But building, operating, and maintaining a network in the incredibly harsh and extreme conditions in remote Alaska is harder than it may seem. While the climate and large size of the state would clearly cause problems, there are other challenges that are less obvious. These include the local fauna, and even the disparate cultures of the native peoples that the network providers are looking to serve.

In the second part of our discussion with Vickie, we take a deep dive into these challenges and explore the way they impact what local organizations should be looking for in their industry partners.

Government Satellite Report (GSR): Why are microwave networks utilized for connectivity in these more remote locations?

Vickie Kelly: In some areas, satellite services are the only solution for delivering coverage and connectivity. For example, the Aleutian Islands, a chain of islands that separates the north Pacific Ocean from the Bering Sea, are so remote that satellite connectivity is the only option for the people there. There are also remote locations in the interior of Alaska that are only accessible via small plane that can only get connectivity with satellite.

Building a microwave network is a terrestrial solution that enables you to provide high throughput connectivity to these remote locations at a fraction of the cost of satellite. However, satellite services are still needed to provide backhaul services and connect those microwave networks back to the Internet. to get to some of these remote sites, but you still need to get back to the Internet.

However, while microwave is a lower-cost solution to satellite, it does have a high maintenance cost. Continuing to operate and repair the microwave infrastructure that comprises the network can be incredibly expensive and difficult.

For example, in one instance, a bull moose would not allow maintenance crews to get to damaged microwave equipment to fix the connection. This resulted in the maintenance crew hiring a helicopter to get to the equipment.

GSR: What unique challenges do industry partners face when building, operating, and maintaining networks in these regions? Is it the same as operating anywhere else in the globe, or do the remote location and harsh climate impact operations?

Vickie Kelly: The climate and environment certainly impact operating and maintaining a network like ours. As we discussed, the climate can make it difficult or impossible to get to the hardware for maintenance purposes. The incredible distance dictates traveling by helicopter or small plane, and those can’t fly when the weather is bad.

Also, as we discussed, the fauna of the area has been known to create its own challenges. We’ve even had foxes chew through the wires of our microwave network infrastructure. Despite having fences and other security solutions in place, the foxes found a way to get to the equipment. Apparently, they learned how to climb fences.

But there are challenges that don’t result from the weather, environment, and animals. There are also challenges that result from the different cultures and people that you serve and work with.

“…the climate can make it difficult or impossible to get to the hardware for maintenance purposes. The incredible distance dictates traveling by helicopter or small plane, and those can’t fly when the weather is bad.” – Vickie Kelly

When you’re working in remote areas of Alaska, you’re also working with the different tribes of those regions. Each of these tribes has its own culture and traditions. Culturally, you have to be very astute. You have to understand what their beliefs and traditions are, and understand if what you’re asking for may offend or betray those traditions and beliefs.

To help ensure that the people within our organization understand and respect these different cultures, we actively work to provide employment opportunities to locals. We employ and train them to help operate and maintain the equipment that’s near their town. We’ll hire them as guides and for transportation for our staff.

But we also provide them with employment opportunities because they bring additional cultural awareness to our organization, as a whole.

GSR: In addition to building, operating, and maintaining these networks, there must be other challenges and requirements that the local government faces. What other services are provided by industry partners?

Vickie Kelly: That’s an excellent question. In many cases, these organizations lack trained IT staff and support to help deliver many of the services that they need as technology becomes more essential in their daily operations. In those instances, we also provide the services that they need to make online capabilities possible.

For example, we provide bandwidth monitoring to ensure that the bandwidth is being used efficiently. We provide quality of service and bandwidth prioritization to ensure that the most mission-critical applications and workloads get priority. We deliver content filtering for schools to help keep children safe. We also provide services to help keep healthcare organizations in compliance with HIPAA requirements.

“The emergence of next-generation NGSO satellite solutions at MEO and LEO promises to offer extremely low latency, extremely high throughput satellite solutions that could provide fiber-like connectivity to practically anywhere on the globe.” – Vickie Kelly

We also enable content caching for school districts that allows them to download content so that it lives on a server locally. This means they don’t have to rely on broadband connectivity to utilize those assets.

