Optical Networks in Greece: Past, Present, and Future Christos Bouras Professor Computer Engineering and Informatics Dept., Univ. of Patras, and Computer.

Optical Networks in Greece: Past, Present, and FutureChristos Bouras Professor

Computer Engineering and Informatics Dept., Univ. of Patras, andComputer Technology Institute & Press “Diophantus”

http://ru6.cti.gr/ru6/bouras/[email protected], [email protected]

Outline

What has been done in Greece The situation worldwide Broadband penetration in Greece Where we are today How we should move forward

What has been done in Greece (1/4)

Projects to develop optical networks from the Operational Programme “Information Society” Call 93 and Call 145: Development of Additional

Broadband Infrastructure (Implementation of Broadband Metropolitan Optical Networks) in less developed areas of the Greek Territory

Projects approved for 69 Municipalities, under Call 93, and for 6 additional Municipalities, under Call 145

Outside Athens and Thesssaloniki Call 195: Extension of the of Broadband Metropolitan

Optical Networks than had been funded through Calls 93 and 145 of the OP “Information Society”

What has been done in Greece (2/4)

Pertinent projects to raise awareness and increase demand for braodband services Call 84 and Call 192: Promotion of the Demand for Broadband

Services

Pertinent projects to implement wireless networks in smaller Municipalities Call 105

Various other actions to implement Wi-Fi hotspots in areas of public interest

What has been done in Greece (3/4)

Implementation of Broadband Metropolitan Optical Networks Interconnect Points of Presence

of the Public Sector Mostly passive network

There is some active equipment to activate some connections

Remote Points of Presence connected through wireless connections.

Enough optical fibres to cover all the Points of Presence of the Public Sector

Existence of unused fibres and empty ducts for future connections and future expansion

What has been done in Greece (4/4)

Relatively very low (if not zero) use of the infrastructure There was a provision for guidelines and exploitation plans from

the central government that the Municipalities were bound to follow

However no such guidelines and exploitation plans were issues, although the technical consultant submitted their proposals

No legal entity was formed to exploit the infrastructure The infrastructure does not receive systematic/regular

maintenance The Greek School Network makes good use of the connections

terminated to schools There are some other occasional uses of the infrastructure

The infrastructure was offered to the potential contactors of SYZEYXIS II, as an asset to be used the implementation of it; although it is quite questionable how useful and how exploitable this infrastructure is

The situation worldwide (1/3) In many countries a big percentage of the broadband connections are

through an optical access network (FTTH/FTTP/FTTB) Indicative percentages of the optical connections over all the broadband

connections: Japan: 72.7% Korea: 68.0% Sweden: 43.7% Estonia: 32.9% Norway: 29.3% Slovak Republic: 25.8% Iceland: 25.0% Slovenia: 22.0% Portugal: 22.0% Denmark: 21.6%

This percentage for Greece is practically zero (0.1%) The average percentage of the optical connections over all the broadband

connections in the OECD countries is 17.1% But in many of theme there is a cable tv network

i.e. the rest of the connections are not based only on xDSL

The situation worldwide (2/3) Many cities/mucipalities abroad have FTTH/FTTP/FFTB

networks and thus their citizens enjoy super-high speed network connections

Indicative examples of municipal/community optical networks Already from 2000, the local authorities of the Vastera area in

Sweden, were the first to start a cross-municipal enterprise, in cooperation with the municipal power corporation, to implement and operate an open-access broadband optical network

The exploitation model selected is based in a system where the cross-municipal enterprise, that offers the infrastructure, and the Internet Service Providers share the income from its use

In the city of Chattanooga, in Tennessee, USA, the local electricity provider operates an optical network and offers 1Gbps connections (at $69/month)

The situation worldwide (3/3) Indicative examples of municipal/community optical networks (cont.)

Recently a municipal Internet Service provider in Salisbury, North Carolina, USA, announced the availability of a 10Gbps service (!) covering all the city, addressing both enterprises and citizens.

The local company Fibrant, that developed the optical network, was created fiev years ago , after the inability of the local authorities to persuaded the private sector network providers to upgrade their infrastructure

In Borwick (a small community, in a rural area near Lancaster), in the United Kingdom, the residents, since the telecommunication providers did not offer equivalent services, and after failing to attract funding from the local government , decided to and built their own FTTH network, by opening trenches and laying daucts and optical fibres themselves

The network offers 1Gbps access connections Many more other similar examples have been recorded in the best

practices page http://broadband.cti.gr/el/best_practices/best_practices_examples.php of the web site for the promotion of broadband culture http://broadband.cti.gr/

Broadband penetration in Greece (1/4)

Broadband penetration Greece slowly approaching the EU average

Fixed broadband penetration (subscriptions as a % of population), January 2015

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Broadband penetration in Greece (2/4)

Increase in penetration rate Greece is second best !!!

