Current Trends In Computing

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Several researchers are have been under done and are ongoing for improving the internet speed. First the internet started up with dial-up and then now we have found several broadband technologies which can applicable to different environments. Many technological services are now available that can provide us broadband speed. Such include fiber-optic internet, cable internet, ADSL internet, mobile broadband, WiMAX etc. Each of these technology has its most suitable environment. When choosing the right broadband technology, choosing the right suitable environment is required.

In our local City, Male’ located in Maldives. We have quite a less number of services provider but they do provide most of these broadband technologies. The most commonly selectable 4 broadband technologies are ADSL, Cable Internet, WiMAX and Lease Line Service.

ADSL

Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is one of the commonly and widely used broadband technologies globally. One of the most value added advantage over other broadband technologies that ADSL has is that it used the existing telephone lines to provide high bandwidth internet to home and business organizations. Margaret Rouse from Techtarget.com states that "ADSL was specifically designed to exploit the one-way nature of most multimedia communication in which large amounts of information flow toward the user and only a small amount of interactive control information is returned. Several experiments with ADSL to real users began in 1996. In 1998, wide-scale installations began in several parts of the U.S. In 2000 and beyond, ADSL and other forms of DSL are expected to become generally available in urban areas." (Rouse, 2006).

ADSL replaces the classic dial-up connection by providing it users with an "always on" Internet connection. . This form of technology uses the copper lines to send and receive data. This can be otherwise known as downloading and uploading data digitally, which separates the DataStream from analog frequency on which telephones and fax works. Due to the efficient method of working on both frequencies, users are able to use the telephone as well as surf the web at the same time.

In the City of Male’, there is only just one provider who provides ADSL Internet service which is "Dhivehi Raajjeyge Gulhun Plc" (Dhiraagu). Dhiraagu provides both home and business both limited and unlimited internet packages at various prices. Dhiraagu is the only leading provider who provides telephony service in Maldives. This allows them to provide ADSL technology based internet service to their end users.

Cost of Usage

The cost of usage is calculated by "summing the total upload and download bytes during the month regardless of how long the user stays connected to the internet." (Dhivehi Raajjeyge Gulhun Plc, n.d) According to Dhiraagu. However Dhiraagu provides home user packages both limited and unlimited internet packages. Dhiraagu also provides leased line services to business which has both limited and unlimited bandwidth.

Cost of equipment and Setup

        Cost of the equipment varies, this is mainly because the cost of the equipment and setup depends on the service that the use applies. For e.g.: if the user wishes to apply for Home Unlimited 512kbps Internet Broadband Package, the user would have to pay around RF 150/- for connection free existing connection. If the user doesn’t have an existing ADSL connection then the user would have to apply for a new connection which would cost around RF 500/- where the connection free varies. Also the customer would have to purchase and ADSL modem in order to access internet from using the ADSL Connection. This modem would be price ranged around RF 500- 1000. Depends on the user preference.

Security Risk

For ADSL users, the longer the user is available, the higher the risk of one's privacy being invaded. Seán Boran, a network analyst describes one of security issues. "Our computer could be misused to attack other machines (hundreds of so called 'attack (ro) bots’ or 'zombies' can be used to cause major disruption to other Internet sites or users."  (Boran, 2001). Without the correct measures of security ADSL users are quite vulnerable to the unethical attacks of hackers. The routers come with a username along with a password with which access to the router settings can be obtained and bring changes to the settings. However, the vulnerability lies within the default username and password that is brought along with the factory settings. As some users fail to change this username and password, hence enabling the hackers to gain unauthorized access to the router and its settings. In order to minimize this risk, it is advised to increase the security of the ADSL router by changing the default username and password.

Connection Speed

Dhiraagu, The only local internet provider which provide ADSL broadband, offers a variety of packages with different connection speeds. These packages include for Home use, Business owners, Limited and Unlimited. The home user’s packages provide shared bandwidth between users in a user pool. Also the connection speed would vary due to external and internal factors.

