Connection Failure IET : Remote Access
Connection Failure

Remote Access

RAMP Report, 10/12/98

Table of Contents   |    Acknowledgements    |    Section:  1   |    2   |    3   |    4   |    5   |    Appendices




Technical and Market Analysis


Planning Horizon   Remote Access Technologies Overview   Analog Modems   ISDN   XDSL   Cable Modems   Wireless   Financial Analysis   Remote Access vs. On-Campus Networking Costs   Cost of Existing 14.4 Modem Service   Cost of Expanding Campus Modem Service

Planning Horizon


The planning horizon for remote access technologies, given the rapid evolution of technology, is a maximum of three years beyond the two-year interim solution (for a total of five years). Three years is also the maximum recommended replacement cycle for any equipment purchased. The potential for high-speed networking in xDSL or cable modem service offered to the home desktop, as well as the evolving standards for voice over data, reinforce this need for this narrow planning window.


Remote Access Technologies Overview


The remote access technologies discussed in this section include:
  • Analog modems
  • ISDN
  • XDSL
  • Cable modems
  • Wireless
These technologies are compared, both in the narrative below, and in the "Remote Access Technologies Comparison Table" which follows the narrative.

Analog Modems


A minimum remote access telecommunications infrastructure is based on the telephone system, whereby data communications is provided through dial-up services, using modems at each end and a communication server at the host end.

The most common method of Internet access is via modem. Relative to the speeds of other networking technologies, modem speeds are lowest, although recent standards development has increased speeds to 56Kbps. Attractive as the higher speed sounds, transmission uncertainties in the public switched network and aging copper loops mean that most phone systems are not capable of supporting higher data rates reliably. Modem configuration for use with a particular remote access service can be moderately difficult, but once connection scripts are set up, actual use is straight-forward.

In general, dial-up modem services are well-understood, basic, reliable and "no-frills," and are likely, in one form or another, to continue to be the most common remote access connection method for the next decade. According to the Gartner Group (Remote Access Conference presentation, 4/98), "modems rule in 2002." Modems have the dominant "market share" currently, and GG predicts that analog modems will continue to dominate with 64% of the remote access market share through 2003 (.9 probability). Analog modems will continue to be the easiest-to-use, universal-connection method, for the following reasons:

  • Start-up costs for modems are lower than any other connection method. The price of analog modems (end-user equipment in particular) is lower than for any other connection device, and will continue to be so. For the most part, modems have become standard issue for new computers, so the end user doesn't even see the cost as separate. In addition, many end-users can utilize their existing phone lines for analog service. From this perspective, their effective start-up cost to use an analog modem is zero. Even if it were necessary to purchase a modem, the cost is typically under $150. In contrast, initial costs for getting an ISDN line installed can be as much as $220 (if business Centrex service is used), and even the cheapest ISDN devices are several hundred dollars. From the end-user perspective, even ISDN, as the next lowest cost approach to analog modems, can represent a minimum initial investment of $500 or so. If the costs of installation complexity are factored in, the differential in start-up costs for modems vs. other technologies is even more marked.
  • Total on-going costs for analog modems are somewhat less than those for other connection methods. Unless a toll charge is involved or the phone line is a business line, users usually receive a flat-rate monthly bill for their phone service (whether used for data or voice). In comparison, monthly charges for ISDN are at least $30 from the telephone carrier, and the tariff provides for charging measured business rates during the business day (charge per minute); this does not include the monthly Internet connection charges, which typically start at $30 per month. Even for flat rate services such as AT&T's wireless data services, the monthly charge is steeper ($30/month for PocketNet; $50/month for packet data).
  • The transport network on which analog modems depend is ubiquitous. Analog modems depend on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), which in the USA and most other modern countries is ubiquitous to the home. Other transport networks are less distributed. For example, the cable network in Davis is not presently engineered to support data, and there are no plans to upgrade it any time soon. While ISDN availability follows closely behind modems in geographic reach, availability is limited to a certain maximum distance from the Central Office, and installation in some areas of Davis has involved trenching in people's yards.
  • The service is reliable. While many have experienced cable outages, phone service interruptions are rare (which means that both ISDN and modem options are the most dependable). Wireless performance is sensitive to weather, especially rain.
  • For many applications, the current speed of 56 Kbps is "good enough." The PSTN does have a bandwidth constraint of 64 Kbps per channel, and there are often local loop limitations that restrict users' speeds even further. Even though the industry has been pushing hard to increase modem speeds through hardware and software enhancements, they have likely reached fundamental physical limits with 56 Kbps. However, with performance-optimization applications such as compression, caching, and deferred access (through middleware), this speed limit will be "good enough" for many remote access needs.
Back to top   |   back to Table of Contents.