Fixed broadband penetration (subscriptions as a % of population) and speed of progress, January 2014 - January 2015

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Broadband penetration in Greece (3/4)

The progress of broadband penetration in Greece and convergence with the EU average

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Broadband penetration in Greece (4/4)

Usage of broadband technologies Unfortunately the broadband penetration in Greece is

almost exclusive based on xDSL technologies

Fixed broadband subscriptions - technology market shares, January 2015

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DSL lines % (VDSL included) Cable modem % (DOCSIS 3.0 included) FTTH/B % Other %

Where we are today (1/3)

SYZEYXIS Backbone and access network for the public sector agencies,

aiming at covering all their communication needs amongst them, with 

Telephony (phoen communication between the agencies), Data (communication between computers – Internet), and  Video (teleconferencing – open and distance learning).

Network services to 4.500 Points of Presence (i.e. buildings) of public sector agencies+

Will operate for approximately another year

Where we are today (2/3) SYZEYXIS ΙΙ

The network SYZEYXIS ΙΙ is designed to be the continuation of the network SYZEYXIS, aiming at

incorporating every building of the public sector agencies (estimated at 34,000 building including all schools)

Recently the agencies were asked to update the information on their points of presence

upgrading the broadband level of SYZEYXIS upgrading the existent services providing new value-added services

The implementation of the above targets, will be achived through the following 5 actions:

1. 8 “Islets” – Network access and telephony service for the agencies 2. Wireless “Islet” – Mobility services 3. Access–Security–Telephony infrastructure4. “Islets” interconnection service – SIX, and Network Data Centres5. ΙSP/SLA services of SYZEYXIS ΙΙ

Where we are today (3/3) Rural Broadband: Implementation of Broadband Infrastructure in

Rural “White” Areas of the Greek Territory, and Services for the Exploitation of the Infrastructure using PPP Procedures for Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Installation and operation of broadband network infrastructure in “white”

rural and island areas (that amount to almost 50% of the Greek territory) Segmentation of the Greek territory in three areas (LOTs)

LOT 1: Thrace, Macedonia, western Epirus, North Aegean Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE S.A.)

LOT 2: Thessaly, eastern Central Greece, southern Epirus, Euboea, Cyclades consortium of Intrakat – Intracom Holdings – Hellas On Line

LOT 3: Peloponnese, central Central Greece, Dodecanese και Crete Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE S.A.)

Settlements with ≥ 400 inhabitants will be connected by fibre optic network, but the access network may be of another technology

The infrastructure is expected to be completed by the end of 2016

How we should move forward (1/3) The implementation of Next Generation Networks (i.e. fibre optic

networks) fosters growth and innovation, and where such networks have been implemented on a large scale, they created new jobs

It is very important that the projects in Greece proceed without delays and postponements

Furthermore, the agenda should include again the issue of the fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network The economic crisis and the financial problems seem to hamper the

development of FTTH networks But these networks are tools for the development and their

implementation should be strengthen Our country should not follow in the footsteps of other countries

staying at a distance behind them, but to jump ahead and implement new generation networks that reach the end user (citizen)

How we should move forward (2/3) Role and initiatives of the regional and the local administrations

(regions / municipalities) There are municipalities that have embraced new technologies and

participate in several on pilot projects, but they have to make the important step and proceed with the implementation of next generation networks on a large scale

There are good practices that have been successfully applied abroad and can be used as guidelines, e.g., Development of new generation networks by exploiting ways of other

utilities’ infrastructure Sustainable development models and exploitation Partnership with the private sector

How we should move forward (3/3)

Activation of citizens and local communities Informing citizens who do not know about the advantages of

optical networks Claiming new generation infrastructure for their area Possible local infrastructure building actions (especially in rural

or semi-urban areas where trenches can be easily drilled and without much restoration needed

The municipalities and utilities should facilitate such actions giving easily rights of way and data on existing utilities’ networks

Thank you very much!

Christos Bouras Professor

Computer Engineering and Informatics Dept., Univ. of Patras, andComputer Technology Institute & Press “Diophantus”

http://ru6.cti.gr/ru6/[email protected], [email protected]