Analysis of the urban/rural broadband divide in Canada: Using GIS in planning terrestrial wireless deployment
Government Information Quarterly, 23 (3):
454-479 (2006)M3: Article; Sawada, M. 1; Email Address: msawada@uottawa.ca; Cossette, Daniel 1; Wellar, Barry 2; Kurt, Tolga 3; Affiliations: 1: Laboratory for Applied Geomatics and GIS Science (LAGISS), Department of Geography, University of Ottawa, Canada 2: Department of Geography, University of Ottawa, and former Advisor for Federal Task Force on Tax Benefits for Northern and Isolated Regions, Canada 3: School of Information Technology and Engineering, University of Ottawa and Research Engineer for Ericsson TEMS, Canada Source Info: 2006, Vol. 23 Issue 3/4, p454; Thesaurus Term: WIRELESS communication systems; Thesaurus Term: BROADBAND communication systems; Thesaurus Term: GEOGRAPHIC information systems; Thesaurus Term: INTERNET service providers; Number of Pages: 26p. Document Type: Article.Abstract
Abstract: Millions of Canadians residing in Canada's northern, isolated, rural, and remote communities do not have broadband Internet access. This situation has led to a national “broadband divide.” That is, the deployment of wireline broadband is very limited in Canada's northern, isolated, rural, and remote areas because of the significant expense of installation and maintenance of the wired infrastructure needed to reach dwellings in these locations. Terrestrial broadband wireless technology, on the other hand, does not entail the same kind of physical infrastructure. As a result, there are dramatic changes in how spatial considerations affect the provision of broadband Internet services (BIS) to areas beyond the urban zone. In particular, the spatial question is now focused on assessing the capacity for different technological solutions to reach profitable population bases, and brings to the forefront organizations that are developing non-line-of-sight (NLOS) technologies that would permit wireless Internet access over much greater distances than current solutions. We begin this paper by establishing the importance of broadband connectivity to Canada's northern, isolated, rural, and remote communities. This discussion comments on the role of the Government of Canada in the provision of broadband connectivity to residents of these communities, and outlines the current regulatory issues that govern wireless services and policy formulation. The second part of the paper illustrates the use of geographic information system (GIS) approaches in the study of wireless broadband planning and deployment. Case study findings suggest that GIS applications can make a significant contribution to the analysis of wireless deployment planning, to the understanding of the relationships between wireless signal sources and consumers, and to the spatial configuration of terrestrial wireless broadband networks. We conclude the paper by discussing how the GIS approach ... Copyright 2006 Elsevier; Copyright of Government Information Quarterly is the property of Elsevier Science Publishing Company, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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