Connectivity for Education

The ever-increasing numbers of mobile devices (laptops/tablets) in schools highlights the need for fast, secure and reliable connectivity. This enables teachers to focus on teaching while giving students the capacity and power to learn anywhere with access to a library of information.

 

Schools and tertiary institutions are increasingly reaping the rewards of having reliable connectivity. One such institution is Herschel Girls School, in Claremont, Cape Town. The school was founded in 1922 and is a leading, independent Anglican school. In 2012, the school decided to investigate alternate telecommunication mediums, in an effort to provide a more reliable and cost-effective method of connectivity.

Comsol was approached to connect the existing wireless LAN environment on campus to the TENET (Tertiary Education and Research Network of South Africa) network. There was a need for high-capacity connectivity, resulting in a 100Mbps wireless microwave link terminating into the closest TENET PoP (point of presence) at the Red Cross Hospital. Comsol provided this service to Herschel in partnership with ESN (e-Schools Network), a non-profit ISP that also provides services to 1 700 schools nationwide.

Costs were greatly reduced due to far greater capacities being offered for a fraction of the cost. The school’s primary breakout connectivity has now been increased from the existing 4Mbps using fixed-line alternatives, to 100Mbps. The connectivity is now fast and reliable with aggressive service level agreements in place to ensure maximum availability. The solution is scalable, meaning the opportunity exists to increase bandwidth, with relative ease, at a low cost.

A massive increase in breakout capacity allows the students to optimise their e-learning experiences by having access to the latest, up-to-date information. A similar solution was also provided to Bishops Diocesan College, also in Cape Town.

Comsol currently offers numerous schools, universities and colleges throughout South Africa with robust last-mile licensed band managed services. From deploying on-campus WiFi to last-mile connectivity, Comsol’s flexible commercial model assists in offering better learning to the learner.

How much bandwidth can wireless really provide?

When thinking of high bandwidth, users are inclined to think of fibre as the only real source of connectivity capable of delivering these speeds, but recent developments in wireless products have made it a worthy competitor for not only redundancy, but also a means of primary connectivity.

Pure RF these days can offer organisations of all sizes and across all sectors an effective and reliable means of connectivity reaching up to 4Gbps full duplex capacity within the point-to-point licensed band and as much as 130Mbps per sector in the  Point-to-MultiPoint space.  ISM band products offer lower bandwidth options, but can still reach up to 300Mbps aggregate capacity, which makes it a viable option for companies using application driven systems.

Another option is Free Space Optics (FSO), which in recent months have made extensive headway in providing high capacity communications over long distances.  Some products are able to reach multiple Gbps over distances of 10 kilometres, offering built-in redundancy to mitigate the effect of adverse weather conditions.  FSO connectivity is ideal for financial institutions and organisations with a need for highly secure communications as it can’t be intercepted.

Wireless connectivity also has the benefit of offering quick turnaround times and aggressive  service level agreements, which in certain instances makes it a seemingly better option of communication.

Is your wireless service legally compliant?

Many companies in South Africa have been left without connectivity due to a recent crack-down from ICASA on illegal spectrum usage, resulting in a loss of productivity, and more importantly, loss of revenue. The legal compliance of wireless services, networks and infrastructure have come under scrutiny, bringing to mind the question: Is my service at risk due to non-compliance? Comsol, a wireless specialist company, understands the legalities and processes involved in offering a service that is fully compliant while still being agile enough to meet the market’s demands.

Not all role players are aware of the legal requirements and processes that need to be undertaken before a wireless service can be deployed.  ICASA has a published  set of parameters outlining the “do’s and don’ts”, including which frequencies fall within the licensed exempt bands, how to apply for licensed spectrum and who has bulk national spectrum.

In today’s ever changing wireless landscape, the unlicensed band has become increasingly cluttered. The scarcity of available Freeband frequencies makes offering a reliable service within these frequencies virtually impossible. Comsol has invested in legally acquiring national spectrum through ICASA, allowing it to deliver carrier grade licensed wireless solutions to the market.

Comsol, a leading wireless solutions provider, boasts nearly two decades of servicing Africa; building and maintaining wireless networks across all vertical markets. Comsol offers its clients reliable, high capacity wireless access circuits. Comsol’s national bulk license enables it to offer aggressive Service Level Agreements, backed up by a national operational presence with offices throughout the country.

For more information on licensed wireless services, please visit www.comsol.co.za or call +27 (0) 87 316 1328. 

Google and Partners Announce TV White Spaces Trial in South Africa

Google and partners have announced today the launch of a TV White Spaces trial with ten schools in the Cape Town area.  White spaces are unused channels in the broadcast TV spectrum. They offer the potential to improve Internet connectivity where they are most needed - in the developing world.

The advantage of white spaces is that low frequency signals can travel longer distances, making the technology well suited to provide low cost connectivity to rural communities with poor telecommunications infrastructure, and for expanding coverage of wireless broadband in densely populated urban areas.  

Dr Ntsibane Ntlatlapa, Manager, Networks and Media Competency Area at CSIR Meraka Institute, added, “We believe that TVWS could help to bridge the digital divide, transmitting Internet data over long distances, opening up access to underserved communities and rural areas.  The evidence gathered from the trial show that TVWS can be used to deliver wireless Internet services without causing interference to primary users of the spectrum.”

