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Broadband, whether wireless or wireline, provides true convergence. It also helps since providers to use existing infrastructure to increase ARPU, thereby increasing topline as well as bottomlines of carriers worldwide.

Problems and solutions
• Shift from single to triple play: All operators in India-be they Bharti, BSNL, or Tata-have been offering only single-play service, i.e., Internet access. But service providers have to move from offering Internet access to offering triple-play service (voice, data, and video). So apart from data, the service providers should also focus on voice and video. The three services make the entire offer a deadly combination and makes it necessary for subscribers to opt for broadband services. Care should be taken to ensure that the cost of triple-play service is within the reach of the common man. On the whole, triple-play services offers a lot to the subscribers.

Service providers are still struggling on how to make money on triple play and how to price it so that it appeals to a larger audience.

• Content, the missing link: Presently, service providers are offering broadband for Internet access only. Telecom service providers have to work out models for providing content like video streaming, audio streaming, personal video recording, and video on demand. Service providers have to work out the modalities of distribution so that they can offer attractive rates to their subscribers and tempt them to subscribe broadband services.

• Regulation needs correction: Presently, all the three services (IT, telecom, and broadcast) work in isolation but broadband brings true convergence and laws related to information technology, telecommunications, and broadcasting have to be revisited so that service providers, content providers, and infrastructure providers can move at a faster pace. Laws related to copyright, online billing, transmission, and cable TV have to be restructured to suit broadband. There is lot of ambiguity on VoIP that needs clarification. Digital rights management, content interconnect, and broadcast distribution needs to be strengthened

• Reduction in bandwidth prices: The bandwidth prices acts as a major obstacle for broadband growth in the country. To make broadband affordable, service providers have to deploy a lot many submarine cables and also light up the existing capacity. Presently, in terms of private cables, i2i is the only active one whereas Tata Indicom cable is yet to get security clearance. Recently, Flag Telecom announced the construction of Falcon, a multi-terabit, new-generation DWDM submarine cable system providing multiple landings through the Gulf region, with submarine links stretching to India at one end and Egypt at the other end. It is slated to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2005. The SeMeWe-4 cable is also slated to become operational in 2005. All this will help in bringing a lot of international bandwidth into the country, resulting in reduction of the cost of Internet bandwidth.

Bandwidth, being a major component for service providers, will be the driving force for broadband movement in the country.

• DSL, a Leading Technology: India is following the global trend and DSL will remain a leading technology in the country. With incumbent operator-BSNL and MTNL-along with VSNL and Bharti focusing on DSL services, it is absolutely certain that DSL will be a dominant technology for a long time. With around 44 million landline connections in the country, and both the incumbent operators becoming aggressive, things are moving towards DSL. Some of the greenfield operators are focusing on FTTH and it looks to be promising too. But cable TV route is still a long way. Presently, multi service operators (MSO) are replacing coaxial cable with OFC in the backbone but connectivity to homes will still take a lot more time and money.

• Wireless, Still a Long Way: Wireless technologies like Wi-Fi are good for campus networks. Presently, wireless is used more in the local loop where speeds are reasonable. However, for MAN/WAN applications it is still problematic. In the main cities, frequency issues are still there though they get eliminated in the rural areas. Better wireless technologies like WiMax are being tested but there are issues such as the costs and benefits not appealing to a large range of customers.

WiMax (worldwide interoperability for microwave access) is looked at as a broadband technology. An alternative to microwave, Wi-Max provides both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint access and is ideal for backhaul connectivity. WiMax is a complementary technology to Wi-Fi. While Wi-Fi focuses on LAN, Wi-Max serves as a MAN technology.

• Security, agenda number one: Broadband helps in bringing real convergence. Convergence not only in terms of device, convergence not only in terms of infrastructure, convergence not only in terms of content, but convergence in the true sense. All this leads to convergence in sectors such as IT, telecommunications, and entertainment. So, security is a big question mark and service providers should ensure that all measures are being taken so that networks are secure at all fronts. Since lot of parties are involved, care should be taken to implement security measures at each and every possible level, to provide hassle free services to customers.

