Q-KON’s network model offers large scale broadband at zero cost

CENTURION, South Africa - Sept. 1, 2015 - PRLog -- By Dr Dawie de Wet, CEO of Q-KON

The positive impact Broadband Access Services can have on individuals, communities and countries are well-debated.

The challenge to deploy large scale Wi-Fi access networks and to make “Wi-Fi for all” a reality lies in finding the business models that can be used to deploy infrastructure networks and providing the services. While some project initiatives are highly successful and different grant and subsidizing schemes can also work, the goal is to implement these networks and provide “Wi-Fi for all” in a sustainable and long-term manner.

Q-KON has identified a possible solution which might be sustainable and feasible to adopt…

"Free” means that no payment is expected for an item or service. When you make a reservation at a hotel, they specify that Wi-Fi is free. Yet, no service can really be for free which means the Wi-Fi is not free, but actually it is “included” in the hotel room rates. “Free Wi-Fi” at coffee shops, or at airports, etc, work in a similar way; the Wi-Fi is offered at no extra cost provided the user is also a client of the facility and pays for another “anchor” service. The anchor service is the “pay for services” i.e lunch, hotel accommodation, etc and which forms the business anchor in the transaction.

We explore models to provide “Wi-Fi for Free” when it is possible to provide another anchor or “pay for service”. In today’s economy consumers are already customers of a wide variety of possible “anchor services”. Life insurance services, medical aid subscriptions; these are all services which consumers already pay for and which can be leveraged as an “anchor services” to be offered to the consumer including a “WiFi for free” bundle.

The next step is to build a large scale Wi-Fi network that can provide Wi-Fi services at many thousands of locations, and not just at the coffee shops or shopping malls. To build such a large scale network the first step will be to deploy Wi-Fi access points at homes, businesses and public areas. These Wi-Fi access points must be connected to the internet.

In order to connect all these thousands of Wi-Fi access points will require a very high speed network with very large geographical coverage area. This network must be able to connect anywhere and at any time, and use affordable subscriber equipment with high-speed data rates.

Until recently the requirements for high speed, low cast Internet access services at any location were simply too much of a challenge and could not be addressed. 3G data services over mobile networks is one previous option yet the limitation in signal coverage and the operational costs of mobile networks make this option as backhaul for a “Wi-Fi for Free” services not feasible.

High Throughput Satellites (HTS) changed this situation dramatically. New HTS networks will provide broadband access services over very large areas at high speed and low cost. Using these HTS satellite networks it will be feasible to implement a HTS satellite network that will literally broadcast the Internet to all subscribers and provide instant access without any towers or other infrastructure needed.

Each subscriber will only need a two-way satellite terminal very similar in size as a DStv dish. The satellite terminals can be distributed and installed via the DStv industry to provide a cost-effective implementation environment to the market.

The HTS satellite terminals will be used to linked all the Wi-Fi access points to the Internet thus creating a large scale rapid deployed broadband access solution. This combined Wi-Fi and satellite architecture provides the “best of both worlds” scenario. The solution provides high-speed “ADSL-type” access to any location without the need for costly network deployments while it directly uses the existing subscriber mobile telephones, tablets and computing devices; therefore eliminating the need for special subscriber terminals.

The next challenge is to provide this service for free, or rather, to provide the broadband services as “included”, and part of an anchor service.  Current free Wi-Fi services tend to be location-oriented, and Wi-Fi services can then be included in the anchor services of the particular location, for example a hotel or coffee shop.

The perfect solution is to offer a similar model as mentioned above, which offers an anchor service and that is not limited to a location. Once this environment is developed we will have to technically implement the access, controls and normal billing processes required to enable a valuable deployment of Wi-Fi services.

We first have to identify a suitable “anchor service”, which could be researched within the specific country, province or region – for example what domestic services are used by the local population. Then, we might be able to identify a number of possible services such as life insurance, medical insurance, education, gym subscriptions, pension fund contributions, etc.

Medical insurance companies could provide members an additional 10GB of broadband access for free… or rather included in the monthly medical insurance premium. Another option is education institutions providing students 5GB of broadband access for FREE; but which is included in the annual subscription services.

What is needed: The cooperation and integration of domestic service providers into this network to enable Wi-Fi services to be “included” as part of an existing anchor service.