The service will be broadcast from three base stations located on top of Stellenbosch University Medical School. Ten schools in the Cape Town area will receive wireless broadband equal to or better than their current level service. During the trial in Cape Town, the group of partners will attempt to show that broadband can be offered over white spaces without interfering with licensed spectrum holders. To prevent interference with other channels, the network uses Google’s spectrum database to determine white space availability. To confirm results, the CSIR Meraka Institute will take spectrum measurements and frequently report back to ICASA and the local broadcasters.

Arno Hart, Project Manager at TENET, said “This TVWS technology trial brings South Africa to the cutting edge of innovation in terms of improving internet connectivity, and is a very positive step towards bringing many more South Africans online.  This trial will be used to inform the regulatory process in South Africa”.

Google supported its first white space trial in the US in 2010, and Google.org recently launched its spectrum database for 45 day public comment period with the FCC. In October 2011, Google hosted a workshop in Johannesburg, along with partners, at which the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) lent support for an industry-led white spaces trial in South Africa. Google then worked together with the CSIR Meraka Institute, Tertiary Education and Research Network of South Africa, e-Schools Network, the Wireless Access Providers Association, Comsol Wireless Solutions, Carlson Wireless, and Neul to take up the challenge.  

Comsol Wireless Solutions (a WAPA member and vendor partner) has nearly two decades of specialist wireless solutions experience and is responsible for the system integration and in-field maintenance of the trial.

Luke Mckend, Google South Africa Country Manager said, “We are pleased to be part of this exciting new development – the first of its kind in South Africa – and look forward to opening discussions with policy makers around a regulatory framework that will support the wider use of TVWS to deliver wireless broadband Internet across the country.”

White Space technology is gaining momentum around the world. In the US, it is already available for licensed exempt uses. In the UK, regulator Ofcom is working on a model regulatory framework based on a licence-exempt or ‘managed access’ use of television white spaces spectrum. Partners hope the results of the trial will drive similar regulatory developments in South Africa and other African countries.

To read more about the trial background, please visit TENET’s website.

Comsol & Intracom Telecom Supply Point-to-Multipoint System in South Africa

Athens, Greece – 21 February 2013 – Intracom Telecom, a global telecommunications systems vendor, announced that it has partnered with Communication Solutions (Comsol (Pty) Ltd), a system integrator and distributor of wireless broadband infrastructure in South Africa, to supply Internet Solutions (IS), the leading ISP in South Africa, with Intracom Telecom's innovative Point-to-Multipoint wireless system for one of the largest next generation LMDS networks in the continent.

 

IS has initiated an ambitious network modernization program, investing in the capacity upgrade and traffic management improvement of its data network, aiming to provide superior services to its existing and future customer base. Internet Solutions after a thorough technical evaluation and extensive testing of the offered systems has selected Intracom Telecom’s WiBAS Point-to-Multipoint platform to enhance its network coverage and offer high-quality, reliable broadband services to its corporate subscribers in South Africa. The solution design and supply was undertaken by Comsol, a company with a proven track record that provides a comprehensive range of services, in wireless networking, from planning to high-level maintenance.  

 

WiBAS dramatically reduces deployment time and design complexity in the construction and upgrade of broadband networks, while allowing operators and ISPs to achieve significant savings in capital and operational resources. WiBAS efficiently utilizes the Point-to-Multipoint network architecture providing the highest capacity and the quickest connection activation for new customers in the corporate market today. This Carrier Class product fully preserves the service quality for demanding broadband data applications.

 

Mr. Stefanos Chatziagapis, General Manager of Wireless Network & Systems at Intracom Telecom commented: “WiBAS is becoming the solution of choice for many global operators for corporate access and 3G/4G backhauling. We are pleased to contribute to Internet Solutions’ business goals through our system’s unrivalled capabilities and look forward to further expanding our strong cooperation with Comsol”.

 

“Due to the delays with the releasing of viable ‘WiMAX ‘ or ‘LTE’ spectrum in South Africa, Comsol was mandated by Internet Solutions to come up with a workable alternative that could be used to effectively service Internet Solutions’ vast customer base” Darren Morgan Chief Commercial Officer of Comsol said.”Through this mandate Comsol’s design team came up with the plan to use ‘LMDS’ technology to provide symmetrical, high capacity connectivity to IS’ very large and bandwidth hungry customer base.  After testing many products Intracom’s WiBAS PtMP platform and feature rich UniMS were selected as the technology of choice. Comsol is proud to be associated with both Internet Solutions and Intracom Telecom”.

 

Ian Isenberg, Business Development Manager of Internet Solutions (Carrier Business Unit) says, "Internet Solutions and Comsol have a long track record of working together to develop and deliver solutions which meet our clients’ last mile connectivity needs. As a result of high incidents of interference found in the unregulated spectrum and a lack of WiMax or LTE spectrum, IS had to find an alternative to its existing WiNet offerings. Clients request additional bandwidth or connectivity into both heavily saturated and under serviced areas. IS and Comsol, utilising Intracom's WiBAS platform, developed the Wi-Band product, which addresses both issues. The service provides last mile un-contended connectivity ranging from 256Kbps to 10Mbps. Internet Solutions has already rolled out a number of Wi-Band sites and will continue with the countrywide rollout through 2013. The service is offered by Internet Solutions to its existing base of clients as well as through its wholesale channels".