ISDN


The integrated services in "Integrated Services Digital Network" are voice, video and data, transmitted digitally, over a telephone network. Existing pairs of copper wire that service the home or business with bi-directional analog telephone service can also carry bi-directional digital transmission with an upgrade to the switch at the phone company's central office. This upgrade was carried out two years ahead of schedule at Pacific Bell's Davis central office due to the combined efforts of UC Davis and the City of Davis.

Note that for Internet access, an ISDN connection in itself is not enough. The ISDN connection to the public switched telephone network must be supplemented with a connection to an Internet Service Provider's Point of Presence (POP).

A typical ISDN connection is a BRI (Basic Rate Interface). A BRI consists of two 64Kbps B ("bearer") channels for carrying user information, and one 16Kbps D ("delta") channel for signaling and set-up. Each 64Kbps channel has its own telephone numbers; most ISPs will split the channels and assign them separately. Due to the way most telephone companies communicate between central office switches, the actual speed of an ISDN B channel is 56Kbps. Vendors have developed their own proprietary compression methods, which means that the best performance is generally achieved when the hardware at each end is from the same manufacturer, or when the end user hardware is capable of using the hub manufacturer's compression.

ISDN services can either be dedicated or contended. Dedicated service provides a full-time network connection, and is suitable for maintaining a server. Contended service provides for resources that are shared at the host end in much the same way as a modem pool, and provides what is often called "on-demand" service. From the user's point of view, the connection is always available without login, but at the host end the service is dropped after a certain period of inactivity (two minutes, for example). When the connection is needed, the ISDN device sets up a call to the remote site, and handles authentication. This happens very quickly (usually two to five seconds), where a modem connection routinely takes 30 to 45 seconds. For example, a user may double-click on a Web browser, and a network connection is made to download the page. As the user reads through the Web page, the connection is no longer necessary, and when the connection has been idle for a programmed amount of time, the call is disconnected and that line becomes available for another ISDN user. If the previous user clicks on a new link that requires a network connection, the ISDN line again becomes active and the network connection is made. Assuming an acceptable contention ratio, this process is transparent to the user, and appears to be a full-time network.

ISDN is suitable for electronic mail, active Web use, teleconferencing, and even transmission of complex still images (e.g., medium resolution x-ray images).

From the point of view of the end-user, ISDN hardware and communication costs are more expensive than a modem. Prices for hardware range from $200-1500, depending on the required features, and purchase of an Ethernet card is necessary if the computer is not already equipped with one. In addition, there are installation charges (from $159.75 for residential to $220.70 for business Centrex) and monthly costs as follows:

  • Flat monthly rate from the phone company for the ISDN line (either $29.50 or $33.55, depending on whether the line is residential or business);
  • Connect charges from the phone company for time the ISDN line is in use. Local usage is billed at regular business rates Mon-Fri 8 a. m. - 5 p. m. (approximately $.04 for the first minute, and $.01 for each additional minute). All other times, usage for the first 200 hours per month is flat-rated, with the regular charges applied after that. These rates apply to each B-Channel used.
  • Note that for Centrex ISDN services, there are no connect charges for connections within the Centrex. This type of service is available where the ISP can be guaranteed that some other organization or institution (such as the university) will be ultimately responsible for the Centrex bill.
  • A flat monthly rate for the ISP (may range from $30/month to $315/month, depending on the combination of number of B channels and service level hours of connectivity up to full-time, dedicated connectivity)
  • Sometimes, the ISP may also charge a per hour connect charge for any time beyond the upper limit defined in the service level agreement.
  • At the host end, many dial-up communication servers already come equipped to support ISDN connections. For example, the Cisco equipment purchased for the Interim Remote Access Service came with ISDN capabilities at no extra charge.
Service deployment of ISDN has been slow due to configuration and installation complexity, limited availability, and a lengthy standardization process. As a consequence, although ISDN has become more widely available and costs have decreased, Gartner Group classifies this service as "too little, too late." Because of the increases in modem speeds, and the significant cost premium to the marginal speed improvement offered by ISDN, ISDN will be limited to a remote access niche solution, for faculty and staff who are fixed-location telecommuters, and for remote offices as a back-up service to mission-critical WAN service. Gartner Group gives the emerging technologies of wireless and xDSL the competitive edge.

