include high-speed Internet access; voice, video and data integration; virtual private network, real-time interactive multimedia, broadcast quality video, collaborative computing, videoconferencing, distance learning and video on demand.

Another emerging broadband Internet service, called HiWire by Century Asia Corp., has pinned its hopes on property owners and tenants via DSL-converting the existing in-building copper wiring suitable for broadband Internet. HiWire is in the process of providing local buildings with a plug-and-play broadband solution without the hassle of re-wiring or putting up antenna structures.

In an interview with the Inquirer, Alex Alvarez, vice president for marketing of Century Asia Corp., claimed that the in-building DSL solution of HiWire is totally wired and therefore not prone to weather disturbances and frequency fluctuations common among wireless networks such as LMDS.

"The strategies employed by broadband carriers, so far, has been solely on providing high-speed Internet access. HiWire's main strategy is to be property-centric and tenant-customer-focused: we provide for the tenant's connectivity needs and offer more value added tenant-related services at a touch of a button through a Web-based e-Concierge service. It is this holistic approach which sets HiWire apart from the rest of the other access service providers," he said.

As a solutions provider, Alvarez stressed that Century Asia not only offers "low-cost, reliable and superior intelligent communication services," but it also provides a high level of security and an improvement of "intra-building communications system with its integrated and effectively managed network components."

Then came the recent high-profile entrance of Broadband Philippines via wireless broadband (LMDS) technology-claimed by broadband wireless proponents as far cheaper than laying copper, fiber or cable modems. Proponents claim that this infrastructure eradicates accompanying delays of earlier broadband infra such as digging permits and bureaucracy.

In a press briefing, Broadband Philippines awarded Nortel Networks an $8-million contract to design and implement what Broadband Philippines banners as "Asia's first broadband wireless network." Nortel calls its technology "Reunion broadband wireless access portfolio" that Nortel claims will enable Broadband Philippines to provide high-speed Internet and data access, virtual private networks, Web hosting, Internet Data Centers, e-Business and a host of other broadband services.

Broadband Philippines, in fact, coughed up over $3 billion recently to provide coverage for 600 corporate buildings over the next three years.

In an interview with Broadband Philippines president and CEO Jose Perez de Venecia III, it was revealed that with more than 80 percent of the top 7,000 companies in the Philippines surveyed by Broadband Philippines already online, he observed that most are dissatisfied with their current service providers. This, he said, makes his company realize the big opportunity.

He also added that 20 percent of these businesses have dedicated connections such as leased lines, and a big part of them would be subscribing to some type of dedicated service within the next 12 months.

Martin Nery, Broadband Philippines' vice president for marketing, said that Broadband Philippines LMDS technology is not meant to disparage other technologies.

"It is our belief that old networks designed for things other than broadband can only be upgraded so much until it hits the limit. You cannot force true broadband into copper infrastructure, which is primarily designed for voice calls. There is only so much copper can do," he said.

In an interview with the Inquirer, Don Proudfoot, Nortel Network's vice president for systems and solutions engineering in Asia, claimed that the Reunion LMDS wireless broadband Internet access provides "all of the gold offered by any twisted copper DSL systems, with the additional flexibility and speed of deployment, in a very secure environment."

Proudfoot even stressed that twisted copper networks are slow to build and are limited in geographical coverage. He said, however, that the choice of the access technology is dependent on many factors. Nortel Networks, he said, provides solutions for all access types too, whether it be wireless copper (xDSL), fiber or cable.

"The true gold is not the technology but the end-user services that are provided by all the components of the network," he stressed.

Broadband Philippines, said Nery, will be using two types of technologies: broadband wireless and fiber optics.

"Everybody agrees that fiber optics is the ultimate solution to Internet and data networks. However, it is very expensive to deploy across the network, all the way to the customer. Thus, Broadband Philippines will be using in combination with fiber optics broadband wireless technology," said Nery.

Nery further added that the capacity of broadband wireless is approaching that of fiber, stressing that it is called "wireless fiber" or "fiber in the sky." He also said that Broadband Philippines' offering is future-proof. This means "it is able to scale upwards and integrate with old and new systems or applications."

"In fact, we are so confident about these technologies and its reliability that we are willing to provide a guarantee of availability of service to all our customers across the board-a first in the Philippines," he said.

Romero, however, believes that there is room for each technology since each has its own strengths and weakness.

"For instance, coverage areas will not exactly overlap between cable, DSL and wireless. Cable is not prevalent in the business districts and may not be suitable for mission-critical applications where Quality of service (QOS) is required," he said.

Romero added that wireless broadband would tend to be more applicable in high-density implementations in business areas. DSL, he stressed, will be applicable to both high- and low-density areas, as well as for business and consumer applications.

"Wireless will have limitations imposed by line of sight and performance issues as dictated by the frequency used. LMDS implementations would still require a "last mile" inside a building since a receiver station is usually a shared resource given the cost of deployment.

Romero said that it wouldn't be economical to deliver LMDS directly to individual users. Romero continues that DSL, on the other hand, obviously requires copper, and the bandwidth available is limited by distance from the network center and the wire gauge used.