• One-stop Solution: Majority of the vendors support single-play service. But, to provide triple-play service, vendors are working out modalities and are also working with partners. To provide one-stop solutions, infrastructure vendors have to tie up with content providers or content aggregators.

Broadband access networks shall be designed to provide reliable, high-speed Internet connectivity and other value-added services such as VPN, video multicast, and video on demand to customers. The main components of a broadband infrastructure are: broadband remote access server (BRAS), gigabit and fast Ethernet aggregation switches, digital subscriber line access multiplexers (DSLAM), subscriber service selection system/center (SSSS/SSSC) and associated servers for AAA, LDAP, network management system, provisioning applications, performance monitoring applications, element management systems, and configuration management functions.

For triple-play services one has to also deploy content delivery networks and also IP networks. All this has to be integrated with the billing system to give the desired QoS.

CDN is a service which enables Internet infrastructure to efficiently run a website with large amounts of content. Broadband content providers who would benefit from the use of CDN typically have a high level of traffic with music or video content, requiring large capacities. CDN providers would be in-charge of optimizing the running of data centers and servers for the website operations of the clients.

Technology
• ADSL: ADSL stands for asymmetric digital subscriber line and it allows copper pairs to be used for providing a broadband connections. ADSL provides always-on Internet connection that is automatically established once the PC and ADSL modem are switched on. So, one can access Internet as well as telephone calls simultaneously. ADSL is also the most robust and the most mature of all broadband technologies. Incumbent operators in India have deployed ADSL 2+ technology.

• FTTH: Fiber to the home (FTTH) is a most ideal technology and both greenfield operators (Reliance and Tata) are deploying it or are in the process of doing FTTH in the top 100 cities to begin with. In the next phase they will spread out to smaller cities. With large a backbone already being deployed by operators, it makes all the more sense to deploy fiber in the last mile and leverage on convergence content.

Using FTTH one can provide all-in-one services (voice, data and video) and all of this can be transmitted across the same optical fiber. This requires connecting terminal devices such as telephones, PCs, and TV to an optical network unit (ONU) installed in each household. The optical network unit delivers high performance, but service providers in India should bring down ONU prices so that they can get subscribers easily.

One of the challenges in using FTTH is the coverage area. Even residential blocks need lots of permissions for wiring the building. So, service providers always weigh the administrative costs with respect to the number of subscribers they plan to get in a particular residential area. Service providers start marketing as well as deployment at the same time but all this takes time. The other challenge is how to make the content attractive so that people can migrate from ADSL to FTTH.

• CATV: In developed economies, CATV is ideal for broadband but in countries like India it is still a dream. Some MSOs do provide Internet access but real broadband speed is still a long way to away. With lot of mohalla (neighborhood) cable operators distributing broadcasting services in their respective mohallas, there is a need for consolidation in the cable industry before CATV is expanded to provide broadband services. And a lot of capital investment is also required.

Presently, CATV operators use OFC in the backbone but OFC in the access part is still a long way to go. Using cable modems or set-top boxes one can offer broadband services through CATV.

• Wireless LAN: Presently, wireless LAN (WLAN) hotspots have been deployed in public places like restaurants, cafés, and convenience stores as well as airports. Presently, the average speeds are in the range of 5 Mbps but this is going to increase in the future. Presently, WLAN does not have a business model where it can attract a large number of subscribers to become commercially viable.

• Metro Ethernet: Presently, there isn't any successful worldwide model that is extensive in nature. It does have limitations in terms of distance and is good for high-end subscribers, mainly in the corporate world. It is easy for backbone but has lot of problems for last mile.

• G-PON: Gigabit-passive optical networking, (G-PON) technology can be used to extend cheap fiber links within metro networks. Presently, due to cost, no one is suggesting G-PONs for residential fiber. G-PON offers blazing speeds making it ideal for triple-play suites of voice, video, and data services for service providers. Its use of Sonet framing enables providers to link native TDM and voice connections into the PON without adding IP.