LYT2 Current and Emerging Technologies
Annotated Bibliography

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Western Governers University

LYT2 Current and Emerging Technologies
Annotated Bibliography and suggestions for Northeastern Health Services, Inc.

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
Nagesh, G. (2014, June 18). FCC Report on Broadband Speeds: DSL Lags Behind Cable and Fiber. The Wall Street Journal. (2014).

According to FCC officials in a study done a year ago and a report in the Wall Street Journal, telephone companies are not performing at the proclaimed speeds for their DSL or digital subscriber line service. Conversely, however, Cable and Fiber are able to meet, if not exceed their advertised speeds. The FCC promises to look into the discrepancies that exist with DSL service. If DSL were to be the only form of broadband available it would still be better than no broadband at all and is still pretty much the most widely available form of broadband for many communities across the US. It would function acceptably for the Northeaster Health Services, Inc., but might not be the best available.

Robinson, P. (1998). DSL vs. the world. PC Computing, 11(1), 263

While a bit dated for the year 2015, this article still contains a good list of requirements for DSL and its significant positive point. That point being that twisted pair copper wire is everywhere already and has been for a very long time. So other than limitations in speeds that can be broadcast and distance from the phone company origination it is a readily available to most areas in the US. Again this article reinforces that DSL could be an acceptable form of broad band for the Northeastern Health Services, Inc. project since it probably has the best over all availability, however, it could falter in providing the best price, speed and performance of the available technologies.

Cable
Hatfield, D. N. (2010). The Challenge of Increasing Broadband Capacity. Federal Communications Law Journal, 63(1), 43-66

This article actually addresses DSL, Cable and Fiber transmission, Cable is a significant portion. Again Cable is a widely available technology as most areas have coaxial cable provided already by Cable Television providers. Coaxial Cable with its shielded construction and potentially 1Gbps transmission rates provides low loss that can be re-amplified at needed intervals. Transmission speeds in this range would readily handle communication within the Northeastern Health Services, Inc. network and it would if no better form of broadband were available, handle their needs admirably.

Edwards, M. (1998). High-speed access kicks it into high gear. Communications News, 35(8), 98-99.

This article points out that while Cable broadband can reach speeds of 36Mbps, considerably higher than DSL’s 6-10Mbps speeds it is still considered less reliable since many users share internet over the same cable line. This offers questions of data theft as well as slowing speeds during periods of high usage because of multiple users, whereas DSL offers individual lines and lower competition for resources and most likely more secure data. Considering the type of data that Northeastern health services, Inc. deals with, that being medical data, it would seem that potentially slowing speeds and potential data theft, hacking or exploitation because of shared data streams would not be a plus for this technology.

Cellular
Vakil, F., Lu, V., & Russakoff, A. (2012). Recent Developments in Cloud Computing and High Speed Connections for Business Practices. Review Of Business, 33(1), 111-118

According to the article, with current G4 speeds being quite good, cellular wireless internet could be competitive for the Northeastern Health Service, Inc. project and provide potentially an exceptional internet experience, except as mentioned by this article that mobility and cellular communication also provide for the greater possibility of data loss, theft or degradation which is protected generally in a more closed wired network. Not to mention the fact that the RFP mentions that cellular service can by spotty and affected by weather conditions as well as solar flares. Since it seems that mobility is not that much of a requirement and that known issues already exist, it most likely would not be an efficient technology to use.

Edwards, C. (2013). FEEDING TIME. Engineering & Technology (17509637), 8(3), 68-72.

As cellular companies move from 3G to 4G (LTE) they are basically doing an overhaul of the entire 3G system. Everything in LTE is handled in data packets like a network, a far cry from the concepts of 3G. LTE also benefits from smaller closer deployments which make it better for the consumer as they move around but a more extensive install for providers. Unfortunately for Northeastern Health Services, Inc. 4G or LTE expansion while it might fix their issues with spotty service, is most likely to be added to larger metropolitan areas where a greater number of devices call for its use and the overall benefit is more easily gained. Eventually most likely these rural outlying areas may benefit from better, faster LTE service but it is unlikely that they do at the current time. Potentially this technology could also be affected by the same solar flares, however, which might detract from it’s over all usefulness.

Satellite
Satellite Internet for rural areas questioned. (2011). Tele-Service News, 23(6), 8.

According to a white paper produced by the Oklahoma Rural and Broadband Alliance, Satellite internet should not be considered an acceptable form of internet even for those communities which are cut off from regular forms of broadband. Satellites price coupled with its slowness and latency and is a poor substitute for wired alternatives such as DSL, Cable and fiber optic delivery. Considering comments from the RFP stating that they received large amounts of snow and rain and that among the already listed problems this would only aggravate communication as well, this is probably the least over all reliable form of broadband communication for the Northeastern Health services, Inc. project.

Hodson, H. (2015). Internet's final frontier. New Scientist, 225(3006), 1.

Recent break through’s in satellite technology are allowing the possibility of high speed 8mbps or faster satellite communications because of the ability to place satellites in a lower orbit. This allows for faster communication, since the distance the radio waves have to travel is significantly less, thus communication is faster. Some companies are even experimenting with light in the form of lasers rather than radio waves to not only speed up the potential speed of bandwidth, but to decrease the overall weight and size of satellites. This would be promising for the Northeastern Health Services, Inc. if it was actually a technology already in use. Additionally since it fails to actually be a work in practice, one can only theorize on the effects that weather may or may not actually have on the technology. Time will only tell on the future of satellite broadband internet, but these new developments do make it an exciting future possibility.