Back to top   |   back to Table of Contents.


XDSL


XDSL is similar to ISDN in that, with an upgrade of central office equipment and the installation of special end-user equipment, it takes advantage of existing telephone lines to support digital signaling, although at a higher data rate than ISDN. Typically, the data rates are asymmetric (the data rate from the subscriber to the Internet, the "upstream" data rate) is slower than the data rate from the opposite direction (the "downstream" rate). The upstream rate is similar to ISDN ranging from 64Kbps to 1.5Mbps; the downstream rate is 1Mbps to 8Mbps.

The same barriers that prevented swift, wide-scale adoption of ISDN are present for xDSL technologies. These include:
  • Standards stability hasn't been achieved yet, although there is some standards convergence to ADSL in near term. Competing standards include ADSL, G.Lite, HDSL, RADSL, SDSL, VDSL.
  • End-user costs for equipment and monthly charges are high. Currently, equipment prices are too high for the typical consumer ($500 to $1,000), although prices are expected to drop to modem levels by 2001. Monthly costs are estimated at $150 per month.
  • Upgrades to central office equipment necessary to support the service will be phased, resulting in limited service availability. For example, UC Davis staff met with Pacific Bell, and were told that there are no plans to upgrade the Davis central office equipment to support xDSL. In order to expedite this upgrade, the university would need to work with other area institutions (City of Davis, apartment complex owners, school districts) to aggregate the market enough to meet Pacific Bell's minimum market demands.
  • Set-up, installation and configuration is complex and difficult to support. Most phone companies don't have a long history of experience with supporting a wide variety of customer premise equipment (consumer computer platforms are much less standard than phones).
  • Gartner Group's recommendation is that, "through 2002, enterprises should treat xDSL as a regional, specialized technology and use it only when clear cost/benefit propositions can be demonstrated in comparison to more highly available services like analog modems and ISDN.

Cable Modems


In terms of capacity, engineering, and economics, cable has been identified as the clear winner.

The logical (as opposed to physical) topology of cable is exactly that of traditional computer networks, where everyone on the network shares the same physical signal-carrying medium, and is always connected (dividing the available bandwidth among all of the simultaneous users). This is in contrast to modems and ISDN, where the user has exclusive access to a fixed-size data channel while connected to the network; however, if the ISDN or modem service is not sized properly or managed effectively, there may not be a port available on demand, and these users may experience delays in getting access. This isn't the case with cable, where the major factor affecting the downstream speed of any connection is the number of simultaneous users.

Of the connection technologies currently available, cable offers the highest speeds to the individual user. Though there are relatively few products available for making an Internet-style connection through a cable network, speed ranges from as much as 47Mbps to 500Kbps in each direction, considerably outperforming the end-user products of other technologies. While newer models have high maximum downstream speeds (reflecting the dominant industry and user conception of cable as a one-way flow of information), they may also require the use of telephone lines and a modem in the upstream direction. The notation "direction" is important. While the conceptual framework of computer networking assumes a symmetrical flow of information (an assumption carried out in modem, wireless and ISDN connections), this may not be true of cable as a networking technology.

