Abstract
Progress in communication applications has led to various advances in broadband
technologies. The main reason is that modern applications require very fast data
processing and transmission with low latency. Consequently, fibre optic based
medium is seen as a medium that meets these stringent requirements. Fibre optic
has many inherent advantages that allows it to handle high data demanding
applications. Furthermore, although fibre optic access networks are present in urban
areas, mostly in a form of FTTH (fibre to the home) architecture, these networks are
not common in rural areas.
The supposed challenges with fibre optic access network as a rural broadband access
solution is attributed to the speculated high installation costs associated with long
distance digging and trenching. As a result, the main research problem is that rural
areas have low density of people and are remote, making it very difficult for service
providers to achieve economy of scale amidst the speculated high network costs.
The research objective is to assess the fibre optic network’s deployment costeffectiveness
through a full lifecycle cost analysis in comparison with existing
broadband technologies in these areas. The research will as a result conduct a full
lifecycle costs analysis of both a fibre optic network and an existing rural wireless
network in these areas. A full lifecycle cost analysis will be conducted from the
network’s planning phase up to the retirement phase.
This research aims to deliver knowledge on broadband network’s lifecycle cost’s
status in South African rural areas. This knowledge will as a result benefit the
telecommunication industry and community as a whole because it provides crucial
knowledge on broadband network’s lifecycle costs in South African rural areas.
Numerous scholars and interest groups have explored the supply side aspects of
broadband provisioning, but with regard to the determination of costs, few studies have
analysed in detail the lifecycle cost of broadband networks in rural areas.
M.Phil. (Engineering Management)