Techno-economic comparison of FTTC/VDSL and hybrid optical/wireless networks

In this paper hybrid optical/wireless networks are presented as the cost-effective solution for bringing broadband services to the less populated areas. In order to confirm such proposal and to compare it with the standard solution (FTTC/VDSL), techno-economic analyses of the hybrid optical-wireless network are presented. Typically, hybrid networks consist of two segments: optical and wireless. Their summoned cost estimations give total costs estimation for the hybrid network that are, then, compared with the costs estimations for FTTC/VDSL solution. Critical value of the fibre length in the optical segment is proposed as a parameter to determine which solution is more cost-effective.