Cable companies have deployment barriers similar to those of phone companies:
  • Need to upgrade infrastructure to support data networking services, and lack of market penetration to justify such an upgrade;
  • Lack of corporate experience with data networking service issues (support, service and security);
  • Evolving standards environment and embryonic market for end-user products (although MCNS DOCSIS has now been adopted as the industry standard, there is still a limited choice of available end-user products) ;
  • High cost for end-user products ($500, but expecting under $200 by 2000);
  • Relatively high monthly cost, although this does include ISP services ($50/month).
In order to support high-speed, two-way transmissions, the Davis cable infrastructure has to be upgraded, requiring a substantial capital improvement. As in ISDN, the most important player in service provisioning and deployment is the carrier, in this case the cable company. Although UC Davis representatives have been negotiating for three years with TCI, the cable company for Davis until the recent franchise change, the company has not been willing to upgrade the cable plant to support two-way data transmission.

Wireless


(Note: A separate team is working on wireless pilots and evaluation of potential services, and will issue a separate report.)

Under the broadest definition of the term, existing wireless communication systems include radio, infrared, and cellular technologies-that is, radio and TV broadcasting, cellular telephony, specialized mobile radio, wireless data, microwave and satellite services. As with other communication technologies, wireless systems are converting to digital signaling.

At this point in time, wireless technologies have not evolved sufficiently to serve as replacements to traditional wire-based technologies, but do provide promising solutions in certain niches or gaps not well-served by wired infrastructures. Wireless networking is a collective term for solutions for two quite different problems:

  • In cases where it is difficult or impossible to install a conventional wired network infrastructure, or where networking is needed only temporarily (portable networking);
  • For the mobile user, who needs access to data communications while traveling or in the field.
While speeds have improved considerably in the past two years, wireless still represents slower speeds than other networking technologies, accompanied by higher costs and lower quality. For example, AT&T wireless packet data service is $50 per month (fixed rate), with initial investment of $500 for the wireless card. Speed is currently limited to 19.2Kbps.

As is true for both xDSL, and cable, service availability for wireless is limited in Davis (beyond cellular and PCS wireless services). For example, UC Davis met in June 1998 with representatives from Metricom (a wireless data service provider operating in the Bay Area) who indicated that they intend to pull back on any service expansions of any kind pending an upgrade in their network speed from 28.8Kbps to 128.8Kbps, which they forecast in the September 1999 time frame. Even after the upgrade, Metricom will focus on the L. A. and San Diego regions before considering any service rollout in the Sacramento region.

Back to top   |   back to Table of Contents.


Remote Access Technologies-Comparison Table

Sources: Gartner Group Remote Access Conference 4/98; UC Davis Wireless Project Team


Comparison Parameter Analog Modems ISDN XDSL Cable Modems Wireless & Satellite
Data rates 28.8 Kbps - 56 Kbps 128 Kbps (BRI); 2 B channels (64 Kbps plus D channel @ 16 Kbps Upstream: 64 Kbps - 1.5 Mbps Downstream: 1 Mbps to 8 Mbps Upstream: 128 Kbps - 10 Mbps Downstream: 10 - 27 Mbps Terrestrial: 19.2 Kbps - 10 Mbps Satellite: Downstrm:56 Kbps; 400Kbps today Upstream: 2Mbps; 16Mbps in 2002
Standards V.32bis, V.34/v.fast, V.90 for 56K modems ITU-T ISDN 1.411, 1.412, 1.430, 1.431 ADSL, HDSL, RADSL, SDSL, VDSL MCNS DOCSIS Terrestrial: IMT-2000; CDPD, PCS:TDMA, CDMA, GSM; 802.11 Satellite: proprietary
Standards stability Recent standardization for 56K modems Very stable & well established In process with many forms of xDSL; standards convergence to simple ADSL in near-term; (G.Lite is promising) Standards-based equipment will be available later in 1998 Terrestrial: Intense standards competition; Satellite: many proprietary standards
Connection type Dial-up via the Public Switched Telephone Network Fast dial-up on demand (transparent connection) Primarily dedicated; some options switched. Shared Ethernet (actual throughput varies with number of subscribers using segment) Shared multiple access (CDMA, TDMA)
Ease of configuration/set-up With installation script, relatively easy Moderately difficult Moderately difficult Moderately difficult Moderately difficult
Ease of connection Can be scripted; easy Easier than modem Easier than modem Easier than modem Moderately difficult, depending on technology
Modulation Analog Digital Digital Digital Analog/Digital
Security/authentication Kerberos supported Occurs ISDN box to ISDN box; user authentication more difficult Occurs xDSL device to xDSL device; user authentication more difficult Likely to lack security support needed at enterprise level Depends on technology
Transmission medium Normal telephone lines Copper lines Copper loops (residential supports digital data analog voice over same ) Hybrid fiber/coaxial cable (HFC) Terrestrial: .85-2.3 GHz Satellite: Ku-Band today; Ka-Band in 2002
Back to top   |   back to Table of Contents.




