In conjunction with CommunicAsia 2019 that took place this week in Singapore, Tara Neal, the Executive Editor of The Fast Mode spoke to Denis Périquet, CEO of Tessares, a company that provides hybrid access network solutions for telecom operators. The following is the interview.
TARA NEAL: We expect consumption of data on end-user screens – computers, smartphones, smart devices, etc – to keep increasing at a phenomenal rate. Households and enterprises will thus become more dependent than ever on access networks including hybrid access networks for timely and reliable connectivity and delivery of content.
Can you share with us some of the innovations in data connectivity services to homes and business premises in response to the growing need for bandwidth and speeds?
DENIS PERIQUET: An increasingly open, fast and content-rich Internet has changed the way many people live, communicate and do business. In this context, Internet connectivity has become an ever more important part of individuals’ and businesses’ day-to-day activities across the globe, particularly in Asia.
However, delivering fast Internet services to sparsely populated areas, and some complex urban areas, where fiber networks are too costly to deploy is a challenge. With Hybrid Internet Access (HIA), telecom operators can efficiently combine their existing fixed network (typically xDSL) and wireless network (typically cellular such as 4G) to provide higher bandwidth and greater connectivity to households and SMEs suffering from low-speed access.
This is achieved using Multipath TCP (MPTCP), a standardised extension to TCP allowing one TCP session to be conveyed on several paths over different access networks.
TARA NEAL: Will these innovations be able to improve end user experience especially on business-critical applications and rich interactive content while keeping costs in control?
DENIS PERIQUET: The main benefit of the Multipath TCP is that it enables the simultaneous utilisation of different paths (link aggregation) to boost speed. In addition, by virtue of having 2 access paths, it also enables a Connectivity Backup feature to ensure the user always has internet access. This is particularly relevant for business users (home workers, SOHO, SMEs) who consider reliability as essential as speed because continuous connectivity is a key requirement to sustain their business activities.
Several operators now offer commercialised hybrid broadband packages which deliver sufficient speeds to support OTT premium content (even in HD) and browse multiple concurrent web sessions. The total cost of ownership per home is 1/10th compared to fibre access as HIA leverages existing DSL & LTE network assets and often reuses the existing CPEs. As a result, some operators decided not to charge for the extra speed in order to keep their customers satisfied.
TARA NEAL: What do you think will be some of the major topics discussed at the upcoming CommunicAsia/BroadcastAsia, and what will be some of Tessares’ highlights at the event?
DENIS PERIQUET: Tessares participated in NXTAsia, part of ConnectechAsia that also hosts CommunicAsia & BroadcastAsia. NXTAsia is a main event in Asia that showcases emerging technologies such as AI, Blockchain... that will undoubtedly shape our future. By addressing today’s connectivity challenges, Tessares contributes to reduce the digital divide allowing more residential & SMEs to benefit from the rising new technologies.
