The Obama administration will spend billions of dollars installing new or upgrading existing wireless broadband services for public schools. These provisions are in stark contrast to Federal Communications Commission regulations, which will seize school WiMAX (2.5 GHz Educational Broadband Services) licenses where school districts do not comply with build out requirements for their licenses.
This paper will make the case for WiMAX as the most effective wireless broadband technology for educational services enabling school districts to keep their 2.5 GHz licenses. In a time of economic downturn in the private sector, industry players would be well advised to “follow the money” into major public sector initiatives related to broadband internet services in education.
Major Points in Publication:
* Educational Broadband Services licenses (2.5 GHz) will be forfeited by school districts and other license holders that do not build out networks by May 01, 2011
* School districts holding those licenses are not protected by subletting to large commercial operators (Sprint, Clear, etc)
* Understanding the education technology market (its not the same as enterprise or mobile)
* Why WiMAX is the best technology for this application
* Why WiMAX is the best complement to a one*to*one computing program
* The “3 A’s: Access, Applications and Affordability” of WiMAX in Education
* Breakthroughs in video over WiMAX: HDTV on 1 Mbps WiMAX
* “The 5% Solution”: one*to*one computing and WiMAX for 5% of a school district’s annual per*student allocation
Target Audience
WiMAX vendors: This will prove to be a very lucrative niche market for those willing to focus on it and adjust their sales and marketing strategy accordingly
Laptop vendors: They will sell many more laptops more quickly if the laptops can be networked to the school intranet or Internet via a low*cost WiMAX network.
Computer chip vendors: 45 million public school students using WiMAX*enabled laptops will sell a lot of chips.
Network devices vendors: WiMAX deployments to schools will sell a lot of routers, servers and other devices.
Carriers: new technologies such as WiMAX may disrupt their traditional business and how to “turn the retreat into a parade”
Educators: How can the instructional yield from one*to*one computing be multiplied using WiMAX?
School administrators: What is WiMAX and why is it so important to instruction?
State/Federal/School finance professionals: provides strategies in paying for multi*million dollar WiMAX deployments
Table of Contents :
WiMAX: The Educational Broadband Services Solution
Introduction: Technology to the Kid via WiMAX
Technology to the kid AND the classroom
One-to-One Computing and Federally-mandated Technology Literacy
The School Intranet: The Value Statement for Networked One-to-One Computing
Converging One-to-One Computing and School Networks
Extending the School Network via Wireless
Technology to the Kid: At school or at home
Market Drivers for the WiMAX-enabled One-to-One Laptop
Government mandates
Private vs. public networks
The 3 A’s of WiMAX-enabled One-to-One Computing
Access
Why WiMAX
Objections to WiMAX
WiMAX is not Wi-Fi
WiMAX Components
Relationship of WiMAX Range and Throughput for School Applications
Base Station and Student Density
Fixed vs. Mobile WiMAX
Why backhaul is important
Wireless Backhaul Considerations
Comparisons with Fiber
Spectrum Considerations
Access Conclusion
Affordability
WiMAX is inexpensive relative to other technologies
What does a one-to-one WiMAX-enabled laptop program cost?
Case Study: School District of Palm Beach County, Florida
Savings on Existing Expenditures
Telecom and Textbooks (or is that “flexbooks”?
Other Instruction-Related Expenses
School assets
Government mandates-can a school district afford to NOT comply?
Conclusion
Applications
Literacy
Numeracy
Writing
Who benefits
Parents
Teachers
Hall Monitors and Deans of Students
Administrators
Technical Applications
Video
Distance Learning via Video Conferencing
HD at 1 Mbps?: HD recording and streaming live anywhere, any time
Architecture
Bandwidth
Standards
Figure 21 Field-testing for WiMAX and HD camera with laptop-sized encoder
Cameras
Audio Factors
Echo Cancellation
The Audio Secret Sauce: Compression Algorithms and “wideband”
Textbooks
Voice
Selling to school districts
Gauging the market
Revenue Potential
Extrapolating by student head count
Estimates based on Cahners Report
Who should do this?
Schools “roll your own”
Carriers
Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs)
WiMAX Service Providers
How to sell to schools
Long sales cycles
Facilitate across departments
Need to compete in RFI/RFQ/RFP processes
Need to partner with other vendors
Establish marketing intelligence database
Aggregate, aggregate, aggregate
Find the money: grants, etc
Get a success story, even if you have to give it away!
Conclusion and Recommendations
Recommendations
Schools and Instructional Institutions
Network Operators and Service Providers
Equipment Suppliers and Systems Integrators
List of Figures
Figure 1 Are networked student laptops inevitable?
