D2.3 Synthesis Feasibility Report
Updated document following RP1 EC Review
Toulouse, 21-22 March, 2007
1
RURAL WINGS IP
SUMMARY
1.
Reviewers comments
2.
Updated document structure
3.
Key conclusions of report
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Hybrid satellite-wireless broadband services
Hellas-Sat satellite broadband services
Avanti satellite broadband services
Eutelsat satellite broadband services
Special focus on TTSA as added value distributor
4.
Next steps
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
2
RURAL WINGS IP
SUMMARY
1.
Reviewers comments
2.
Updated document structure
3.
Key conclusions of report
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Hybrid satellite-wireless broadband services
Hellas-Sat satellite broadband services
Avanti satellite broadband services
Eutelsat satellite broadband services
Special focus on TTSA as added value distributor
4.
Next steps
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
I. KEY REVIEWER COMMENTS
1. The document does not provide the information promised in the
Work Package Description in the proposal. No information can be
deduced on the financial viability of RW. It should in its final
format appear as a Feasibility report
2. The document contains incomplete information, in part even
obsolete. It also appears to have been inadequately harmonized
from inputs received from several sources.
3. Sect. 6 should present possible business models for a RW service
(as stated in the project proposal). Instead, section 6.1 addresses
possible technologic advances to reduce cost of service provision.
It is unclear how these are reflected in the financial calculations.
4. The elements which are required in order to assess the RW
service provision cost are not analysed.
5. The report needs to be completely rethought and reworked. In its
current format it does not reflect the findings from the other sub
WPs.
6. Appropriate QA standards to be applied, e.g. appropriate
references, sources, readable figures, etc.
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
SUMMARY
1.
Reviewers comments
2.
Updated document structure
3.
Key conclusions of report
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Hybrid satellite-wireless broadband services
Hellas-Sat satellite broadband services
Avanti satellite broadband services
Eutelsat satellite broadband services
Special focus on TTSA as added value distributor
4.
Next steps
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
UPDATED DOCUMENT STRUCTURE (1/2)
 To answer the EC reviewers comments the document has
been fully restructured
 Part I:Technical review of user needs analysis
 Analysis and review of the user needs as expressed in the
final report of WP 3 (D3.1) in order to assess the current
broadband development situation of candidate RW pilot sites
and to translate the user requirements into technological
requirements and user profiles
 Part II: Technical feasibility assessment
 Identification and analysis of possible broadband solutions,
particularly based on hybrid satellite-wireless technologies and
assessment of their suitability with respect to the user
requirements of the selected sites
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
UPDATED DOCUMENT STRUCTURE (2/2)
 Part III: Financial feasibility assessment
 Analysis of satellite broadband market and its sustainability
wrt to terrestrial infrastructure competition
 Investigation of financial feasibility of RW solution wrt the
strategic and business modelling approaches of Avanti,
Eutelsat/TTSA and Hellas sat
 Conclusions & recommendations
 Inputs from precommercial or trial projects that gained
expertise in deploying similar satellite solutions in rural areas
 Synthesis of conclusions and an assessment of the overall
viability of the use of advanced satellite networks and
infrastructure as introduced by the RW project.
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
TECHNICAL REVIEW OF USER NEEDS ANALYSIS

Reviewers comments
 Improve the link with the other RW work packages

Major document improvements implemented:
 Examination of user requirements as expressed in WP3

Assessment of available services/infrastructure for RW countries

Assessment of whether RW sites are representative sample of the
rural situation in each country

Analysis of user profiles, their applications & requested data rates
 Institutional, business, remote home-workers/teleworkers,
residential users, guest users.