Remote Access Technologies-Comparison Table

Sources: Gartner Group Remote Access Conference 4/98; UC Davis Wireless Project Team



Comparison Parameter Analog Modems ISDN XDSL Cable Modems Wireless & Satellite
Availability Ubiquitous Deployment (and actual service penetration) at 97% Distance limitation of 18000 ft. from Central Office; some areas still not available. Nationwide deployment at 85% Not available in Davis; Pac Bell has no plans to include Yolo County in first distribution. Nationwide deployment at 10% Not available in Davis; cable industry has retrenched several times on implementation plans Deployment at 75% Terrestrial: coverage increasing rapidly Deployment at 80%
Market size $1.6 Billion $500M (growing 15%/yr) Embryonic but poised for high growth Embryonic Embrynoic
Top vendors 3COM (US Robotics), Global Village, Hayes, Compaq 3COM, XyXel, Motorola, Boca Research, Hayes, Arescom 40 vying for position and standards. Early leaders include Alcatel, Nortel, Paradyne, Pairgain and Cisco 20 vying for position; Bay Networks, Motorola, Toshiba, 3COM, Hayes, Com21 Terrestrial: Nokia, Ericson, NEC, Psion, Samsung, Motorola Satellite: Hughes
Equipment price Under $150 (note: devices include both data and fax modem in same device, and are available in all form factors (internal, external, PCMCIA) $200-$400 $500-$1000 $375 for non-MCNS unit in 1997 Terrestrial: Modem card and/or handset, $250-700 Satellite: Under $1,000
Network services price Avg. $20/mo/line; for business rate, .09/minute [**subject to tariff change] $0 - $50.00 $50/month plus .18/minute [**subject to tariff change] ($25-$100/month $150/month $45-$200/month in 2003 $50/month $35-$65/month in 2003 Terrestrial: $30-50/mo flat rate; $.20-60/Kbyte Satellite: $100/month
Appropriate applications E-Mail; some Web surfing; not appropriate for videoconferencing Usual apps, plus telecommuting, back-up, videoconferencing Full range of applications, including Internet2 Full range of applications, including Internet2 Best technology for geographically remote area where no access to wireline, and for completely mobile worker; For tethered worker, one-way downstream via satellite (with upstream employing wireline)
Back to top   |   back to Table of Contents.



Remote Access Technologies-Comparison Table

Sources: Gartner Group Remote Access Conference 4/98; UCD Wireless Project Team



Comparison Parameter Analog Modems ISDN XDSL Cable Modems Wireless & Satellite
Key trends Commodity market with low vendor margins; Dominant through 2003 Never really took off, and now not fast enough to really compete with analog modems, given price; Equipment prices going down (commodifying) Because copper-based will be major contender for remote access dominance; expect modem-like prices by 2001 and per month costs of $50-$75 Cable industry poised for aggressive roll-out, but not clear if in this region; very b content and ISP focus; major battle between Telcos (xDSL) and cable companies. Expect equipment costs of under $200 by 2000 For terrestrial: Expect hardware and service costs to drop by 30% or more; Expect coverage to increase and bandwidth to remain constrained; For satellite: expect new generation (separate systems for tethered/untethered workers) to come on-line 2001-2003
Match to UC Davis remote access needs High match through 2002 Good for tethered telecommuter and off-campus office Not available in Davis Not available in Davis Cellular, PCS & packet data good niche solutions; Metricom not available in Davis
Recommendations for monitoring this technology for future use   Continue pilot testing with interim remote access service equipment CR should continue working to develop regional market aggregation, and negotiate with Pacific Bell CR should continue working to develop regional market aggregation, and negotiate with Media One (new cable provider) See separate report
Back to top   |   back to Table of Contents.