Figure 2 Most US schools have computer labs with desktop computers networked to the school’s intranet content and applications
Figure 3 Access to a school computer lab is limited geographically
Figure 4 School connectivity for a majority of schools. For many kids, technology ends at the school house
Figure 5 Campus-wide wireless network access with one-to-one laptop programs extends network access campus-wide
Figure 6 WiMAX extends the school intranet content and applications to the student home 10
Figure 7 A school district-wide WiMAX network connects the student to the school’s intranet content and applications
Figure 8 The 3 elements that comprise a telecommunications network: Access, switching and transport (backhaul)
Figure 9 Wi-Fi serves a coffee shop or home. WiMAX serves a city
Figure 10 WiMAX nomenclature: base station and subscriber station
Figure 11 WiMAX base station and antenna combinations
Figure 12 WiMAX access or subscriber devices
Figure 13 Line of sight offers better range and throughput than non line of sight
Figure 14 Link budget illustrated
Figure 15 On campus WiMAX delivers a throughput of multiple megabits per second
Figure 16 A WiMAX-enabled laptop can enjoy a range of one mile with throughput equal to DSL. WiMAX extends student access to the school’s intranet content and applications to the student’s home
Figure 17 Note populated areas of Palm Beach County, Florida (where the students live) are concentrated on the coast. Compare with figure below for school locations and WiMAX coverage
Figure 18 Placing a WiMAX base station ate each of Palm Beach County Schools 172 schools covers a majority of the populated area of Palm Beach County
Figure 19 Backhaul supports WiMAX base stations, which in turn support student at home internet access 32
Figure 20 Cover Palm Beach County, Florida at a cost of $7 million for 170,000 students = $41 per student in one-time CAPEX or lease for $1/month/student on a 48 month lease or 5% of school district’s per student annual allocation
Figure 21 Field-testing for WiMAX and HD camera with laptop-sized encoder
Figure 22 Satellite imagery of the US at night reveals concentration of population more easily served by WiMAX
List of Tables
Table 1 The progression to “one-to-one” computing
Table 2 Comparison of Wi-Fi and WiMAX for school district use
Table 3 Comparison of Wi-Fi and WiMAX
Table 4 Comparison fixed vs. mobile WiMAX
Table 5 Comparisons of wireless backhaul with other options
Table 6 Comparison of wireless vs. fiber optic cable as backhaul solution
Table 7 School WiMAX-related spectrum
Table 8 Comparisons of the costs for technologies for residential internet access
Table 9 Comparisons for monthly internet/intranet access accounts for public school students plus laptop lease as a percentage of annual allocation per student
Table 10 School district operations savings on telecommunications, textbooks, manpower and insurance for WiMAX network
Table 11 Cost savings related to instruction using WiMAX networks
Table 12 Assets a school district may have that a telephone company would have to buy
Table 13 Federal mandates on education where WiMAX-enabled laptops provide a solution
Click Here for More Information
By: Aarkstore Enterprise
Posts Tagged ‘Best Technology’
WiMAX: The Educational Broadband Services Solution
November 26th, 2009The Right it Stuff: Finding and Working With the Best Information Technology Services Partner for your Small Business
August 18th, 2009Do you often feel stuck in the computer abyss when it comes to managing your company’s needs for web or information technology services? Businesses with fewer than 50 or 60 employees often find themselves struggling to keep pace with their basic web and computer support services and miss out on effective small business IT solutions.
Without the guidance of an information technology services provider, small businesses can end up wasting time and money on computer support services because they aren’t in touch with the best technology tools and practices for small business IT solutions. Even zero-employee companies can benefit immensely from a computer support services partner who shows them how to standardize their practices, save money with the right hardware or software and develop effective websites.
Putting Out Fires – Who Needs Dedicated Computer Support Services Anyway?
The approach often taken by small organizations when it comes to information technology services is one of putting out fires. No one has time to update the website, the network is cobbled together with wiring strung across the floor, and you’re not sure when the last backup really ran. Then, a hard drive starts going click-click. You call that guy you occasionally use for computer support services, “Joe-I-Fix-Anything-PCs,” to get the computer booting. That’s when to your horror you discover that the tape in the drive since last Tuesday wasn’t really backing up and the click-click is the sickening sound of your QuickBooks data being eaten by the dying hard drive.
There is a Better Way: A Solutions Partner for Web and Information Technology Services
It isn’t that “Joe” can’t spot you some quick computer support services and get you up and running again. It’s the point that the “bargain” hard drive failed without warning, your data wasn’t backed up and you didn’t even have a centralized data management practice to begin with. Wouldn’t it have been great to avoid all the headaches by using best-practice guidelines for business management and making informed purchase decisions? That’s where a good small business IT solutions provider comes in, not only to avoid disaster but to save money. For example QuickBooks could be integrated with your shipping and credit card processing which saves three employees 30 hours a week in order fulfillment. Then you might implement a web solution for online orders which integrates with QuickBooks. A good information technology services partner makes computer support services a value proposition.