Availability

ADSL is provided by Dhiraagu, one of the internet service providers of Male' to all over the country. Within the capital city, this service is provided to everywhere. The requirement is to fill the appropriate forms at any of the Dhiraagu branches in the city and submit it with the required copies of the documents. Within 7 days, the customer will be reached on the phone and the actions will be taken to establish the connection.

Ease of use

Several users are upgrading to ADSL and it is a fact to be considered that not all users are highly knowledgeable in using technology, hence most require a service that is easy to use and understand. Dial-up users have upgraded to ADSL due to this reason. The internet speed is phenomenally faster compared to dial-up connection as well as the computer is always connected to internet and there is no need to manually connect is every time like with dial-up connections.

Services which use them

ADSL is used by a wide variety of users. As for business owners, shops and shopping malls these days mostly have a computer with ADSL connection, as this fast connection can be used in online supervision of the entire shop or mall as well as, keeping in contact with the shoppers abroad or otherwise. Home owners such as parents and students are very high in the number of users of ADSL. Students nowadays require fast internet for a lot of subjects as they include watching educational videos and reading articles. So for the fast streaming of videos and researching for many things at the same time require a very fast internet compared to before. Also ADSL provides the users a cheaper service where most of the downloading is also completely free.

Area Coverage

        Generally describing, unlike other broadband technologies, for a geographically wide area, ADSL area coverage is a pretty much limited broadband technology. This is mainly because that DSL itself a "Distant Sensitive" Technology. When the distance length of the connection increases the quality of the signal decreases and the speed of the connection degrades. "ADSL service has a maximum distance of 18,000 feet (5,460 m) between the DSL modem and the DSLAM, though for speed and quality of service reasons, many ADSL providers place an even lower limit on the distance. At the upper extreme of the distance limit, ADSL customers may experience speeds far below the promised maximums, whereas customers close the central office or DSL termination point may experience speeds approaching the maximum, and even beyond the current limit in the future." (Tyson, 2001)

Advantages

There are many benefits of using an ADSL connection. Some of which includes that the users are able to use one phone line instead of two as ADSL works on a digital frequency instead of Analogue. The speed of the connection is extremely fast compared to before as pages and websites load within minutes. The most value added advantage is that ADSL is the cheapest among all the broadband technologies used due this there is a large number frequency of users who uses ADSL technology. ADSL itself come as is shared. This means that it provides connection possible from various hosts.

Disadvantages

Among the disadvantages, the varied price of the service is there. This is due the multiple service providers within a city or country. Even though it's relatively cheaper than other services, this service cannot be said to have a fixed price that is reliable. The speed of the connection is also affected by the amount of people using the same connection at a time. At a peak time there can be a relatively slow speed observed. It is also noticed that ADSL downloads faster than it uploads, and for people who usually share pictures and videos, this can be a great downside.

Cable Broadband (Cable Internet Access)

Unlike in ADSL, cable internet technology uses the cable TV Base to provide internet access to its customers. In cable internet, an ISP provides cable internet access through the cable TV line to access internet. Similarly to ADSL, the Cable TV line which is a coaxial cable to provide cable television services, the same cable will be used to pass internet. In ADSL it’s the telephone cable. Cable internet technology is also one of the most common technology where broadband internet is received by its users. Just like ADSL requires and ADSL modem for internet access, Cable internet also requires a cable modem which allows us to connect to internet.

In the City of Male’ there is only one ISP whom provide cable internet access. This is a private company called "Raajje’ Online" aka ROL which is the first private ISP located in Maldives licensed to provide internet access. ROL provides its internet access through famous two cable TV operators located in Male’ which are BNET and MediaNet.

Cost of usage

When it comes to cost and usage of cable internet access, it varies a lot. This is mainly because there are various packages for home users and business users. All these packages come in both unlimited and limited packages. As ROL is the second competitive ISP which provides local internet access. The prices have been varying due to the competition involved. However the limited packages have a fixed user allowance. If the user exceeds the allocated usage allowance, the user won't be charged for excessive use but however user can purchase top-up recharge cards which are available in various prices and recharge their account and again usage allowances. In unlimited packages, users would be charged for the fixed price allocated for that package.

