Broadband for Chilham

2010 Did Broadband for Chilham for Kent County Council Prepared by Internal Communication Systems Limited for the successful 20 Mbit/s full Duplex, Fibre to the Home Bid for the Kent Village of Selling, Hogbens Hill, Neames Forstal and the surrounding areas. Bill Mabey Internal Communication Systems Limited 5/5/2010

Background to the Tender Kent County Council (KCC) have identified that the area of Chilham, South of Selling Parish, suffers from a lack of broadband availability and the area is colloquially known as a not spot. This impacts both residential and commercial properties and has a significant impact on the lives of residents and the ability of local companies to conduct business effectively. Capability to Deliver Internal Communication Systems has the skill, knowledge and capability to deliver dedicated Full Duplex (same speed in both directions) to enable both fast Downloading and Uploading of information at 1000 Mbit/s. Internal Communication Systems was awarded the adjacent FTTH Selling Parish Council Tender and the resources from this contract could be used to quickly implement Broadband service to Shottenden initially and then increase the FTTH coverage of the Chilham Area by building a new Telephone Exchange in the Old Wives Lees area to serve both Chilham and Old Wives Lees and the surrounding areas. This new Telephone Exchange would have a direct Kent CC Public Service Feed to St Marys CEP School in Chilham. This new Kent CC broadband link would serve the Chilham area and provide a backup for the Selling broadband network. Likewise the Selling network would provide a backup for the Chilham network. Thus ensuring both networks have reliable backups and security. The network to achieve these speeds can only be constructed using Fibre to the Home (FTTH) technology. This means that each individual customer is provided with a dedicated pair of fibres going directly from the Exchange to each customer or business. Performance of an FTTH Network An FTTH network is the only technology capable of giving uniform speeds to the whole network and scalable to unlimited speeds. Fibre cable has no upper bandwidth limit or restrictions. To give a lay person some idea of the capacity of optical fibres; the two dedicated fibres we will install to each dwelling is capable of carrying all the telephone conversations being made at any time in the world. No other network whether it is Satellite, Wireless or Fibre to the Cabinet is capable of carrying this amount of traffic. All these solutions or technologies have technical limits or restrictions. Reliability of Fibre to the Home The key to providing FTTH reliability is that each FTTH link is contained safely within a sub duct which is in turn protected by an underground duct. Underground ducts are secure from the elements and not subject to damage by vehicles and fallen trees. The FTTH network ensures that there are two network paths between any two points of the network, so failure in any network segment or switching node will not cause a service failure. ICS Ltd, Unit 88, Capital Business Centre, 22 Carlton Road, South Croydon, CR2 0BS, 020 8683 0011 Page 2 of 12

Performance of the Network Optical fibre is not affected by the weather, climatic conditions, or external interference from electrical influences and other factors. Optical fibre transmission systems using Ethernet technology applies advanced technologies to monitor the network for potential faults. Security of the System The other factor that is often forgotten with the use of optical fibre is security. It is impossible to tap into Optical Fibre Cables -because of this optical fibres are used by the Police and security services. It is reliable and incorporating further features, allows the full monitoring of the network making it suitable for secure Alarm Systems features that are not available on copper or wireless systems without considerable additional expense. Management of Traffic on the Network To implement the Transport Network, Internal Communication Systems will deploy carrier class Allied Telesys Metro Technology. The software running on these Switches and Routers allows for traffic segregation and rapid re-routing in the event of faults. All software complies with industry standard protocols ensuring fully tested reliable solutions. Switch layer 3 capability The layer 3 network is path switching. This allows for automatic configuration of links to reflect network traffic. Layer 3 networks allow for the different customer traffic to take different routes. Layer 3 networks allow for optimal path to minimise latency and jotter. Layer 3 provides for the tagging and segregation of traffic. Utilising this technology Internal Communication Systems are able to provide multiple VLANS on the network on a per customer basis - especially good for home to business secure links. Delivering the Future with Fibre to the Home Today it is considered that excellent communications are as important as the supply of Electricity, Water and Gas to Homes and Businesses. South Korea s government policy is to provide 100 Mbit/s service as standard, and at these speeds it is fully expected that the Gross Domestic product of each family will double in the next five years. The Koreans as the Japanese, expect the quality of life to be greatly enhanced with good broadband communications to everybody and not just the few. Performance of other Broadband Technologies Some Broadband service is preferable to no Broadband service at all. The alternative technologies available are Satellite, Wireless and Fibre to the Cabinet and all have severe limitations. When these technologies are discussed the following statements are often used:- ICS Ltd, Unit 88, Capital Business Centre, 22 Carlton Road, South Croydon, CR2 0BS, 020 8683 0011 Page 3 of 12