Small Business IT Solutions – Hiring a Partner
So what’s the best way to find a great web or information technology services partner to work with and then get the most out of that relationship?
1. Look for a company that specializes in small business IT solutions
Computer support services companies that specialize in small business will be more in tune to your particular needs and challenges. They will understand budgetary constraints for computer support services and the need to use resources very efficiently. Because technology developers and manufacturers are now seeing a large and relatively untapped market of small business customers, there are some terrific tools emerging for small organizations. A technology partner focused on small business IT solutions and information technology services will help your company grow and succeed.
2. Do you need a local information technology services partner?
Not necessarily. If the goal here is to find a provider of information technology services to help you manage your website, make purchase decisions and facilitate projects, it doesn’t have to be local. With sophisticated remote tools and web-based collaboration, many problems and projects can be addressed remotely. The key is to find a good fit. For onsite service such as network installation or hardware swaps, a good solutions partner can identify and schedule local computer support services as needed or works with a nationwide network experts for repairs, rollouts or other onsite computer support service. If the company isn’t local, ask what provisions it has in place for onsite service.
3. Personalized computer support services
One of the stigmas attached to the tech industry and a common complaint about providers of computer support services is lack of personalization. A good provider of information technology services wants to get to know you, your processes and your employees. The staff should ask questions about what your company does and who the key contacts are to gain a feel for your organization’s culture. Likewise, access to the provider’s staff and resources is equally important. The relationship is going to be much more effective when that company has a mandate for personalized service and an open door to communications.
4. Due diligence
Think of hiring a solutions partner for information technology services like you would hiring someone for your staff. Look for a company that is seeking a long-term partnership. Ask for references. Then find out how long the company has been in business, who you will have access to for a problem or project and how the provider charges for its computer support services.
5. Cohesive approach and good facilitation
The partner that you select should want to take a cohesive approach to understanding your business or organization and help you come up with a customized plan for your technology and web needs, be it a long-range strategy or a specific project. The difference between “Joe-I-Fix-Anything-PCs” and a provider of complete information technology services and solutions is someone who can do a good discovery about your organization and its goals, facilitate the project and help bring together providers for the components outside their expertise. Also, a one-stop shop can provide you with benefits. Keeping your hardware and software purchases, web and computer support services together can provide you economies of scale combined with the convenience of single point of support and access to someone who knows your business.
How to Get the Most Out of the Relationship
6. Identify key problems, goals and areas to improve efficiency
Once you partner with a provider of information technology services and solutions, the first and most important step is an analysis of problems. The more you can communicate about your company, current practices and areas to improve, the more effective your solutions partner can be in coming up with a computer support services plan designed to keep things running smoothly, maximize your assets and move your organization forward.
7. Set up best practices
Typically the biggest challenge small organizations face in being successful is getting out of their own way, seeing the big picture and making the changes necessary for improvements to happen. A good small business IT solutions partner can help you set up best practices to get most out of your investment in information technology services. However, making sure those practices are implemented and followed rests squarely on your shoulders, not on those of your computer support services provider.
8. Avoid costly mistakes – Don’t make impulse purchases
Whereas large companies tend to have a formal evaluation and approval process in place for making technology purchases, many smaller organizations make impulse purchases. Let the company you’ve hired for information technology services do its job and provide you its expertise on purchases. If the company resells hardware and software at competitive rates, purchasing from it can be worthwhile. You’ll have a single point of purchase for computer support services, and the company can recommend hardware and software from manufacturers it has partnerships with and expertise on as well. All of that translates to added benefit to you.
9. Choose managed information technology services designed for business
Small organizations have a tendency to operate off the cuff, looking for freebies or grabbing cheap services not really designed for business. This approach to information technology services can come back to bite you. If you want to grow your business, approach your needs for computer support services like a bigger organization would. If your IT partner makes recommendations on computer support services that you think you can find cheaper elsewhere, take a hard look at what you are getting and how it can really benefit your business. Once you weigh all the benefits, you may find the value to your business growth and offerings far outweighs the cost.
10. Can I still do it myself?
Working with a good provider of information technology services doesn’t mean you can’t do anything yourself. In fact, a reputable and innovative IT company should educate you on how to better manage your technology needs and investments. There are still a lot of day-to-day tasks you can and should do within your organization, depending on your skill level, time and desire. The point is to keep your computer support services partner in the loop and use their expertise and input on major technology decisions.
Conclusion
So, what’s in it for you? By partnering with a provider of information technology services, you’ll find a more thought out, comprehensive approach to small business IT solutions that can increase efficiency, save you money, generate revenue, and help your business succeed
By: Ilene Rosoff