Financial analysis


In order to assess the potential cost of resolving the remote access issue and to provide some short term relief to modem congestion, IT funded a pilot faculty modem service in 1997. This 96-port pilot enabled the evaluation of:
  • Segmenting the modem pools among user groups (faculty, staff and students)
  • Newer software-controlled remote access technologies (56k, ISDN)
  • Providing high speed access for faculty developing Web pages and other on-line course materials.
As a consequence of preliminary findings, the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor approved an allocation of $563,000 to add an additional 384 ports to the modem pool and maintain them for a two-year period. This allocation did not cover depreciation costs or all support costs.

The cost projection figures in this section are based on experience with the original pilot costs and implementation of the interim remote access service, and provide an estimate of the cost if the campus were to provide remote access services to all faculty, staff and students. This cost information is intended to provide a baseline for other alternatives. For informational purposes, the cost to support the existing 14.4 modems is also included.

Remote Access vs. On-Campus Networking Costs


The Gartner Group predicts that "through 2001, the annual IT costs (platform, data network and voice network) for remote (users) will be 63% to 157% higher than for office-bound workers." That is, providing a system to access the campus network remotely is far more costly than providing fixed site resources.

As the number of remote access clients increase, all costs associated with providing quality service increase when the system is "owned" in-house. The business decision for the funding of a remote access solution requires breaking down an IT operating model into five broad categories:
  • One-time costs are the costs to acquire hardware and software needed for remote access connectivity and monitoring of the network, personnel costs to design and install the system, and the costs to install communication lines.
  • On-going costs include charges for the communication lines and Internet access, depreciation/replacement costs, and equipment maintenance costs.
  • Technical support, including support staff training, scheduled maintenance, problem resolution and repair.
  • End-user operations including, end-user training and support.
  • Remote user costs including remote office set-up and compliance with safety and OSHA regulations. These are usually associated with the office telecommuter and not all remote access users; but may be a legal issue that could surface if students/faculty/staff are required to access the network remotely. Other than potential recharge rates to fund remote access, these costs have not been estimated in this report.
  • Administration includes asset management, policy and procedures, purchasing, installation, audit, change management, backup and other routine back-office functions. In the absence of policies with regard to remote access (although the development of such policies is recommended), these costs cannot be estimated for the purpose of this report.

Cost of Existing 14.4 Modem Service


The following table summarizes the costs of the existing 14.4 modem service. Costs which are not included are equipment replacement costs or depreciation, user support costs for support provided through IT Express, and the costs for remote software licensing, development and maintenance associated with Bovine On-Line.

TOTAL
Existing 14.4 Modem Service Costs Cost
Current estimated communication line costs

$29,580

Percentage share of CR overhead based upon size of service and support staff

41,604

Salaries and benefits for support 57,757
Minimum repair costs 5,300
$134,241
Back to top   |   back to Table of Contents.



Cost of Expanding Campus Modem Service


The following two scenarios demonstrate cost sensitivity to quality of service (contention ratio) and quantity of users. These scenarios were derived from a model which assumes that certain costs, such as equipment costs, increase relative to the number of ports or users, while other costs are relatively fixed (in that they are not related to the number of users or number of ports).

For simplicity in calculating contention ratios, no stratification of service into dedicated user group pools (for example, between faculty, students, staff) were included in the scenarios. The installation costs represent the cost to install a modem pool with the ports indicated. Development costs associated with the implementation of new software managed modems have already been absorbed with the recent modem pool expansion and therefore not included in these costs. Likewise, some infrastructure costs to support the potential quantity of users have also been incurred, and therefore only their replacement costs are factored into the model. Should a decision be rendered to implement a modem pool of the sizes provided in these scenarios, the actual installation cost would be discounted because of the recent acquisition of 480 modems. The savings realized by this would be partially offset by the fact that these modems would be 2/3 of the way through their life cycle and would need to be replaced one year into the new service program. (No depreciation reserves for these modems were included in the initial funding allocations.) Full details on the calculation of the costs used in this model are provided in Appendix B.