you will get up to 40 Mbit/s - means it may be possible. However if you are a long way from the source of the signal, you will get nothing, Companies take your money. up to 20 times faster - means nothing if you do not know the speed in the first instance. There have been too many instances where these technologies have been deployed in the UK, that have been proved to be unreliable and the networks closes. When that happens dreams fade and valuable money is wasted. Only Fibre to the Home will ensure that all customers regardless of distance will receive 20 Mbit/s or higher I will discuss the problems with other technologies, to give the reader insight into these limitations. Satellite There is good Satellite coverage of the UK. Speeds tend to be around 10 20 Mbit/s. The service is relatively expensive and like wireless service is not always receivable if there are obstructions such as hills, woods and buildings. Due to the distance the Satellite signals have to travel from the transmitting station to the receiving station, there are significant delays which affect voice and data. If two Satellite links are used, delays are very significant and it is almost impossible to hold a telephone conversation over two Satellite links. If the Satellite service is interactive, you will need a Plain Copper Telephone Service Line to communicate your information instructions. Exactly the same as Sky if you want to utilise various services. Wireless Since BT commenced selling its Telephone Exchanges, (making the situation of being too far away from the Exchange worse), Wireless has been seen as an attractive alternative option. There are serious drawbacks with deploying Wireless Broadband as follows:- Low Broadband speeds Poor coverage due to natural features and interference. Inclement weather effecting signal reception. Low take up causing maintenance and financial stability problems. In most cases the above factors contribute to the eventual closure of the network. Fibre to the Cabinet Currently BT and Virgins options to deploy High Speed Broadband networks, use Optical Fibre Cable connections from the Exchange to the Distribution Cabinets, situated in specific locations in residential and business areas. At these Cabinets the Optical Fibre signals are converted from light to electrical signals for final transmission to the customer over the existing copper cables. Distance from the Cabinet is critical as the signals tend to dissipate over just a few hundred yards. Anyone living more than half a mile from a Cabinet is unlikely to receive any signal at all. ICS Ltd, Unit 88, Capital Business Centre, 22 Carlton Road, South Croydon, CR2 0BS, 020 8683 0011 Page 4 of 12

In rural districts there is also a further problem, in that there are few ducts to install the Optical Fibre to the Cabinet and ducts will need to be provided. This duct provision may well run into hundreds of thousands of Pounds. The signal/distance problem would wipe out any benefit FTTC would give apart from just a few homes close to the Cabinet (closer than 400 yards). An Example of Fibre to the Cabinet (FFTC) is given by British Telecom s proposal for another Kent not spot Iwade, located just south of the Isle of Sheppey New Road crossing. Iwade is served by BT and Virgin Media, from the Sittingbourne Exchange. Unfortunately the distances from the Exchanges of both BT and Virgin Media are too great for reasonable or reliable Broadband service. BT proposed providing a Fibre Cable to each of the four distribution cabinets and the results of the proposed service are given in the plan shown below. Unfortunately customers even within the 408 metre range of the cabinet do not receive the full 15 Mbit/s BT claims FTTC will deliver. Customers further than 400 yards will only be assured of no lower than 2 Mbit/s, but the note on the side of the map gives BT s best estimate. There are many other factors such as old cables, aluminium cables, poor joints and thin copper cables, that in instances, despite all the work and money spent, there will still be no service. Only Fibre to the Home will ensure all customers regardless of distance will receive 20 Mbit/s and above to ALL customers in the areas who require Broadband. Examples of Wireless and Fibre to the Cabinet Solutions that shows the severe limitations of each option. The first is VFast s approach to delivering the solution to another Kent not spot Iwade near Sittingbourne. The solution is reproduced in full, along with the speeds and packages available. VFasts Iwade wireless solution. We have currently supplied the village of Iwade with wireless broadband for the past three years. We took over the network from the previous supplier in November 2006 and have made progress upgrading and improving the network. Our coverage at present is limited and not available to the village as a whole. With funding we would be able to extend coverage and speed for existing customers. The network is fed using a 45 Mb point to point links from our Gigabit fibre POP in Sittingbourne. The image that follows illustrates the coverage planned. Approach Our approach to the Iwade solution would be to focus on increasing coverage by the addition of a few key extenders and perhaps 4 gateways. We would install pico cells in area s which prove to be more challenging. These would be a cost effective way of delivering the solution. Iwade Summary In order to increase our coverage of Iwade, we would need to expand our existing network and increase the current backhaul that is in place, in order to accommodate the increase in traffic and demand that will be placed on the network. Due to the variation in properties in the area, new infrastructure will need to be sited carefully in order to avoid obstructions. There are many three ICS Ltd, Unit 88, Capital Business Centre, 22 Carlton Road, South Croydon, CR2 0BS, 020 8683 0011 Page 5 of 12

