CASE STUDY

Papua, Indonesia
This case study highlights our partnership with the University of California at Berkeley to deliver cellular service to a community in rural Papua, Indonesia. The village had no communications and contacted Technology and Infrastructure for Emerging Regions (TIER) research group at UC Berkeley to inquire about setting up a low-cost cellular network. Leveraging the OpenBTS software, the TIER team established a network covering two villages and serving over 140 people. After two months of operation, the network is protable and helps to fund a local school.

Up and running in a day.

Shaddi Hasan, Researcher, UC Berkeley - TIER Research Group

Problem
In this Papuan community, electricity is scarce. The source for power is a small hydro generator (5kVA), which is turned off at night so that the reservoir can rell. Because the community is small and the nearest town with cellular service is an unreliable 4-hour drive away, the population cannot be served protably with conventional cellular network approaches.

Papua, Indonesia. Papua refers to the western half of New Guinea.

Range Networks 2013 OpenBTS

www.rangenetworks.com
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CASE STUDY

Papua, Indonesia
Solution
Led by Researcher Kurtis Heimerl, the TIER team leveraged Range Networks open source software and OEM kit to develop modied software and hardware that met the specic needs of the Papuan community. Many factors contributed to creating a solution that was economically viable. With respect to capital expense, the Range Networks system operates as a network in a box replacing the need for traditional core network infrastructure (VLR/MSC and HLR) and driving down capital costs. With respect to operating expenses, several factors drove down costs. The base station was powered by the only existing source of electricity, a micro-hydro generator. To further reduce the equipments already low power consumption, the TIER team developed power controls that enabled the system to be put on standby at night. Control switches were installed around the village so that after-hours, the system could be turned on when necessary. Range Networks system handles local calls and SMS through local switching, which reduces the need for VSAT backhaul. The system was operated by locals thereby eliminating costly specialized resources that would be typical in a traditional eld deployment team. Once the system launched, within weeks, over a hundred subscribers connected to the network and the service was protable for local resellers and the VoIP operator.

Services
Local Calls (OpenBTS voice) Global SMS (OpenBTS SMS and VSAT connection permits global SMS) Subscribers

Technology
Customized Range Networks 5150 Base Station 900MHz 10W System 2 x ARFCN Power Consumption: <80W 900MHz Omnidirectional Antenna, Up to 5km of Range

Economics
A break-even ARPU around $2.50 enables a healthy protable ecosystem of local entrepreneurs, operators and even helps fund a local school. After 10 weeks the network operated at an ARPU of $5.30. In addition to funding the school, the network supports an economy of primary and secondary resellers.

Papuan Pulpa (phone credit) ecosystem

Range Networks 2013 OpenBTS

www.rangenetworks.com
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