Using multi-hop for broadband fixed wireless access in rural areas

The use of 802.11(Wi-Fi) wireless technology for broadband access has become prevalent within homes and businesses and is now finding application in urban areas as an alternative to wired connectivity such as DSL and cable. The cost benefits and utility of wireless access have been well demonstrated in urban and metropolitan areas, but factors such as distance, sparseness and terrain have limited its use in rural areas. In a previous paper we examined the economics of broadband wireless access in the rural domain and demonstrated that cost-effective, affordable high-speed Internet access can be provided in rural and remote areas using non-traditional and innovative approaches [1]. In that paper we briefly examined the potential of using multi-hop in very sparse areas to extend the reach and lower the cost of more conventional point-to-multipoint access system architectures. Here we examine the possibilities of using multi-hop in more detail and applying life cycle analysis, establish the domains where it can be cost-effectively utilized to provide broadband Internet access. Our results indicate that multi-hop can be cost effective in very sparsely populated areas. We also find that multi-hop systems become capacity limited due to congestion on the hop closest to the Internet connection point, favoring the use of high-bandwidth, but shorter range technology such as 802.11g