Definition of four bandwidth profiles
 education, communication, involvement, business, research
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT

Reviewers comments
 Document does not reflect findings of other sub WPs

Major document improvements implemented:
 Main findings of reports D2.1 & D2.2 have been integrated
 Updated and clarified feasibility analysis methodology in line
with RW proposal

Description & analysis of two-way satellite solutions
 Trade-off between DVB-RCS and DOCSIS

Description and analysis of local area networks
 Added-value of having a last-mile wireless network
 Trade-off between different last-mile technologies

End-to-end network architecture considerations
 Wireless network coverage area
 Quality of service
 Deployment/exploitation/scalability requirements
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT
 Reviewers comments
 Information outdated
 Business models missing or incomplete
 Missing information on CAPEX/OPEX cost elements
 Major document improvements implemented:
 Structure has been reviewed and focuses on the assessment of
financial viability of RW wrt to the business models of the
satellite services providers in Ruralwings (Hellas sat, Avanti,
Eutelsat/TTSA)
 Homogeneous and coherent structure of information for the
three RW services providers
 Key cost elements are provided (where not confidential)
 All material has been checked and updated according to the
latest available data
 All data has been referenced and sources indicated
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
SUMMARY
1.
Reviewers comments
2.
Updated document structure
3.
Key new elements and conclusions of report
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Hybrid satellite-wireless broadband services
Hellas-Sat satellite broadband services
Avanti satellite broadband services
Eutelsat satellite broadband services
Special focus on TTSA as added value distributor
4.
Next steps
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
11
RURAL WINGS IP
SUMMARY
1.
Reviewers comments
2.
Updated document structure
3.
Key conclusions of report
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Hybrid satellite-wireless broadband services
Hellas-Sat satellite broadband services
Avanti satellite broadband services
Eutelsat satellite broadband services
Special focus on TTSA as added value distributor
4.
Next steps
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
12
RURAL WINGS IP
Feasibility of satellite-wireless learning hub (1/4)
 RURAL WINGS proposes the creation of a “learning hub”
which is mainly a rural local node providing access different
categories of users:
 students and teachers in rural schools or multigrade schools
or other rural educational settings
 farmers
 SME entrepreneurs
 doctors and health personnel working at rural health centres
 local administrators/ public authorities’ personnel, and
 rural citizens using different services at home
 Hybrid communications network philosophy
 two-way broadband satellite internet access
 + wireless last mile solution
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Feasibility of satellite-wireless learning hub (2/4)

Key lessons learned from recent projects implementing and
promoting satellite+wireless for rural broadband hubs (TWISTER,
BARRD, INSPIRE)

Services cost and user requirements
 Users in rural areas of the same expectancy levels as those in urban
areas regarding technical performance, user support and price
 Combined TV + internet access offer?

Reliable, integrated, user-friendly and scalable operations





Easy identification and quick resolution of problems
End-to-end monitoring scalable to thousands of terminals
Automated management capabilities (i.e. configuration mgt)
Easy to use interface with network reporting at different levels
Improvement in installation procedures
 Robust installation procedures with preconfigured equipment
 Line-of-sight issues for wireless local loop deployment!
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Feasibility of satellite-wireless learning hub (3/4)
 Increased mutualisation factor of hybrid solutions





Typical local community satellite offer: 2 Mbps/512kbps
Typical wireless coverage area: 800m (in LOS!)
Recommended number of users per site: 20
Higher mutualisation will have statistically better performance
Increased satellite service offer & improved wireless coverage
 Reduced maintenance costs
 Improved reliability & stability of equipment (hard disk, power
supplies, etc.)
 Partnership with local technicians for on-site intervention
 Local authorities as a driving force
 Need to be involved from the start
 Offer them a long-term investment path
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Feasibility of satellite-wireless learning hub (4/4)
•Countries
For the full duration
for the first project phase
No of pilot sites
No of
WiFi
No of pilot sites
No of WiFi
•GREECE
27
5
8
1
•SPAIN
10
2
2
1
•SWEDEN
6
2
3
1
•FRANCE
8
2
3
1
•ROMANIA
14
1
2
0
•CYPRUS
8
1
2
1
•ESTONIA
7
2
2
1
•POLAND
10
2
2
1
•UK
16
8
4
3
•ISRAEL
7
0
2
0
•ISRAEL (FOURIER)
1
•ARMENIA
7
0
0
0
•GEORGIA
4
0
0
0
•SOUTH AFRICA
2
0
0
0
•SWITZERLAND (DBC)
1
•TOTAL
128
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
1

Not all RW sites benefit
from mutualisation through
wireless local loop

Discussions with local
authorities to implement
local loop in parallel with
RW project