Cost Equipment and Setup

When it comes to cost equipment and setup it depends again on the service which user applies to. For e.g.: If the user wishes to apply for 512k Solo Unlimited package. The user would be asked to pay a connection free of RF 500/- which is for cable modem, the equipment. The user would be asked to select a preferred Cable Operator which the internet would be provided. If the user wishes to choose MediaNet cable service then the user would be charged with RF 1000 for the connection setup. If the user wishes BNET cable then the user would be charged with RF 500. The same concept applies for other business internet packages. Just like other local ISPs due to the competition in the market the prices varies from time to time.

Security Risk

Same security issues faced by the ADSL users are faced by cable modem users too. This is mainly because mostly the users would be using a shared bandwidth. There is chance for spoofing and sniffing as security risks but these risks can be overcome easily. However in the past years the cable internet technology has emerged so well with lots of new security measures are now added to increase the security level of this broadband service. Cable internet is more secure compared to ADSL because it uses a different network model.

Connection Speed

When it comes to connection speed, the cable itself which the coaxial cable can "transfer between 512kbps - 52Mbps" (Carol Cartier, 2010) . Cable internet is the superior if it’s matched against ADSL. However the speed varies due to external and internal factors. Internal factors would include the package preferred chosen by the user. If the user has chosen a low bandwidth package the speed of the connection would be limited. External factors include mostly environmental factors. Speed comes with no guarantee unless both external and internal factors balance out. ROL provides different customer user packages which has various speeds. Just like every ISP ROL tries it’s very best to meet the customers’ demands in this competitive market in here.

Availability

The availability of cable modem service is very limited. Cable modem internet service yet only is served in the capital city Male’. The main reason for this is because cable internet requires a cable television operator. Most of the islands does not have a well operated cable tv operator. Also Cable internet is an expensive investment to invest in other cities of Maldives as well the islands. This is because it costs a lot. However users of Male’ city can fill up an application form with required details and have to attach the required documents along with the application form and submitted to the cable internet operator. The forms would be processed in 7 days or sooner after submission.

Ease of use

When it comes to ease of use. The value added advantage that the cable modem has is that the users can use their cable television cable to access internet where the cable can carry two services at the same time. To access internet, the users would require to subscribe for the service and connect extension Y cable to the main cable and connect to the cable modem provided. Due to this extra cabling cost will be reduced as well fast broadband internet would be directly delivered to your home. Cable internet is an "always on" connection.

Services Which Uses Them

Various services uses cable internet connection. Some of the Government sectors, Business organizations and also home users. This is because of the reliability of the service compared to the ADSL connection and other wireless connections available. Cable internet user growth is increasing in the past few years. This is because cable internet has become so popular due to its reliability and the satisfaction it provides to its customers like security etc.

Area Coverage

Cable internet itself can cover a wide geographical location but on the other side it’s costly. Cable internet can be provided to several miles and compared with ADSL, Cable internet can provide further. However in the Maldives, cable internet coverage is very limited. Cable internet is not covered in the other cities as well the islands. The main possible reason is that that there are less cable television operators in the other cities and islands as well it’s very costly to implement such a network service.

Advantages and disadvantages

One of the biggest advantage that the cable modem has that it doesn’t use phone. This means that the service connection would be always on and u don’t have to dial up every time you use the connection. Compared to the ADSL service cable internet service is much faster enabling to download and upload files and also carry out online gaming without losing the quality (lagging). On the disadvantages, cable internet is actually slower compared to other broadband technologies such as fiber optic cable and then it all depends how the connection speed shared between the other users who live in the same area. "May require substantial connection fees, especially if you hire a professional technician to install the equipment for you." (SuperMedia LLC, 2013)

WiMAX

WiMAX or otherwise known as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access is a technology which supports wireless broadband also supporting PMP also known as Point to Multi-point broadband wireless access. "WiMax is basically a new shorthand term for IEEE Standard 802.16, which was designed to support the European standards. 802.16's predecessors (like 802.11a) were not very accommodative of the European standards, per se. (Tutorial-Reports, 2004) One of the local ISP or Internet service providers, Dhiraagu provides this service to a wide range of islands within the country. This technology was first introduced by Dhiraagu in the year 2010 as an effort to provide internet to islands where different professionals as well as locals can get access to internet with less hassle.

