Living on the outskirts of town presents challenges for those wishing to receive certain technology services. As cable lines tend to follow the bulk of where the population resides, those residing outside of populated areas often have to wait for service to be extended or simply do without. As we rely more heavily on connected solutions for business and life, it’s time to extend broadband solutions to the underserved.
As captured on this Actelis (News - Alert) page, it’s not enough to simply extend broadband solutions, since once access is provided, service can still be subpar. This is exactly what happens with broadband Internet coverage. The regular coverage area has no problem accessing broadband services.
However, the population residing just beyond that has limited or slower access because of insufficient bandwidth and infrastructure.
There is also a group for which no broadband service is available at all, the “unserved.” Though, a new piece of equipment provided through Actelis Networks called Broadband Accelerators (BBAs) promises to help eliminate these problems and deliver broadband solutions for all.
Actelis’ line of BBAs extend the range of asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL/ADSL2/ADSL2+), which is a type of broadband technology used for Internet connectivity. BBAs run over the plain old copper phone lines that are already in place (POTS), so it is cost-effective, and there is little lag time in getting started because the current infrastructure is utilized. BBAs are easy to install and require no maintenance.
Other advantages include the fact that BBAs have greater reach of coverage, up to a 50 percent improvement, and enhanced bandwidth speeds up to 100 percent faster on local phone loops and 400 percent faster on longer phone loops that run out of town. This means that the unserved and underserved will be outcasts no more, able to receive digital IPTV services and Over-the-Top (OTT) video offerings such as Netflix and Hulu (News - Alert).
BBAs also do not impair voice services as they are transparent. For example, a user can be on the phone and browsing the net at the same time. BBAs are also compatible with existing telecom providers’ switching networks (DSLAMs) and can be used with customers’ existing phones (Customer Premises Equipment – CPE).
The BBA devices are robust and reliable, as well. They are waterproof, can withstand extreme temperatures, and are resilient against power surges and lightning strikes. They boast of long life spans, and the bypass feature enables users to continue to access current telephone service even in the event that broadband solutions were to go down.
Commerce and communities continue to suffer as residents move to areas of higher connectivity. By improving access to broadband solutions, BBAs may help enable small rural communities to draw new residents and keep their youthful population from relocating to more metropolitan areas with better technological offerings.
Edited by Stefanie Mosca