storey properties amongst the newer builds in the area, and these can cause an obstruction for some of the residents. One way to overcome this would be to site infrastructure on existing street furniture. If we were able to use street lamps to mount equipment, this would enable us to build the network precisely in order to maximise coverage. Permission would need to be granted from KCC in order for this to happen and for un-adopted roads from Developers. From the date of tender acceptance and infrastructure payment, we would be able to put in place the required equipment to enable us to bring customers on line within 28 days. This would mean that customers within the coverage range above would be able to receive service speed at speeds up to 10mbit in both directions subject to topology and obstructions. Vfast Pricing Package for Iwade Packages Available Vlite Vhome Vmax Speed (Down/Up) 2mpbs/256kps Up to 10mbs/2mbs Up to 10 mbs/10mbs Cost per month 17.99 24.99* 36.99* Vfast speed is dependent on weather, obstructions and distance. Internal Communication Systems pricing is Double the speed for the same price and is guaranteed at the Home 20 Mbit/s. BT and the Fibre to the Cabinet solution Speed and distance from the Cabinet The first BT drawing shows the options available to them. BT s solution is shown in the first schematic drawing. Although not shown, the FTTC option is distance limited. Any customer more than just a few hundred yards from the cabinet suffers a reduction in speed due to distance limitations. If distance/speed limitations were to be eliminated using FTTC, BT would need to install a cabinet every 500 yards apart on a matrix network, and even then factors such as the type and age of the cable have to be taken into account. Coverage and Expected Speeds The second BT drawing shows their FTTC option for Iwade a not spot near Sittingbourne. The drawing was created showing BT s expected best speed for the area if FTTC was deployed. It can clearly be seen that even within the Village there are customers that will not receive the 15 Mbit/s. No resident outside the village will receive anywhere near the 15 Mbit/s. It is unlikely that some of the furthest away from the village will in fact receive ANY broadband. The FTTC option has no solution to distance limitations and these residents would have no benefit from FTTC deployment. The distance scale at the bottom of the map, gives some idea as to speeds and reach of the FTTC. You must remember that the drawing shows BT s BEST performance option and states so on the drawing. In reality the performance could well be a lot worse. ICS Ltd, Unit 88, Capital Business Centre, 22 Carlton Road, South Croydon, CR2 0BS, 020 8683 0011 Page 6 of 12