Cost of Usage

Dhiraagu employs three prepaid plans for the WiMAX users as of now but they are planning to introduce postpaid services in the future as well. As for the prepaid plans it includes plans for the home users and business owners. As for home user there are two packages one which gives the user 2 GB for the simple cost of MRF 250. The second is 4 GB for which the users are expected to pay MRF 499. The next package is for business owners which is an unlimited access use for which the price is MRF 1900. Although compared to other services the price is high, there are added benefits such as incredibly fast speed which attracts most customers.

Cost of equipment and Setup

The setup is very minimal. All that is needed in order to set up a WiMAX connection is a computer, a Dhiraagu broadband WiMAX desktop modem and to be located within a Wimax coverage area.

Security Risk

WiMAX provides a secure wireless internet experience for the users, after several changes and improvements, the working groups in charge have brought forth many security changes that protects the users. However despite this, some security issues have risen up. One of these issues is the radio frequency in which WiMAX operates on. This frequency can be quite easily accessed using various network tools. "There is a list of WiMAX security threats like Rouge Base station attacks, Session tempering, Denial of services attacks, Spoofing of administration frames and man in the middle attacks" (It's all about technology, 2007). Compared to other forms of broadband services the security threats to WiMAX is relatively less as this form of technology is not as widely known as the others.

Connection Speed

"The fastest WiFi connection can transmit up to 54 megabits per second under optimal conditions and WiMAX should be able to handle up to 70 megabits per second." (Brain, 2004). These 70 mbps is split and used by several business owners and home users, hence the individual speed should be equal to the speed of cable modem. The peak upload rate that has been recorded is 500Mbps and the peak download rate is 1GBps.

Availability & Ease of use

Like many other services provided by Dhiraagu, the process of getting the service of WiMAX is quite easy. All that is required is to fill out a form in any branch of Dhiraagu, submit the form and thereby complete the registration. After the purchase of the desktop modem, within the radius of the WiMAX, this service is readily available. WiMAX is a relatively easy to use and user friendly method, since it is wireless and available for all. As the target of this service is wide, the user friendliness has been taken to account and the security is high as well.

Services which use WiMAX

When looking at the services that use WiMAX, focusing on the target customers, it can be noticed that it is varied. Professionals such as teachers, doctors, business owners as well as government sectors to residential locals are targeted and use WiMAX. Due to the ease with which the service can used and the reduced hassle of cables and gadgets like with other services, most of these people prefer to use WiMAX.

Area Coverage

The basic coverage of the WiMAX technology used by Dhiraagu is about 50 islands range as of now. (Hassan, 2010) WiMAX in general can proudly cover 30 miles on a fixed position and on a mobile station can cover about 3 to 10 miles.

Advantages

The biggest advantage of using WiMAX is the large coverage or several miles. With the assurance of high network security along with extreme fastness of it, users will be very pleased to use this technology. Compared to ADSL and cable modem, the speed is much faster and there is the added advantage of the large coverage. Another benefit is how the user can multitask while using WiMAX, as the user can use telephone, stream videos and use voice applications as well. Compared to WiFi technology, WiMAX offers a much longer range and much faster connection. "One of the best features of WiMAX is the high security, as users can exchange information on this network without the fear of losing information." (Freewimaxinfo, 2005)

Disadvantages

As there are numbers of users of the same network at a time, the individual service quality is reduced a lot. During peak hours much like ADSL, the individual connection speed is very slow. The quality of the service is again interrupted by another drawback. During bad weather there are hindrances in the broadcast or signal causing loss of work or irritations to the users. "WiMAX requires a lot of electrical support as it is power consuming for the complete network." (Freewimaxinfo, 2004)

Lease Line Service

Lease line service is an outstanding service provided by its providers which involves the customer and the lease line service provider signing a contract to provide connection between two or more locations for lease. "A permanent telephone connection between two points set up by a telecommunications common carrier." (IT Business Edge, 2012). Lease lines are also called as private circuits, private data line or data line. With a lease line, it can be used for data and telephone communication and also for internet services. Lease lines are expensive compared to the other connections is that the connection itself doesn’t carry anybody else’s communication within the line except the subscribers and such quality is guaranteed by the service provider. In Maldives, lease line service is provided by only Dhiraagu which they provide local, National and International lease line service.

