Telecommunications infrastructure

 
It is a physical medium through which all Internet traffic flows. This
includes telephone wires, cables, satellites, microwaves, and mobile
technology such as fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks. Innovative
wireless solutions like Internet balloons and drones are also gradually
being deployed.
The Internet, therefore, is a giant network connecting devices across
geographical regions.
How does data flow through this infrastructure? Let’s say a user based
in Chile – connected through a data package on a device – wants to access
content hosted in Spain. The user’s device would wirelessly communicate
packets of information on the cellular network. Those packets would then
be routed between that network and every connected network via ethernet
cables, coaxial cables, and over land, underground or under-sea fibre
cables, until the packets arrive at the destination server. The process is
reversed – not necessarily along the exact same route – for the digital
content to arrive back to the user’s device.

What are the main policy issues involved:

Policy issues include access (how to connect the unconnected), the
liberalisation of the telecommunications and services market (opening up
the market, and therefore, boosting competition), the development of
intercontinental backbone links (how to create more routes across
continents to diversify Internet traffic, and the establishment and
harmonisation of technical standards.
Recent years have seen a proliferation of cables financed by giant tech
companies, due to the demand for services requiring faster connections.
Today, since the telecommunications infrastructure is predominantly
owned by the private sector, there is a strong interplay between
governments, companies, the technical community, and international
organisations.

Regulating the telecommunications infrastructure

The telecoms infrastructure is regulated at both the national and
international level by a variety of public and private organisations.
International organisations include the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU), which develops rules for coordination between national
telecommunications systems, the allocation of the radio spectrum, and the
management of satellite positioning; and the World Trade Organization
(WTO), which has played a key role in the liberalisation of
telecommunications markets worldwide.
The roles of the ITU and the WTO are quite different. The ITU sets
detailed voluntary technical standards and telecommunications-specific
international regulations, and provides assistance to developing countries.
The WTO provides a framework for general market rules.
Following liberalisation, the ITU’s near monopoly as the principal
standard setting institution for telecommunications was eroded by other
professional bodies and organisations. At the same time, large
telecommunications companies – such as AT&T, Vodafone, Telefonica,
Orange, Tata Communications, and Level 3 Communications – were given
the opportunity to globally extend their market coverage. Since most
Internet traffic is carried over the telecommunications infrastructure of
such companies, they have an important influence on the development of
the Internet.

A convergence of two worlds: telecoms and computers

The Internet can be structured into three basic layers: a technical
infrastructure layer (physical), a transport layer (standards, protocols), and
an application and content layer (www, apps). A good interaction between
the first two layers is crucial from the perspective of telecommunications.
In order to use and further develop the infrastructure efficiently, there was
a need to bridge two worlds with different needs – telecommunications
and computers. The technical standard Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) managed to bridge the two. TCP/IP
works over the infrastructure; all applications work over TCP/IP.
Nowadays, much of telecommunications infrastructure is built to fit the
needs of digital communication and the Internet.

The last mile

The local loop (or last mile) refers to the connection between ISPs and
their individual users. Problems with the local loop – including cable lines
in poor conditions, power outages, physical barriers to reaching remote
places, and prices for deployment – are an obstacle to the more widespread
use of the Internet in many countries, mainly in the developing world.
One common solution is to use existing infrastructure such as copper
wires, or cable TV and mobile networks. In order to make good use of
such infrastructure, governments and regulatory bodies often order
operators to rent their loops (local loop unbundling).
Another low-cost solution is the use of wireless communications. Major
tech companies are experimenting with various projects, including
providing mobile access from Internet balloons and drones.