Should have built a Wireless Network. Rural fiber is too expensive in comparison.
Yeah i agree. Subsidizing things/systems people can't afford is not the way. We need to figure out how to use tech to make things that are unaffordable cheaper.
Should have built a Wireless Network. Rural fiber is too expensive in comparison.
Is the biggest expense the labor like most businesses, or in the equipment and materials?
How hard is it to dig a trench for fiber? You're putting it what, three feet or so down, below the frost line.
For a short time I worked for a guy that previously owned a construction company (among many past companies,) and he had taken on cable/fiber running jobs for the city. He took them on, because he was lucky and got a ridiculous deal on a particular piece of equipment. Turns out, at least in my state, and I assume others, you cannot trench dig the cable lines anymore. You need to tunnel, and that takes a machine that cost like $500k-1mil or more, and that the operation cost of it was really high because you needed a special operator and 1 or more other expensive bureaucratic inspections/insurance/auditors/surveyors etc. That was for running along public property though, so maybe they could trench on private.
I think a laser network would be cheaper, at least for the short term, but having conduit underground would be much cheaper to upgrade. I have wanted to get a home in the hills for a long time, and always figured a laser network would be an good alternative option. Set up a clear line of sight from home to property edge and have the ISP run a cable to a shack right on the property line closest to their existing infrastructure. Or rent out space on a rooftop of a home/business to have the transceiver. They go up to a mile, are gig speed, and cost like 5-10k per transceiver. I figure you could convince people along a rural route to form their own tier 2 network.
You need to tunnel, and that takes a machine that cost like $500k-1mil or more, and that the operation cost of it was really high because you needed a special operator and 1 or more other expensive bureaucratic inspections/insurance/auditors/surveyors etc. That was for running along public property though, so maybe they could trench on private.
I call bullshit on that. ATT ran fiber all through this subdivision which is heavily wooded and spread out. They hired a team of mexicans with a trackhoe and a small machine that punched holes between the trenches the trackhoe dug and they ran miles of fiber in a week. Neither machine costs 500k+
All three. The cost to trench or aerial hang the fiber. The cost of the fiber and accessories. The cost of maintenance. The government subsidizes fiber because the market won't bear the cost. Dedicated outdoor wireless companies like Cambium, Radwin and Ubiquiti can provide speeds of 25Mbps to rural locations up to several miles from the tower. There is even a national organization (wispa.org)
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