GSR: Considering the importance of the network and the service that it delivers – as well as the unique challenges of the region – what should organizations in places like Alaska be looking for in an industry partner? What attributes, expertise and experience are necessary to operate in these environments?

Vickie Kelly: One of the most important things these organizations in Alaska need to be looking at is the contention ratios of the providers. If the bandwidth is contended, there is a good chance that it will not be available for them when they really need it – or that it won’t offer the high throughputs that they need for particular use cases or applications.

This can be difficult for end users because many network and service providers have become very good at hiding the language about the fact that their bandwidth is contended. They need to read between the lines and ask difficult questions to ensure that they’re going to get the service that they need when they need it.

“In some areas, satellite services are the only solution for delivering coverage and connectivity. For example, the Aleutian Islands, a chain of islands that separates the north Pacific Ocean from the Bering Sea, are so remote that satellite connectivity is the only option for the people there.” – Vickie Kelly

I also think they should be looking for providers that not only offer a solution for today but are also innovating for the future. Just because microwave networks are the best solution for meeting the bandwidth requirements of these remote communities in Alaska now doesn’t mean they always will be.

We’re at a very exciting time in satellite and broadband connectivity. The emergence of next-generation NGSO satellite solutions at MEO and LEO promises to offer extremely low latency, extremely high throughput satellite solutions that could provide fiber-like connectivity to practically anywhere on the globe.

These organizations need to be looking for industry partners that not only recognize how this industry is evolving but are also investing in the future of these technologies. They need to be looking for organizations that have the resources, knowledge, and capabilities to bring these new technologies to bear to help meet their mission requirements.

To learn more about the next generation of NGSO satellite solutions that can deliver high throughput, low latency connectivity to remote locations, click HERE.

The post Bears, foxes, and bull moose – the unique challenges of maintaining networks in Alaska appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

When people could no longer go to a government building or office to file paperwork, submit an application, or pick up an important document, it became essential that government organizations give them digital and virtual alternatives. Information had to be made more readily available on government Websites, people needed to be able to download and submit applications for citizen services online, and AI solutions were needed to answer basic questions about government services and policies since many public servants were out of the office.

But what happens in that environment when government organizations want to go digital, but lack basic connectivity? What happens when the constituents they serve don’t have access to high-speed Internet access? And what impact does it have when modern applications and solutions that are hosted in the cloud simply can’t be accessed or utilized by an organization?

This is exactly the problem facing many of America’s rural and remote locations, such as the remote, sparsely-populated areas of the country’s largest state, Alaska.

We recently sat down with Vickie Kelly, a business development manager at SES Space and Defense that calls Anchorage, Alaska home, to discuss how the company is leveraging satellite and microwave networks to bring basic connectivity to school districts and government organizations in Alaska’s wildest regions.

Government Satellite Report (GSR): When it comes to connectivity for public schools and government organizations in remote parts of Alaska, what options do they have? Are typical, terrestrial broadband networks available to them? Why or why not?

Vickie Kelly: In Alaska, connectivity is a case of the “haves” and the “have-nots.” In an urban area, you do have connectivity by fiber that – while a bit more expensive than in the lower 48 – still offers quality connectivity. But the broader portion of Alaska is not urban. It’s defined as remote.

Connectivity for our remote school districts and government organizations is not typical. And there are a number of reasons for that.

Alaska is two-thirds the size of the lower 48 states combined. It’s huge and stretches over a large area containing numerous different topographic and geologic features. It’s almost impossible to run fiber in that environment due to the sheer scope and the terrain. The state’s high risk of natural disasters also plays a role, with frequent earthquakes that can disrupt fiber installation or damage existing fiber lines.

Also, it may sound humorous to those in the lower 48, but fiber and other infrastructure and hardware can be impacted by the local fauna. We’ve seen numerous instances of fiber being chewed and hardware being damaged by bears, foxes, and local animals.

Combined, these factors have resulted in many of the more remote, rural areas of the state having no connectivity via typical, terrestrial networks – like fiber.

GSR: Why is this a problem in these regions, specifically? What could high throughput connectivity enable these districts to do that isn’t possible without it?

