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Session 11: Sustainability of backhaul, the various models and best practices – whose concern is it?

In this session, we have Penelope and Dorothy speaking about the various backhaul technologies, how and why we should fund it in community networks, and the various models of sustaining backhaul funding in community networks.

Penelope presented the definition of backhaul. It began as the telegraph and telephone network which required information to be transmitted through wires. Backhaul refers to the part of the networks (infrastructure and capacity) that connect the core network to the edge of the network or part of the network that connects to the Internet. It can also be referred to as the ‘upstream’ or ‘gateway’ connection. 

Dorothy took the room through the different backhaul technologies. There are two types: guided (wired) and unguided (wireless). Dorothy presented the pros and cons of each.

Guided (wired) - have cables as the physical channel e.g. fibre optic cables, ethernet/copper cables/ coaxial cables

Pros

Cons

Large capacity

Long Distances

Higher cost for deployment and maintenance 

Unguided (wireless) - using air as the physical channel, or electromagnetic waves that propagate through space transporting energy e.g. microwave links, satellite, wifi 

Pros

Cons

You can propagate as you wish but be mindful of the frequency


Quick to deploy and not as expensive compared to wired

Service varies and depends on weather


Limitation in capacity based on radio frequency 


Limited channel availability


The need for the antenna to be in clear LOS (line of sight)


Suffering from the availability of capacity in towers so you get limited quality and speed

Dorothy also shared the pros and cons of satellite:

Pros

Cons

Quick deployment


Easy to install

Expensive


Large latency


Service quality may vary with atmospheric conditions

Penelope then presented the sustainability of backhaul. Presenting a case from the community cellular networks done by TIC, she said the simplest tech deployed in the project was using radio and P2P radio. In the project, transmitting equipment was installed in the tower and mountains in the area to generate better coverage. It is not always necessary to set up in hilly areas — some communities set the equipment in places where people mostly gather and have social gatherings for easier connectivity. They use a microwave connection to connect to a computer for 2g or GSM connectivity to work, then connect it to the admin’s personal computer where they can manage the access for the entire community. The voice calls are managed using internet service voice in IP packages. While they have satellites, they also use WISP for options in case there is spoilt capacity, so they can direct the connectivity to other options. 

Penelope also spoke about financial sustainability. She presented figures for the project which it was divided into several portions such as operational costs, income per user per month, and emergency funds. In the project, they found out that it was viable to get at least 110 users per month to generate income. Some contributions also came from people who have left the community but wanted to see the community thrive in terms of connectivity and economy. It was important to keep the voice service, as the majority of the community was composed of elders and it would take more time to accommodate them to use new technology. 

Dorothy and Penelope spoke about a few options for environmental and social sustainability. For environmental:

  • Consider the infrastructure we build — can it minimise environmental impacts? Are there ways we can do infrastructure sharing? Are there sustainable ways to power the base stations?
  • Dig once policy
  • Towers designed like trees 

For social:

  • Ensure social well-being by using technology to bring people together instead of replicating further barriers to the community e.g. make sure people of all levels and backgrounds have equitable access to the Internet - women and girls, PwD, marginalised communities etc.
  • Backhaul consideration can contribute to affordability and social well-being as it can reduce the cost and everyone can use the Internet 
  • Include as many stakeholders as possible while developing the network 
  • Organise a discussion with providers to get lower costs for backhaul 

Participants shared their experiences in backhaul sustainability: 

  • Big ISPs have the infrastructure, but they do not maintain it. Prices are expensive especially when people have to choose between buying food for the family or the Internet. This is an issue of meaningful connectivity — where connectivity should be beyond just providing access, but also other factors such as safety, affordability, the speed at all times etc. Dorothy shared a link to the definitions of meaningful connectivity: https://a4ai.org/meaningful-connectivity
  • In DRC, the term ‘going to the net’ - is where connections are installed as hot spots so people make appointments to gather there whenever the connection is available. 
  • The creation of community networks in the Amazon has been revolutionary for the territories and has paved the way for the process of building knowledge and appropriating social and technologies in territories without connectivity. 
  • Mamaila CN South Africa — big ISPs make it difficult for co-location in existing infrastructure. Community networks movement needs to put pressure on governments to advocate for CNs to co-locate on the mobile operator’s infrastructure at no fee. 

Dorothy and Penelope summarised the input. Two key factors can drive the need for connectivity: skills and relevant content. Skills should not be limited, and communities should be provided with capacity building and training so they can make better use of connectivity in their area.  Content should be accessible all the time in all languages relevant to the community. Dorothy agreed that there need to be more conversations with the regulators so they can find space in the licensing and procedure to make way for community networks and distinguish them from other big operators. There is also the need for regulations to promote infrastructure sharing, with subsidy, and not just hosting passive infrastructure so cost is further reduced for all operators, including community networks.  

Concluding the presentation, Penelope mentioned that backhaul should be provided based on the best practices that can come from the community itself. Each community comes with its one needs — whether technical, financial, or social - that can push for the kind of technology or content the community wants to use. This way, communities can become more autonomous in their decisions and can become more self-sustainable. Dorothy agreed that we need to understand social factors in the community and not just consider tech in our network, but also respect the needs of the community. Dorothy called for the advocates in the room to put their voices out there to engage with more key stakeholders in the space. 

Memorable Quotes

“If we don't pay attention to what we do, technology has the ability to strengthen, entrench, and divide the community. It is important to use technology to bring people together instead of serving further barriers to the community.” - Dorothy

“Your design of the network is not just about putting technical prowess at the table, but also technical expertise guided by social factors, financial, and environmental factors. This is so you deliver affordable good quality internet for the community.” - Dorothy



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