Increasing Broadband Internet Penetration
In the OIC Member Countries
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considered substitutes. Others, such as mobile wireless 3G, 4G and 5G, represent generations
of what is essentially a same approach to broadband communications, each of them implying
better performance and spectrum resource utilization. The following sections review each
group of technologies by value chain stage.
International connectivity
The suitability of technologies to support international connectivity varies in terms of a
country’s geography. In general terms, microwave links can be more suited for connectivity
between neighboring countries, although their capital requirements and technological
limitations (in terms of overall bandwidth) restrict their applicability. Microwave technology
can provide long haul transmission using a chain of repeater transmitters, each transmitting
over a distance of up to 50 kilometers. The principal drawback of microwave links is their
capacity constraint. The ever growing Internet traffic cannot be easily handled by microwave
links, which has an impact on the quality of service. In addition, since a microwave network is
supported by repeating sites, the impact on maintenance economics of operating such a
technology can be fairly high.
Two technologies are mostly relied upon for broadband international connectivity: fiber optics
and satellites. In fact, fiber optic submarine cables and communications satellites provide the
vast majority of broadband international links (although some terrestrial networks are still
based on microwave technology).
For countries bordering on a coast line, submarine fiber optic cables provide the most cost-
effective option as a cable installation can combine several strands, each capable of
transmitting at a rate of several gigabits per second. The capital expenditures required to
deploy fiber optics imply that they are relied first and foremost for long haul high capacity
transmission. However, once installed, fiber optic cables provide great opportunities to scale
up and increase overall transmission capacity simply by activating additional strands of cable
pairs. Carriers using fiber optic cables can transmit vast amounts of broadband traffic, not only
because single strands have wideband capacity and fast transmission speeds, but also because
many pairs of cable can be bundled together. Furthermore, the technology of DWDM (Dense
Wave Division Multiplexing) makes it possible for multiple laser beam transmissions to take
place via a single cable strand using different, non-interfering frequencies.
When operators cannot economically justify the cost of installing cables, most long haul
carriage of broadband traffic takes place via satellites. In addition, satellites are particularly
applicable for countries that are located far from submarine coastal landing sites. Satellites
receive a signal from a landlocked location and relay it to other locations within their footprint.
On the other hand, satellites have significant economic disadvantages compared to fiber optic
cables. Satellites can offer only about 500-750 MHz in bandwidth while a few fiber optic cable
pairs can transmit the total capacity of all available communications satellites. Furthermore,
satellites have a usable life of about ten years and cannot be easily repaired should a
malfunction occur.