This combined architecture is part of the Remote Community Solution

Key benefits of the Remote Community Solution:

• Combined benefits of both Local Connectivity™ and Split Architecture™
• VSAT & GSM bundling
• Fully Managed Service
• Optimisation of newly designed IP core network

The World’s Most Cost-effective Solution for Remote Communities

The Remote Community Solution is a combination of the two Altobridge breakthrough technologies – Split Architecture and Local Connectivity. Together with a cost-effective remote base station, mobile network operators (MNOs) can benefit from what all indicators suggest to be the world’s most operationally and cost-efficient communications solution for remote communities.

The Remote Community Solution not only combines the local switching and transmission-saving benefits of its technologies, but also incorporates VSAT & GSM bundling and a Fully Managed Service.

This solution is of particular benefit to smaller communities of up to 500 subscribers, where until now, MNOs and most often local governments have been forced to subsidise a previously unprofitable service offering, or not deliver services at all. In the case of the MNOs who to date have deployed the Remote Community Solution, they have shown a positive return on investment (ROI) for providing their services to small ultra rural communities.

Bundling VSAT & GSM

A VSAT is a two-way satellite ground station with a dish antenna that is smaller than 3 metres. Low-cost VSAT systems today exist in their thousands already deployed and very much under-utilised in small remote communities throughout developing and emerging countries.

It is this existing installed base of VSAT terminals throughout the world, which presents Altobridge with a further, opportunity by ‘bundling’ its Remote Community Solution (which provides GSM service) with existing VSAT systems already in place.

MNOs have already identified this installed base as the ideal, cost-effective means of rapidly extending their GSM services to small remote communities. By ‘bundling’ GSM and VSAT at remote locations, ‘Sathaul’ – base stations backhauled over satellite – provides operators with an effective and practical means of delivering GSM services to remote regions.

Importantly, the Altobridge software solutions are ‘agnostic’ to hardware and can be used on other manufacturers IP routers/servers or integrated into base stations. This model focuses on getting the best components out of all players, without bias. Altobridge is ideally placed to facilitate various suppliers, in contrast to the leading industry players who do not work with alternative Base Stations.

As the Split Architecture resides on either side of the satellite backhaul link, it is in full control of how and what is transferred over the link. In addition to just optimising the payload, by removing padding and silent frames, the Split Architecture transcodes the signal. The transcoded signal requires 5-8 kbit/s per active voice channel, compared to 17-25 kbit/s required by competing solutions. In many areas of the world, the difference represents 4-5 US cents per minute, effectively an operator’s entire profit margin. Add to that the idle load and it becomes clear that the Altobridge Remote Community solution is ideal for profitably addressing small remote communities.

The Fully Managed Service includes:

• Network dimensioning and capacity analysis of interfaces towards operator core nodes
• Fault management and field maintenance activities
• Optimisation of VSAT radio interface to ensure that expensive backhaul is dimensioned correctly
• In-house developed tools to monitor and report on performance management
• Reporting of network/cell KPIs to network operator
• Security, user administration, firewall management