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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 30(1)

Survey of the potential of emerging wireless technologies to improve telecommunication services in remote Australian settlements

Mehran Abolhasan A C and Alyson Wright B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Telecommunications and IT Research Institute (TITR), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.

B Centre for Appropriate Technology, 32 Priest Street, Alice Springs, NT 0870, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: mehrana@uow.edu.au

The Rangeland Journal 30(1) 157-165 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ07035
Submitted: 4 June 2007  Accepted: 11 December 2007   Published: 1 April 2008

Abstract

Providing efficient yet cost effective telecommunication systems to Aboriginal people living in remote locations has proven to be a challenging task. This is primarily due to low population density and distance from major service centres. Extending high-capacity telecommunications infrastructure to these people would incur high costs of installation, maintenance and administration without significant financial returns. The cost of services such as cabled phone lines to all houses, satellite and wireless cellular networks are often unaffordable for people in remote settlements, and, as a result, the provision of telecommunication services is often subsidised by the government.

New wireless standards and products are being developed which could provide broadband-type network connections to large areas at an affordable price. This paper describes these new standards and products and their potential applications in rural and remote regions. There is also a comparison of their transmission requirements, cost, performance and coverage with several currently available technologies.

Additional keywords: broadband, satellite phones, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, wireless networks.


Acknowledgements

Work reported in this publication was supported by funding from the Australian Government Cooperative Research Centres Program through the Desert Knowledge CRC; the views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Desert Knowledge CRC or its Participants. This work is part of the joint DKCRC and University of Wollongong (UoW) project called Sparse Ad hoc Networks for the Desert (SAND).


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