Vickie Kelly: We just had an excellent example of how impactful a lack of connectivity can be due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When schools had to shut down, the majority of students had no home Internet. Schools found themselves assembling paper packets of assignments for kids that their parents would pick up.

That seems unreal in this time of connectivity – especially in the lower 48 – but it’s the reality in many of these small, remote towns and villages.

“We’ve traditionally leveraged a proprietary microwave network…to deliver connectivity to more remote places in Alaska. We supplement that microwave network with satellite services…and we’re increasingly looking at NGSO satellite offerings to deliver higher throughput, low latency connectivity to these regions.” – Vicky Kelly

Many teachers in urban areas take Internet-enabled tools for granted. Educational videos on YouTube. Cloud-based learning applications. Video teleconferencing for distance learning. These applications require broadband Internet to access, and low latency to use effectively, or else they’ll time out.

That’s particularly problematic in this region because they need these capabilities – potentially even more than urban school districts and districts in the lower 48.

For example, remote schools are very small. Teachers are generalists and teach multiple classes and subjects. In this environment, distance learning via video teleconferencing could be used to bring in faculty that teach more niche classes – such as foreign languages, music, or even advanced placement classes. This could enable schools and districts to deliver a more diverse, well-rounded educational experience to students.

I used to work in a school district that offered band and orchestra through distance learning via video. That’s a valuable resource for students, but it’s not possible without broadband connectivity.

But that’s only one example of a capability or application that these students can’t access because of their remote location. There are many more, and the number is increasing as technology advances and becomes a more fundamental part of education and curriculum.

“In Alaska, connectivity is a case of the “haves” and the “have-nots.” In an urban area, you do have connectivity by fiber that…still offers quality connectivity. But the broader portion of Alaska is not urban. It’s defined as remote.” – Vicky Kelly

For example, gaming is widely becoming a recognized part of school athletics, with many schools and school districts launching competitive gaming teams. That’s not possible for many of these remote school districts without fiber connectivity. In fact, it may not even be possible with traditional GEO satellite connectivity.

GSR: How have industry partners helped deliver connectivity to these regions in the past? What types of networks are utilized to deliver these services and capabilities to these regions?

Vickie Kelly: To the more remote locations in Alaska, industry partners have had to rely on either microwave networks or satellite services to deliver connectivity. However, there have been some plans proposed to lay additional subsea fiber to connect some more rural, remote areas. And for the urban areas, there are terrestrial fiber and copper networks that are providing connectivity.

We’ve traditionally leveraged a proprietary microwave network that we own, operate, and manage independently to deliver connectivity to more remote places in Alaska. We supplement that microwave network with satellite services where necessary, and we’re increasingly looking at non-geostationary (NGSO) satellite offerings to deliver higher throughput, low latency connectivity to these regions.

GSR: Are these networks only for public schools, or are they also used for other public sector use cases?

Vickie Kelly: Our microwave network is used to support a lot more organizations than just schools and school districts. In fact, one of our first customers was the Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), an Alaskan Native non-profit corporation that provides health and social services to tribal members across much of the rural, remote parts of Alaska.

“Many teachers in urban areas take Internet-enabled tools for granted. Educational videos on YouTube. Cloud-based learning applications. Video teleconferencing for distance learning. These applications require broadband Internet to access…” – Vicky Kelly

For the TCC, we support healthcare clinics with the connectivity necessary to access essential online medical applications and services. We also enable telemedicine solutions that provide access to healthcare for people that need to stay in their homes, or when the weather makes it impossible to fly out to see a doctor or specialist.

In addition to our contributions to the local healthcare community, we also use our network to provide connectivity to tribal administrative offices and government entities. We provide connectivity to village police departments, fire departments, and emergency medical services. We also enable Radio over IP (RoIP) services for first responders.

Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve also begun to explore providing access to high-bandwidth connectivity for students and homes.

In our next article on the Government Satellite Report, we’ll feature the second part of our two-part conversation with Vickie, when we discuss the challenges that companies face when building, operating, and maintaining a network in these remote parts of Alaska.

The post Shortening the gap between the connectivity “haves” and “have nots” in Alaska appeared first on SES Space and Defense.