Rural High Speed Internet Blueprints
The following blueprints were developed based on the results of deploying innovative broadband solutions for Ontario communities facing specific barriers to cost-effective high-speed internet. As part of the CENGN Residential Broadband Program, each blueprint exists to share proven technical solutions for service providers, so they can reduce network costs and accelerate deployment timeframes in other communities facing similar broadband deployment barriers.
| Blueprint | Problem | Tech Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid Optical – Microwave on Hilly Terrain Download Blueprint | Extending high-speed internet access to a small distant rural neighbourhood, separated from a larger community with an existing high-speed Internet point of presence (POP) by more than ten kilometers of hilly and rocky forested terrain across a large waterbody. | • Existing telecommunications tower at larger community • A newly built 200’ tower at distant community • Wireless licensed microwave backhaul link to reduce middle-km costs instead of 21 km of fibre to larger community • A newly built 4 km Fibre Ring to access up to 200 homes in the distant community • Fibre-to-the-home to future proof the last km part of the network to subscriber’s homes • Fibre in shoulder of the road to simplify and reduce the cost of installation |
| Fixed Wireless Access within 3 Kilometers Download Blueprint | Extending high-speed internet access up to three kilometers within a rural community, with an existing high-speed Internet point of presence (POP). | • Existing telecommunications POP in the Municipal Office • A newly built 100’ non-ground penetrating tower beside the local community centre • Multiple wireless technologies to improve community coverage and user experience • Unlicensed 2.4 Gbps and 5 Gbps WIFI wireless coverage for high-speed internet access for those with clear line of sight to the new tower • One of first commercial uses of TV White Space (TVWS) technology wireless coverage for high-speed internet access (700 Mbps) for those with heavier tree cover • Triple play service offering including VOIP phone service, TV over IP, and high-speed internet |
| Hybrid Optical – Wireless within 10 Kilometers and Optical Fibre Download Blueprint | Extending high-speed internet access across an entire rural township with an existing point of presence (POP) to rural residents living in a small village. | • A newly built 200’ wireless backhaul and distribution tower • 4 existing 120′ grain elevators to act as distribution towers • Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) optical distribution in a village • 60GHz wireless distribution within a small hamlet • Hybrid service offering of 3.65GHz LTE and 5GHz unlicensed |
| Fixed Wireless Access from Small-Footprint Towers for Lake-District Download Blueprint | Extending high-speed Internet service to a northern Ontario lake-centered community that includes several small villages, as well as outlying waterfront and nearby properties 3-5 km away. | • Three newly built small-footprint self-supporting towers on unused municipally owned narrow road allowances • Upgraded radio equipment on an owned tower to offer 50/10 services • Multiple low-profile towers widely distributed along the lake shore • Two different radio frequencies for adjacent towers to minimize interference and speed up installations |
| Gigabit Passive Optical Network on Steep-Valley Roads Download Blueprint | Extending “last kilometer” high-speed Internet service to a deep-narrow forested valley area including a rural community of highly dispersed road-adjacent homes. | • 15 km of buried Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) fibre distribution using micro-duct technology to provide Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) • Multi-strand fibre for distribution and single strand fibre for homes to reduce cost and simplify installation • Multi-level optical splitter architecture to reduce fibre count and cost Drilling under multi-lane highway to reduce future cost to move fibre from underpasses |
| Fixed Wireless Access using Single Tower in Unused Road Allowance Download Blueprint | Extending “last kilometer” high-speed Internet service to shoreline residents around a bay in a hilly, forested, and rocky lake district. | • Newly built small-footprint self-supporting tower on an unused municipally owned narrow road allowance • A low-profile tower built back from the lake shore to minimize visual impact from the water • Beam forming and Multi-User MIMO technology to reduce interference and gain higher spectral efficiency to improve internet service to subscribers |
| Fixed Wireless Access over 5G in Marshy Rural Area Download Blueprint | Modernize the Internet service for a community on soft-soil and marshy terrain, by introducing a new “last kilometer” and “middle kilometer” wireless access network. | • Caisson-based construction for achieving stable foundations for communication towers and equipment compounds in soft (muck) ground. • Design and engineering of one of the first fixed wireless access networks based on the unprecedented 5G technology. |
| Using New Utility-Pole Mounted Radio Technology to Service a Community with Rolling Hills Download Blueprint | Modernize the high-speed Internet service for sparsely situated residences on a relatively flat landscape with some modest rolling hills and some forested areas by utilizing a network of power-utility poles. | • Novel wireless mesh Data Pipeline technology avoiding the need for an expensive centralized tower-based solution. • A flexible, adaptable and scalable network design overcoming the terrain and geographical constraints of traditional tower-based solutions. • A unique business model combining equipment innovation, design, and manufacture with Internet service operations under one business organization. |
| Using a Combination of Existing Municipal Towers and New Towers to Service Lakeside Residents Download Blueprint | Modernize the high-speed Internet service for residences distributed among several disparate small towns in a forested and hilly lake area | • Multiple wireless technologies to overcome terrain topology, tree cover, line of sight, and sub-scriber distance conditions and constraints. • Tall water and fire towers for fixed wireless access points. • Wi-Fi mesh network technology to provide ubiquitous and continuous connectivity within a town core and selected public areas. |
| Using Hybrid Wireless Technology with a Non-Ground Penetrating Tower to service Multiple Lakeside Communities Download Blueprint | Introduce a “last kilometer” wireless access network from two new towers in a community dispersed throughout a main village, a long winding road, and several very remote hamlets, all within a rocky and heavily forested landscape. | • A novel non-ground-breaking tower to avoid expensive tower foundation excavation in bedrock. • Solar-electric power to completely power a tower site off the grid, averting delays and difficulties in electrical installation from a utility’s power grid. • Multiple wireless technologies to overcome terrain topology, tree cover, line of sight, and sub-scriber distance conditions and constraints. |
Learn more about the CENGN Residential Broadband Program, each residential broadband project, and how the program enables high speed connectivity across Rural and Northern Ontario
Be Connected to Canada’s Tech Innovation and Community
Sign up for our monthly newsletter and stay up to date on the latest news, events, programs, and new projects.