Satellite services offer
specifically tailored to
educational institutions
1
25
32
10
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RURAL WINGS IP
Satellite services offer for education & training (1/2)
 Use of satellite for education and training
 Broadcasting one way service i.e TV/radio/data
 Two-way service with terrestrial return link i.e interactive TV
 Two-way satellite service i.e broadband internet access
 Key lessons learned from projects implementing two-way
satellite broadband services





Trapeze (1999 – 2001)
Schoolsat (2001 – 2003)
Schoolcast (2004 – 2005)
JISC satellite pilot trial (2002-2004)
Telesat Satellite Multimedia Trials for Schools (2001 – 2002)
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Satellite services offer for education & training (2/2)
 Demonstrated overall technical feasibility
 Perceived speed of communications can be improved
 Services package, latency, BoD, contention
 Caching, TCP acceleration
 Critical aspects: user support & troubleshooting
 Remote locations with limited ICT expertise, integration with
local LAN
 value chain based on small and independent retailers and
limited technical support from SSP
 Support to individual users can be effort consuming
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
SUMMARY
1.
Reviewers comments
2.
Updated document structure
3.
Key conclusions of report
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Hybrid satellite-wireless broadband services
Hellas-Sat satellite broadband services
Avanti satellite broadband services
Eutelsat satellite broadband services
Special focus on TTSA as added value distributor
4.
Next steps
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
NEW & UPDATED ELEMENTS FROM HELLAS-SAT
 Cost elements




Satellite and terrestrial bandwidth costs
Subscriber equipment and installation costs
Billing and CRM cost per customer
Marketing and customer acquisition costs
 Market assessment
 General assessment of satellite broadband services market in
HELLASS SAT target countries
 Focus on education market for satellite broadband
 Hellas Sat positioning in value chain and services offering
 SWOT analysis of Hellas Sat solution wrt RW requirements
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Hellas Sat key conclusions on RW feasibility

Broadband Internet is a great tool for education

Users are enthusiastic with the service available to them

The example of the pilot site Fourna Evritanias is a great example

A teacher is the pilot site of Parakentro in Cyprus started a
postgraduate degree by distance learning in order to enhance his
knowledge

The price is a drawback at the moment



The HELLAS SAT services at the moment are targeting SMEs
Tailoring the service for educational purposes will drop the price
New technological advances will drop the price of equipment
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Sustainable validation sites with added-value

HELLAS SAT has installed and provide service to 10 pilot sites in
the frame of the first period of RW

Pilot sites in Cyprus:
 Parakentro Cultural Center
 Environmental Studies Center

Pilot sites in Greece:
 Eraklio Kritis
 Fourna Evritanias
 Mesta Chios
 Pyles Karpathos
 Salakos Rodos
 Aigiali Amorgos
 Agios Nikolas Bias Lakonias
 Valtesiniko Arkadias
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Sustainable validation sites with added-value

The users are happy with the usage of the service and indications
show that they will continue with the service beyond the RW

The price of the equipment will drop to half

Based on the usage of the service (mostly in schools) a better
taylored service will be provided – lower cost

At the moment the internet speed available to the sites is high
enough to cover all the applications that are available and even
more demanding applications. If lower capacity is needed then
lower cost to the user.
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
SUMMARY
1.
Reviewers comments
2.
Updated document structure
3.
Key conclusions of report
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Hybrid satellite-wireless broadband services
Hellas-Sat satellite broadband services
Avanti satellite broadband services
Eutelsat satellite broadband services
Special focus on TTSA as added value distributor
4.
Next steps
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
NEW & UPDATED ELEMENTS FOR AVANTI
 Cost elements
 Satellite and terrestrial bandwidth costs
 Subscriber equipment and installation costs
 Marketing and customer acquisition costs
 Trade-off between hybrid satellite-wireless solutions versus
direct-to-home satellite solutions
 Risk analysis of Avanti business case
 SWOT analysis
 Risk factors identification and mitigation actions
 Assessment of sustainability of satellite internet services
 Assessment for Avanti business strategy
 Assessment of RW educational applications
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Avanti key conclusions on RW feasibility
 Market results confirm sustainability of Satellite/WiFi
internet services
 Company has been able to attract investors interest to
sustain its growth and finance a dedicated satellite to
bridge the digital divide in rural areas
 Cost of operation and cost of user terminals are critical
factors for a satellite service.
 Ka and ACM reduce opex
 Decreasing DVB/RCS UT prices and new standards reduce
capex for end users
 Still to demonstrate commercial viability of educational
application (some work has to be done in WP8)
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Sustainable validation sites with added-value
 Validation Sites:




Cilcennin, Wales, Rural SME & Community, 3 users
Bishop Burton, NE England, Farming, 5 users
Camborne, E England, Community, 5 users
Biggar, Scotland, Farming, 3 users
 Adaptations:
 Cilcennin uses a mesh Wifi system due to topology
 Sustainability Measures
 Chosen sites with little prospect of terrestrial connection
 Ensured that terms of Avanti’s commercial service are
understood
 Provided enhanced contact and support during the early phase
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Recent evolutions in Avanti target market &
technical solution
 Avanti will focus more on Eastern European Countries as
Hylas operational date is getting closer
 Recent evolutions of technical solution i.e. sat + wifi versus
sat directly to the end-user
 Sat only solutions are today possible thanks to the decrease of
DVB/RCS UT pricing
 New STM HUB installed and operational (DVB-S2)
 Growing focus on applications (Business Continuity, IPTV, etc)
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
SUMMARY
1.
Reviewers comments
2.
Updated document structure
3.
Key conclusions of report
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Hybrid satellite-wireless broadband services
Hellas-Sat satellite broadband services
Avanti satellite broadband services
Eutelsat satellite broadband services
Special focus on TTSA as added value distributor
4.
Next steps
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
NEW & UPDATED ELEMENTS FROM EUTELSAT
 Clarification of Eutelsat, Skylogic and TTSA respective role
in the satellite broadband provisioning value chain
 Generic business model for D-Star services with
justifications and detailed explanations for
 Revenue estimation
 CAPEX investment
 OPEX investment
 TTSA business model elements
 Assessment of costs versus revenues
 Risks threatening sustainability of business
 Assessment of feasibility of providing a successful business
case for the RW users
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Eutelsat key conclusions on RW feasibility
Eutelsat please complete slide
 Please complete with your key conclusions regarding your
technical/financial feasibility analysis carried out for the RW
project
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
TTSA key conclusions on RW feasibility
 Annual net income in range 320kE – 420kE. SP margin/BW
~ 20%, this means a total TO = 2,1ME ~ 400 terminals
 Risks :
 Ramp up : reduce constraints on BW procurement, better contractual
conditions for SP
 Available VC S/W not 100% compliant
 Commercial effort larger than expected
 Geographical coverage
 Required user support larger than expected
 Change of policy of key providers (satellite operator, VC software
vendors etc …)
 Tariffs / cost of bandwidth too high for market acceptance
 Recommendations :
 Sustainability & lower / per use tariff : concentrate different types of
traffic & services in a common bandwidth pool
 Critical mass of users, assess usage profiles
 Further adaptation of QoS policies
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Sustainable validation sites with added-value
 Validation sites currently in operation
1.ESTONIA
PIIRISSAARE MUNICIPALITY CENTER
2.ESTONIA
RUHNE VALLAVALITSUS
3.SWEDEN
TARFALA RESEARCH STATION
4.ISRAEL
ISRAELE-FOURIER
5.ISRAEL
ISRAELE-BGU 2 Hura Municipality
6.ISRAEL
ISRAELE-BGU 1 Hura Technological High School
7.ROMANIA
PIETRA ARSA - Complexul National Sportiv Piatra
8.ROMANIA
DEZNA - Scoala Generala Dezna
9.POLAND
Primary School in Polana
10.POLAND
RURAL WINGS - Babiogorski Park Narodowy
11.SPAIN
TEO
12.SPAIN
PRATS
13.SWITZERLAND
ENGELBERG - DBC GmbH
14.FRANCE
FONTAINEBLEAU – INSEAD
 Standard services specifications and tariffs have been
published.
 At this stage, distribution of services behind the terminal
remains the responsibility of the customer
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Sustainable validation sites with added-value
Eutelsat: please complete slide
 Please elaborate how the solution put in place is adapted to
their user needs.
 Please explain what measures you have taken to encourage
as far as possible the sustainability of the sites during and
after the RW project.
 Please explain how you will ensure sustainability since only
a limited number of sites are actually sharing the satellite
terminal through a wifi (or other) local area network
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Eutelsat/TTSA position on DVB-RCS vs DOCSIS
Eutelsat: please complete slide

Explication of services and market differentiation between the two
technologies and associated services packates?