Cost of an FTTC solution The third drawing or picture from BT shows the relevant costing of BT s FTTC and FTTP (BT s version of our FTTP solution). The FTTC option clearly states 20,000 per cabinet. The problem with rural areas is that BT does not usually deploy cabinets. The reach is given as not more than 2 Km. the second BT drawing clearly shows this is not the case. In the BT option of FTTH they have the following pre-conditions: Spare Fibre being available to serve these areas For FTTP, availability of local duct space all the way to the home. It is usual for BT to deploy overhead wiring on existing homes and businesses. This overhead distribution can be seen in many Roads and Streets throughout the UK, in rural districts it is more common to see this type of overhead distribution to the Home, but also common to see overhead spans feeding these overhead distribution poles. It is rare for any home in rural districts to be supplied with underground telephone service. This makes the deployment of BT s FTTP deployment impossible to install, without extensive duct installation. BT s charges for duct installation are expensive and amounts to over 100.00 per yard for installation into a road. BT Service type Light User Medium User Heavy User Line Rental*** 11.54 11.54 11.54 Cost per month** 15.99 20.99 24.99 Monthly Usage 10 Gb 15 Gb* Unlimited* *Fair user policy **After special offers *** Line Rental due for increase BT speed is dependent on Distance and like most not spot areas, do not guarantee any speeds if you are too far from the Telephone Exchange. The BT speed is advertised as up to 8 Mbit/s for Download and up to 250 Kbit/s for Upload. In reality, especially as this area is a not spot. This pricing and Up to speeds are not relevant. Even if BT did provide service Internal Communication Systems Speed and service represents very good value for money. If VOIP service were included in the package the combined pricing would be very attractive indeed. ICS Ltd, Unit 88, Capital Business Centre, 22 Carlton Road, South Croydon, CR2 0BS, 020 8683 0011 Page 7 of 12

ICS Ltd, Unit 88, Capital Business Centre, 22 Carlton Road, South Croydon, CR2 0BS, 020 8683 0011 Page 8 of 12

Why Choose Internal Communication Systems Fibre to the Home solution for Chilham? Fibre to the Home is the solution to choose. It has no restrictions for topology and obstructions and no distance limitations. Every customer requiring Broadband Service will receive the maximum internal network speed of 1000 Mbit/s for future expansion of internet speeds and services, such as VOIP, IPTV, telemedical services etc. The initial access to the Web will be 20 Mbit/s, and increase as rates reduce and more customers join the network. The map above shows the FTTH (Red Dots) coverage and the speeds expected compared with the original tender map. Every dwelling will receive 20 Mbit/s for Internet service and be connected to our Exchange with a dedicated 1000 Mbit/s Optical Fibre Line for future expansion of services and internet speeds as the customer base increases. The residential pricing for the Optical Fibre Line and Broadband is shown on the following table along with the services the customers expect to receive. Premium Home ICS Service Type Light Home User Standard Home User User Line Rental Home 17.99 17.99 17.99 Speed ( Down/Up ) 20Mb/s / 20Mb/s 20Mb/s / 20Mb/s 20Mb/s / 20Mb/s Cost per month 17.99 24.99 36.99 E mail Addresses 1 5 10 Internet Browsing X Web Space X 100 Mb/s 200 Mb/s ICS Ltd, Unit 88, Capital Business Centre, 22 Carlton Road, South Croydon, CR2 0BS, 020 8683 0011 Page 11 of 12

VPN Compatible X VOIP Compatible IPTV Compatible Online gaming X Console gaming X File sharing X Router Compatible X Monthly Usage 15 Gb Unlimited* Unlimited* Voice Over Internet Protocol Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) service with free anytime calls* to 01, 02 and 03 numbers is available at 12.50 per line and is cheaper than either BT or TalkTalk. The VOIP service can be provided without Broadband service. If you need two or more telephone lines, you need only to rent one Optical Fibre Line, enabling further savings. A single Optical Fibre has the capability to support up to 4000 standard telephone line. The Internal Communication System Broadband is fully battery backed, important in Rural areas enabling Emergency calls to be made 24/7. Special Offer Cease your BT line and keep your number and take out a Fibre Line, Broadband and VOIP service bundle for 44.99 The price is also attractive as Optical Fibre networks do not pay the copper line levy, which currently commences at 6.00 per year plus VAT. All prices shown include VAT at the standard rate. Our bid price for enabling the Chilham Area with FTTH Broadband is 50,000. ICS Ltd, Unit 88, Capital Business Centre, 22 Carlton Road, South Croydon, CR2 0BS, 020 8683 0011 Page 12 of 12