Fiber Optic
Brunner, C. (2014). Survey says: Fiber's speed changing the way we use the Internet. Retrieved Jun 15 2015 from http://www.ftthcouncil.org/p/bl/et/blogid=3&blogaid=289

The Fiber to Home Council did a 2014 survey of Fiber users and found that the satisfaction rates for Fiber usage were far higher than all other forms of broadband internet based on reliability and speed. Fiber with 1Gbps and higher speeds saves time and money for users as they waste less time waiting for content. This would be if available through either running leased lines or through leasing dark fiber from companies that already have fiber installed be the best option. With the most reliable and fastest internet speeds fiber would be the best overall choice for download and upload speeds for the Northeaster Health Services, Inc. project. It is not affected by weather or other outside influences and can be part of a wired secure network.

Anderson, D. (2015, February 23). Fiber-optic internet in the united states at a glance, Retrieved Jun 16 2015 from http://broadbandnow.com/Fiber

Fiber optic cable is by far the fastest form of broadband if it is available in your area. With current speeds at or above 1Gbps and significantly low latency it surpasses all other forms of broadband for bandwidth usage and speed. Unfortunately Fiber requires an infrastructure investment in the laying of the cable and a large amount of time and money to provide. With its communication be the use of light and at the speed of light, at least at the current time there are no limits to the actual speed that may be eventually achieved using this technology. Thus an investment in fiber will also tend to be a long term investment with no known replacement at the current time. Northeaster Health Services, Inc. would profit greatly from the installation of or lease of dark fiber from another source as it would handle easily all bandwidth requirements and since it is wired point to point would not suffer disruption form weather or other external issues.

PROPOSAL
If at all possible the best choice of broadband would be the use of fiber optics. Whether it is run by Northeastern Health Services, Inc., leased from a provider or it leases dark fiber from someone who has already run the line, fiber optics would provide the fastest, most reliable and most secure connection for their network. Fiber at least as far as we can tell at the moment is the overall best investment in that at the current time we are not using the full potential of data traveling at the speed of light. While changes in the connecting and switching might be required to up the total bandwidth speeds of fiber optics, it seems unlikely that they cabling investment will lose value and become a wasted investment.
With NHS’s goal to provide a state-of-the-art health services to underserved patients in rural Maine. It seems necessary for them to push funding to enable the use of possibly the best, fastest and most secure form of cabling by finding a way to use fiber optics between their Maine clinics and to connect them to their counterpart major hospitals in New York. Because of the potential size of files that must be transmit to these major hospitals absolute speed and available bandwidth is a need that can be best fulfilled with fiber optics. The use of fiber removes concerns for weather or even sun activity, and at the current time by passes the expected speeds and reliability of other broadband technologies for various reasons mentions in the previous annotations.
It would seem that Northeastern Health Services, Inc. would fall in with the Early Majority. They need for a technology to be proven and reliable before its use is possible, thus they can’t jump at something just because it is the latest technology, but they also need to be up with current trends so that they can take advantage of exceptionally proven high end technologies so that they do not falter as their investments into the health industry continue. Who would benefit if they were to hang onto old technologies that were slow simply because they were reliable. Doctors, staff and patients alike would be frustrated with long waits for slow data even if its delivery was consistent and reliable.
It seems very likely that NHS would accept the alternative of fiber optic cabling as their media for use in this project, unless they were unable to come up with needed funding, since it would fulfill all of their perceived needs as far as speed and bandwidth for transferring their necessary data. With far reaching ideas such as connecting a small Maine clinic with large hospitals elsewhere in the United States it would seem that they also have the desire to provide this service the best that they possibly can for all involved. As mentioned in the previous annotations by far the best choice for this project would be fiber optic use. It is a proven technology with a good sound investment as well as exceptional bandwidth and speed. It avoids all of their concerned issues such as weather and solar flares and provides a fast and secure solution for their project.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anderson, D. (2015, February 23). Fiber-optic internet in the united states at a glance, Retrieved Jun 16 2015 from http://broadbandnow.com/Fiber
Brunner, C. (2014). Survey says: Fiber's speed changing the way we use the Internet. Retrieved Jun 15 2015 from http://www.ftthcouncil.org/p/bl/et/blogid=3&blogaid=289
Edwards, C. (2013). FEEDING TIME. Engineering & Technology (17509637), 8(3), 68-72.
Edwards, M. (1998). High-speed access kicks it into high gear. Communications News, 35(8), 98-99.
Hatfield, D. N. (2010). The Challenge of Increasing Broadband Capacity. Federal Communications Law Journal, 63(1), 43-66
Hodson, H. (2015). Internet's final frontier. New Scientist, 225(3006), 1.
Nagesh, G. (2014, June 18). FCC Report on Broadband Speeds: DSL Lags Behind Cable and Fiber. The Wall Street Journal. (2014).
Robinson, P. (1998). DSL vs. the world. PC Computing, 11(1), 263
Satellite Internet for rural areas questioned. (2011). Tele-Service News, 23(6), 8.
Vakil, F., Lu, V., & Russakoff, A. (2012). Recent Developments in Cloud Computing and High Speed Connections for Business Practices. Review Of Business, 33(1), 111-118