Global communications provider Viasat recently completed an ambitious community Wi-Fi project aimed at connecting millions of underserved Mexicans via satellite-backhauled Wi-Fi.
By STEPHANIE BERGERON KINCH, Wi-Fi NOW Staff Writer
From the remote Copper Canyon to the far-off pilgrimage site of Juquila, to the tiny jungle village of Emiliano Zapata, almost all of Mexico now has Internet access. And all of this was accomplished without cables. The digital divide is huge in Mexico where rural poverty is the norm in many areas. According to democracy watchdog Freedom House only 60 percent of Mexicans use the Internet.
In early 2017 Mexico’s government created the Red Compartida project (Spanish for ‘shared network’), the biggest telecommunications project in Mexico’s history. The project’s aim is to increase coverage, promote competitive pricing, and enhance service quality by optimising the use of allocated spectrum.
The project website says that “currently, each mobile carrier has deployed its own network, which is expensive, and delays service arrival in remote areas within the country. With Red Compartida the costs will be reduced due to the wholesale-shared model, so existing and new carriers will supply better coverage, quality, and pricing of services.”
The wholesale 4G network has been seen as a success so far and recently reached its 30% penetration goal two months ahead of schedule. In the end, it plans to cover 92.5% of Mexico’s population by 2026.
But what about the rest? That’s where satellite-backhauled Wi-Fi comes in.
Mexico’s pay-per-use Wi-Fi model
In most populated areas, wired Internet Services Providers (ISPs) win out over satellite because they are seen as being faster and cheaper. Satellites are capable of broadband speeds but the time it takes for signals to get to Earth and back (aka latency) can slow down connection speeds. That’s not a big issue for streaming services but can affect real-time applications like Skype, FaceTime, and gaming.
But for people living in remote areas without cell coverage, fiber, or even phone lines, satellite is the only viable option for getting online. Satellites can provide coverage pretty much anywhere – even if there are no towers, cables, or even roads. All you need is a dish, a transceiver, and a modem.
For more than three decades Viasat has been using satellites to connect consumers, businesses, and governments in remote areas. Now, the company’s country-wide community Wi-Fi project in Mexico allows users to connect to local hotspots by purchasing data packages from a local kiosk. The prices match the those of mobile network operators, but can be used in areas without mobile coverage.
A third-party provides the service while Viasat delivers the satellite connection. Users can experience speeds up to 50 Mbps and a typical user can stream, surf the web, and enjoy an open Internet experience in areas where the population previously didn’t have access the Internet at all.
Viasat’s satellite Wi-Fi within reach of 300,000 people
Kevin Cohen, Viasat’s General Manager of Community Wi-Fi for the Americas, says that the use of the unlicensed spectrum via Wi-Fi allowed Viasat to create services that are scalable, flexible, and affordable. There are currently 900 hotspots throughout Mexico, mostly in remote rural areas.
“In the same way that people are buying chips or cola, they can now buy Internet access,” he says. “The number of users is increasing as we increase the number of hotspots deployed in Mexico. Today, we have already connected more than 50,000 people and have service within walking distance of more than 300,000 people in Mexico. We expect to connect millions of Mexicans over the next two years.”
/Stephanie.