Cost of usage

Lease line services pretty much expensive compared to all other technologies. This is mainly because lease line is a dedicated line allowed for business purposes and a lease line is always active. When it comes to the cost of lease lines, it has a fixed monthly rate. The monthly fee is will vary due to different factors in some ISP’s around the globe. "Lease lines are expensive compared to the other connections is that the connection itself doesn’t carry anybody else’s communication within the line except the subscribers and such quality is guaranteed by the service provider." (IT Business Edge, 2012). Dhiraagu provide lease line services up to 2mbps maximum for international lease line where the price is equivalent to the price. However the price would vary from time to time. Local lease line services also start from affordable prices with an installation service charge.

Cost of equipment and setup and security risks

Generally, lease line is an expensive which has to be subscribed from the available service providers. Lease line is a dedicated line meaning that there is no other communication’s taking place in this line where except only from the subscribers. Due this almost all of the service provider charges quite a higher charge free compared the actual monthly free. This explains that service itself is costly. "A T1 leased line in the United States averaged between $150 and $750 a month, according to the AireWire website. The price fluctuates depending on how much bandwidth you need on your line. There is also an additional charge of approximately $600 per line for set-up." (Anderson, 2011) Dhiraagu also provide their lease line setup and equipment’s free as much as affordable for their customers. With no doubts lease line is more secure then compared to any other broadband technology. This is because in lease line the communication which is involved are only of the subscriber. This means in security wise it’s much more secure and faster compared to all other technologies like ADSL, cable internet and WiMAX.

Connection speed and availability

Lease lines are only available who sign for lease line contract between two or more location with the service provider. When it comes to the lease line speeds, the subscriber would get the maximum of the subscribed package service. This connection will always be on. Lease line would be 10x much faster compared to all other broadband technologies provided. Lease line speed starts from 64 kbps to 50mbps or more it differs between the countries u apply the service from. However in Maldives Dhiraagu provides starting from 64kbps to 2mbps lease line services.

Services which uses them and area coverage

Lease line are mostly available for government offices, banks and organizations. This is because they require high speed and secure internet access, data and voice services to their destination. Lease lines can be implemented for a large geographically located area. However if It’s installed for a distance location the ISP charges might differ.

Advantages and disadvantages

Looking on the advantages lease line is a dedicated line. Due this data and information transferred between one or two more locations would be would be made securely. In terms of access "A dedicated line offers bandwidth speeds of up to 1.544 Mbps for a standard T1 leased line. But unlike a DSL or cable modem Internet connection from your home, you are able to control how the bandwidth is distributed on a dedicated line, because you and your recipient are the only locations using the line." (Anderson, 2011) On the disadvantages, the most downfall is installation service. When u purchase a lease line from the service provider, it might take weeks, months to complete installation between the two locations. Another down fall is that cost, every day and each day lease lines are getting expensive than it was every day by day. The cost also fluctuates. Also the service charges required for the installation also keeps growing compared to before.

In conclusion there are no better worst broadband technology. The user has to identify the most suitable broadband technology for the environment. Getting a lease line for home internet wouldn’t be the right choice. The environment should be thoroughly analyzed before subscribing the service. Also choosing the right internet package with the right broadband technology by comparing the cost, setup chargers and the availability would be a wise move.

B) Emerging broadband technologies and their challenges

Broadband technologies have been emerging in every year. As technology keeps evolving where technology doesn’t not take over technology itself various features and enhanced services have been included in broadband technologies. There are several broadband technologies that has been founded and yet some have stopped its evolution cycle but other keep evolving. These evolving broadband technologies have faced many challenges. Such as band restrictions, restrictions by the telecommunication authority etc.

