What is the Technology Behind Our Rural Broadband?
About 540,000 households in rural Ireland, which makes almost a quarter of the State’s housing stock is still waiting for top-quality broadband under the National Broadband Plan.
What went wrong with the rural broadband scheme? Years after the scheme was first announced, it is still at its beginnings, tangled in the tender process difficulties.
So, there was an open position to a lot of companies which tried to get the most of this still untouched market. Following a common-sense position of the Internet is now a basic living need, they found a purely commercial reason to invest in their networks. Unlimited Broadband internet service is now possible and without fibers and cabling. As we`ve already seen it, this is suitable especially for those who are struggling in the County`s rural areas. The service offers 24-hour delivery and an easy-to-install format.
Our company uses the latest WiMax and LTE Technology in Routers & Antennas provide households and businesses with a better signal. It’s now more than expected to offer double the broadband speeds and signal strength in remote or badly serviced areas.
Rural Broadband Technology
In the fourth-generation (4G) world of technology, we may find two competing 4G standards: wireless interoperability microwave access (WiMAX) and long-term evolution (LTE). Both of these standards are similar, slightly differentiating from one another.
The first difference between LTE and WiMAX is that they function on different frequencies, making their deployment slightly different. WiMAX is made to work with new deployments, while LTE is made for existing mobile and broadband deployments.
Between the two, LTE is a bit faster and WiMAX is slightly easier to set up. The number of simultaneous users affects any carrier because more users need more bandwidth. But we must say WiMAX users are slightly less affected by the number of users.
Being a wave-based technology, LTE and WiMAX need to run on a certain frequency in order to be deployed. So the frequency itself does not affect speed, functionality or dependability, but changes how the systems are set up and deployed. LTE is made to work on 700 megahertz (MHz), WiMAX is made to work on 2.3 gigahertz (GHz) and 3.5 GHz, and both are able to work on 2.1 GHz and 2.5 GHz.
What exactly is WiMax technology?
WiMax is short for “Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access.” It is a fourth-generation mobile broadband technology, created to imitate the abilities of Wi-Fi wireless internet, but over a mobile phone network using an open protocol (802.16m). Just imagine a bunch of Wi-Fi hotspots that can stretch for miles and overlap, eliminating coverage gaps.
It provides fixed and mobile internet access for compatible devices with less interference than traditional Wi-Fi. So a WiMax tower could provide broadband wireless internet over a 30-mile range, but currently achieving much less. WiMax users can realistically expect from 3Mbps to 6Mbps download speeds.
And what about LTE?
LTE is short for “Long Term Evolution,” is a 4G mobile broadband technology. LTE is more of a successor to current mobile 3G standards than WiMax. Instead of transmitting data using microwaves, LTE uses radio waves. It could speed up to 1Gbps in theory, though real-world speeds are generally slower at the moment. LTE was developed as a long-term alternative to DSL, cable, and other wired forms of internet.
The difference between LTE and WiMax
WiMax is based on IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) standards, meaning it uses an open protocol that has been debated and approved by a large community of engineers. LTE is more supported by the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project), which is an organization consisting of wireless agencies and telecommunications companies. The 3GPP was an organization behind the 3G standard for GSM some years back, which was adopted by a majority of wireless carriers around the world.
WiMax and LTE are more like siblings, than enemies. They are compatible in a way, so it’s easier and cheaper to design devices that incorporate both technologies.
Similarities between the two technologies are:
- Both use SIM cards,
- compatible with existing CDMA and GSM networks,
- use OFDM and MIMO (Multiple In, Multiple Out),
- have similar speeds,
- are IP-based.
If needed, LTE and WiMAX are both capable of working with new and existing broadband and mobile deployments. LTE is just considered to work better with existing systems and integrating existing networks. WiMAX is meant more for new deployments and networks.
New Users Vs. Existing (Business) Users
And if you are a common user, this will not mean much to you. But for NEW business users, all abovementioned will find WiMAX more useful, while LTE will rather help existing business upgrade and integrate their systems with the new technology.
What users commonly look at when choosing any type of technology?
Based on our previous experience, speed and accessibility are the two common factors in choosing the new tech. Both LTE and WiMAX show its strength in a certain aspect. Transfer rates are slightly higher with LTE, especially in the mobile department. Installation is relatively easy for both standards, but WiMAX is slightly easier to set up.
With so many as hundreds of people using devices in the same area, the 4G data stream slows down in order to meet the demands of every user. Both LTE and WiMAX are affected by the number of users, but we discovered that LTE tends to be slightly more affected. And the same time, LTE appears to be faster in the fair usage situations, making somewhat a perfect balance.
