{"id":252081,"date":"2018-06-18T07:00:48","date_gmt":"2018-06-18T05:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=252081"},"modified":"2018-06-18T09:52:46","modified_gmt":"2018-06-18T07:52:46","slug":"no-substitute-for-true-licensed-wireless-connectivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/industry-news\/252081\/no-substitute-for-true-licensed-wireless-connectivity\/","title":{"rendered":"No substitute for true, licensed wireless connectivity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many local businesses across South Africa are relying on unlicensed spectrum to power their business\u2019 connectivity needs.<\/p>\n

For most of these business owners, there haven\u2019t historically been many alternatives. With poor fixed-line (ADSL and fibre) coverage in some regions, and no viable wireless solution, unlicensed wireless was often the only option.<\/p>\n

But in recent years, the wireless landscape has evolved significantly… New spectrum has been allocated, new operators have been licensed, new technology has emerged, and new networks have been established.<\/p>\n

At Comsol, for instance, we\u2019ve expanded our licensed network to cover over 200 metro areas, stretching out to over 13 000 square kilometres, and counting.<\/p>\n

Why license?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s quickly recap the differences between unlicensed and licensed spectrum.<\/p>\n

While all wireless technologies rely on the airwaves to transmit data, different technologies use different bands. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa has designated some bands of frequency to be unlicensed (which everyone is allowed to use), while other bands have been officially licensed for only certain players.<\/p>\n

By regulating these frequencies, the regulator can ensure that licensed operators don\u2019t interfere with each other\u2019s signals, and are able to provide their users with guaranteed quality of service.<\/p>\n

The price fallacy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Licensed networks generally give businesses stronger, more resilient connections. In Comsol\u2019s case, for instance, our Comsol Connect solution rivals fibre services in terms of overall performance.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re running mission-critical applications, customer engagement platforms, or embracing the advantages of Cloud-based software, your network becomes the lifeblood of your business.<\/p>\n

In these cases, it\u2019s absolutely essential to have firm guarantees on full duplex, symmetrical uplink and downlink speeds, latency, jitter, packet loss and other considerations. Any kind of downtime or service degradation can spell disaster for your business.<\/p>\n

Unlicensed wireless networks, and even public mobile broadband services like LTE, may well be useful for certain tactical needs, but are unlikely to offer you the service assurance that modern businesses demand.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, in many of the conversations we have with businesses, we find the misconception that unlicensed is cheaper than licensed.<\/p>\n

Firstly, while the spectrum may be free to use, service providers will still levy fees on top of that. And secondly, consider that unlicensed equipment must do a lot of \u2018extra work\u2019 (to minimise noise levels and optimise throughput), meaning that it\u2019s often a lot more expensive than licensed hardware.<\/p>\n

Overall, there are normally negligible price differences between unlicensed and licensed services.<\/p>\n

Importance of MEF 2.0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

But, within the licensed realm, there are other nuances to note as you consider your network needs for the coming years, and as the exponential rise in data volumes continue to put pressure on your network.<\/p>\n

By choosing a licensed wireless provider that is MEF 2.0 compliant, you gain a number of advantages:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Assurance of high-quality infrastructure and equipment, at every point along the network, that is internationally-accredited and has passed stringent testing<\/li>\n
  • Visibility into every aspect of your network (and not just downlink and uplink speeds), allowing you to see the levels of packet loss, latency and jitter, giving you a very comprehensive view of network performance<\/li>\n
  • Faster identification and resolution in the case of any faults or outages on the network, allowing you to get back up-to-speed as quickly as possible<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    By belonging to established international telecoms bodies and conforming to standards like MEF 2.0, your service provider gets access to the very latest insights and technologies at a global level \u2013 allowing them to continue optimising your network.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s also important to choose a network that is fully owned and managed by your service provider. For instance, in Comsol\u2019s case, we have a network that is designed, built and operated by our own team \u2013 supported by our 24\/7 state-of-the-art Network Operations Centre \u2013 allowing us to quickly resolve any issues.<\/p>\n

    So maybe the debate shouldn\u2019t be about unlicensed vs licensed, but rather to focus on the advantages of \u2018true licensed connectivity\u2019, backed by global best-practices and standards and allowing you to design a scalable plan for your network\u2019s evolution.<\/p>\n

    For our channel partners and end-customers, we\u2019ve developed a live coverage map at https:\/\/comsol.co.za\/coverage<\/a> giving you a real-time view of whether you\u2019re in coverage of our licensed nationwide network.<\/strong><\/p>\n