Firstly WiMAX, it’s one of the fastest emerging broadband technology by competing with several other technologies including the new ones. WiMAX is broadly known its coverage and availability. WiMAX access points are mostly deployed in rural areas and other areas where 3G mobile broadband is not available. Nevertheless WiMAX access points are deployed in large countries such as USA, Canada and China to provide faster internet access from anywhere at any time. "The fastest WiFi connection can transmit up to 54 megabits per second under optimal conditions and WiMAX should be able to handle up to 70 megabits per second." (Brain, 2004). Even though wired broadband technologies such as ADSL and Cable Internet Services are implemented, the popularity of WiMAX services has never dropped out. Compared to all other technologies from security point of view, security risks are very less.

There are many challenges faced by WiMAX technology. One of the main challenges faced by WiMAX is that it has been replaced with the new trail running LTE (4G) technololgy. "WiMAX telecoms operators have already announced they are to migrate to LTE because of LTE’s better device ecosystem. Since some WiMAX infrastructure can be upgraded to LTE via a relatively simple software upgrade, the move makes sense for those companies. Equally, recent 3G wireless equipment can be software upgraded to LTE, although older equipment will require replacement of physical infrastructure." (Noble House Media Ltd, 2011). However WiMAX hits popularity in the rural areas. Another challenge faced by WiMAX is the security. WiMAX users would have to risk their privacy in several ways. "There is a list of WiMAX security threats like Rouge Base station attacks, Session tempering, Denial of services attacks, Spoofing of administration frames and man in the middle attacks" (It's all about technology, 2007). However these security risks can be reduced using various methods.

Another noticeable challenge would be the cost of implementing or deploying a WiMAX hotspot. "The technical issues are mainly the size of the device, power consumption and handover. It is far from being realized as a truly mobile technology which gives user’s high data speeds on the move. That is one of the reasons why it’s called Fixed Wireless or Nomadic. But then it is a relatively new technology. They will be solved as more and more money goes into it." (Rajiv, 2006)

Secondly LTE one of the very largest growing technology mostly among in Europe countries. LTE is also known as the 4G Network. LTE service is mainly provided for hand handled devices like mobile phones and tablets etc. "On average, 4G wireless is supposed to be anywhere from four to ten times faster than 3G networks. Verizon says its LTE network can deliver speeds between 5 megabits per second and 12 mbps." (Cassavoy, 2012) LTE has gained its popularity for its faster speed compared to other services wirelessly available like 3G and its competitor WiMAX. Also 4G technology has made many more security advancements throughout the technology. LTE Speed can be like 10x faster compared to the normal 3G Network Speed. Many of the WiMAX operators have started upgrading their system to provide LTE Capability. This is mainly because every day by day new devices are being manufactured which support the LTE Technology.

As LTE is a trail technology, it has been facing many challenges throughout its existence. Bradley Mitchell from about.com describes how limited the LTE service is "Long Term Evolution service is only available in limited geographic areas, but telecommunications providers have been actively expanding their LTE services." (Mitchell, 2007) Such include the high cost of LTE hand handled devices. Many of the devices which support LTE service is expensive.

This is mainly because yet the production of LTE based handsets are costly compared to the others. Also mobile networks whom can upgrade their services to provide LTE technology is quite less compared globally. This is because some mobile networks doesn’t want to upgrade their system to provide LTE because it’s costly. Also where other networks doesn’t allow the upgrade since it haven’t emerged enough and in some counties due to lack of budget. "As every country has its own telecommunications regulations, these factors will take varying periods of time to be resolved. However, despite this difficult path." (cln-online, 2010). Since LTE is trail technology, one of the biggest challenge it would be facing would be the capacity available for its users. As for now, the capacity is very limited. Ofcom, an independent regulator also a competing authority for UK communication industries said to the telegraph.co.uk on an interview that "4G networks will be faster but capacity problems could remain. However 4G, will offer capacity 200 per cent greater than 3G" (Richmond, 2011). This means that LTE (4G) will however soon will start facing capacity issues unless the capacity for LTE devices is not expanded freely.

In conclusion these challenges faced by the emerging technologies needed to be overcome so that the users whom are seeking for better and services would be able to apply and subscribe for these services. If more users start using the service soon the price of the services would be drop and will be cheaper in the future. New methods needs to be identified in order to overcome the challenges faced. Alternative paths needs to be discovered in order to solve the problems.