Why DOCSIS has not been implemented in Ruralwings so far?
 DOCSIS service only available recently?
 DOCSIS not adapted to the user needs expressed so far?

Would it be useful to use DOCSIS for the future, not yet deployed
Ruralwings sites?
 Would it allow to better meet the user requirements?
 If yes/no please elaborate on the reasons why?

Would it be feasible to use DOCSIS for the future, not yet
deployed Ruralwings sites?
 Is it possible to have a mix for solutions or would this pose problems
(budget issues, duplication of statistics monitoring tools, etc.)
 If yes/no please elaborate on the reasons why?
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
35
RURAL WINGS IP
SUMMARY
1.
Reviewers comments
2.
Updated document structure
3.
Key new elements and conclusions of report
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Hybrid satellite-wireless broadband services
Hellas-Sat satellite broadband services
Avanti satellite broadband services
Eutelsat satellite broadband services
Special focus on TTSA as added value distributor
4.
Next steps
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Next steps: WP 5 – Adaptation of platforms & tools

Updated end-to-end system design
 Final version of D3.1
 List of selected RW sites
 Results of the Phase A test runs

Performance benchmarking of latest wireless equipment and
technologies

Integration of tools and procedures for network monitoring and
statistics reporting (in cooperation with WP 7)

Assessment of performance of RW applications on RW SSP
platforms (Avanti, Hellassat, Eutelsat/TTSA)
 Validation of additional POP equipment where required (caching,
prefetching, VPN, NAT and routing, etc.)

End-to-end QoS management (Hub, LAN)
 Sharing rules for the IP CONNECT Eutelsat/TTSA bandwidth
 Videoconferencing/VoIP
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RURAL WINGS IP
Next steps: WP 6A – Pilots Implementation & Trials
 Synthetic overview of selected pilots (1 or 2 slides per site)
 Name of the site (city/town)
 Location (region, country, rural, semi-urban, island, etc.)
 Number and type of users







student, teacher, farmer, SME, doctor, administration, etc.
Type of applications (virtual classroom, etc.)
Network architecture overview
Contact point at National Coordinator
Contact point at local site (key user, town hall, etc.)
Deployment: actual or planned installation dates
Plans for services continuity after Ruralwings
 Common Excel sheet with status of selected sites
 Common Excel sheet with user’s classification of pilot sites
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RURAL WINGS IP
Next steps: WP 6B – Training of the users
 Talks with local authorities to promote the use of the
broadband internet in their villages
 Support the local communities technically in order to install
satellite and WiFi to cover the village
 Organise presentations to the village informing the local
people from the benefits of using the internet, listen to
them and give them new ideas
 Provide training to local communities on basic ICT skills
 Sharing the experience of other areas and communities
that they already use the internet for various activities such
as education, business, entertainment etc
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Next steps: WP 7: Evaluation

Network usage monitoring
 Upload & Download volume and bandwidth
 Applications & Protocols: web browsing (http, https), file transfers
(FTP,FTPS), mailing (POP3, SMTP), online streaming (RTSP, Msplayer,
…), Peer to Peer, etc
 TCP/UDP Connections (recommended but more difficult to measure)

Based on the real usage needs to tailor a service targeting
educational market

Network reliability evaluation






Incident notification: Hotline phone, mail,online form, monitoring, etc.
Network component: Satellite modem, antenna, router,…
Type of incident: hardware, software, manipulation, …
Solution applied: Replacement, Reboot, Re-configuration …
Intervention: remote or on-site
Resolution time: time required for solving the incident.
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RURAL WINGS IP
Next steps: WP 8: Market investigation
 To be completed by Avanti
Brussels, 15 October, 2007
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RURAL WINGS IP
Thank you for your attention.
Toulouse, 21-22 March, 2007
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