The first baseline user population is 18,910 as determined below and is used for Scenario A.

Faculty: 1,037

Estimated as follows:

Total Senate/SOE/Unit 18 1,383 Source: Planning and Budget estimate

Estimate 75% own computer with modem.

Staff (includes other academic personnel): 1,814

Total Staff: 9,454 Source:Personnel Statistics 6/97

Estimate 19% are telecommuters.

Students: 16,059



The student population was estimated as follows:

    Students Totals Notes
TOTAL, ALL STUDENTS   24,299 Source: Fact card
On-campus residence halls   3,750 Source: Student Housing
Solano/Orchard Park   475  
Domes/Cooperative Housing      
TOTAL ON-CAMPUS   4,225  
TOTAL OFF-CAMPUS   20,074  
COMPUTER OWNERSHIP      
Estimated Percentage of Students owning computers 75% 18,224 Source: ASUCD and IT surveys, Winter �97
Estimated Off-Campus Students owning computers 75% 15,056  
Estimated Off-Campus students with access needs 80% 16,059 This figure assumes 5% of roommates share access


The second user population baseline is 28,000, which is a gross potential user population with 80% remote access adoption rate. This figure is used for cost model Scenario B.

ESTIMATED BUDGET TO UPGRADE MODEM POOL SCENARIO A: Current estimated user population 18,910
Contention Ratio 20 15 10
Number of Ports (Based on 24 port increments) 960 1344 1920
One-Time Implementation Costs (Variable) $462,211 $656,993 $935,748
Fixed Billing Costs (If Recharge Model is Adopted) $22,976 $22,976 $22,976
Total One-Time Costs with Billing $485,187 $679,969 $958,724
Annual Costs
Variable O&M Costs $416,712 $563,145 $779,225
Variable Support Costs $210,000 $210,000 $210,000
Fixed Costs $104,853 $104,853 $104,853
Total Annual Costs $731,565 $877,998 $1,094,078
Variable Billing Costs (If Recharge Model is Adopted) $37,820 $37,820 $37,820
Total Annual Costs with Billing $769,385 $915,818 $1,131,898
Total Costs (Without Billing) $1,193,776 $1,534,990 $2,029,826
Total Costs (With Billing) $1,254,572 $1,595,786 $2,090,622
Annual Cost/User (Without Billing) $ 38.69 $ 46.43 $ 57.86
Annual Cost/User (With Billing) $ 40.69 $ 48.43 $ 59.86
ESTIMATED BUDGET TO UPGRADE MODEM POOL SCENARIO B: Current estimated user population 28,000
Contention Ratio 20 15 10
Number of Ports (Based on 24 port increments) 1440 1920 2880
One-Time Implementation Costs (Variable) $693,317 $935,748 $1,400,340
Fixed Billing Costs (If Recharge Model is Adopted) $22,976 $22,976 $22,976
Total One-Time Costs with Billing $716,293 $958,724 $1,423,316
Annual Costs
Variable O&M Costs $621,777 $804,223 $1,164,357
Variable Support Costs $270,000 $270,000 $270,000
Fixed Costs $104,853 $104,853 $104,853
Total Annual Costs $996,630 $1,179,076 $1,539,210
Variable Billing Costs (If Recharge Model is Adopted) $56,000 $56,000 $56,000
Total Annual Costs with Billing $1,052,630 $1,235,076 $1,595,210
Total Costs (Without Billing) $1,689,946 $2,114,824 $2,939,550
Total costs (With Billing) $1,768,922 $2,193,800 $3,018,526
Annual Cost/User (Without Billing) $ 52.70 $ 62.35 $ 81.40
Annual Cost/User (With Billing) $ 55.67 $ 65.31 $ 84.36
Notes:
  • Variable costs consist of those costs which are sensitive to the quantity of ports or quantity of users. These costs may scale linearly or as a step function.
  • Fixed costs consist of those costs which are not sensitive to quantity of ports or users.
Back to top




Table of Contents   |    Acknowledgements    |    Section:  1   |    2   |    3   |    4   |    5   |    Appendices


Connection Failure