Challenge: This specific DigitalPath network deployment was funded in large part by a $415,438 grant from the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF). The goal was to reach as many households as possible.
Solution: Tarana’s G1 platform allows massive scalability and fiber-class connectivity using existing infrastructure — at a fraction of the cost and time of pure fiber.
Results: Instead of reaching the original 277 households, DigitalPath was able to provide high-speed service availability to an additional 6,900 rural households with G1.
Speeds: The average download speed for all the households was 297 Mbps, and average upload speed was 68 Mbps.
Distance: BN sectors reached a maximum of 18 miles.
Subscribers: Up to 750 subscribers per tower.
Visibility: Many nLoS and NLoS links due to trees and other foliage.
Radio Planning: From k=2 to k=1.
DigitalPath, an ISP operating out of Chico, CA for 20+ years, is now quickly growing its subscriber base on a Tarana G1 next-generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA) network in two rural counties in northern California. The network deployment was funded in large part by a $415,438 grant from the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF).
The CASF grant objective was to provide competitive broadband services to 277 unserved rural households in the counties. By deploying Tarana’s G1 platform, DigitalPath was able to exceed the service requirements for these 277 households while also providing — with the same infrastructure — more affordable high-speed service availability to an additional 6,900 rural households within these granttargeted and surrounding neighborhoods. DigitalPath’s deployment of G1 base nodes was completed in six months, at a small fraction of the time and cost of installing a fiber-based network, and its subscriber count is growing steadily (see below and for details).
The table below shows key DigitalPath network statistics.
|
Infrastructure Deployment |
|
12 BNs on 4 towers, in 5 GHz |
|
Average BN sector height on towers |
|
150 feet
|
|
Average RN subscriber unit height at homes |
|
23 feet |
|
BN sector max range |
|
18 miles |
|
Coverage area (at 18 mile range) |
|
3,054 square miles |
|
Household (HH) passed |
grant address rural total est. total with towns in range |
277 7,177 88,600 |
|
Typical speeds (Mbps) |
in grant area average for all HH |
489 DL / 100 UL 297 DL / 68 UL |
|
Take rate for ≥100 Mbps plans |
grant addresses all HH |
66% 57% |
|
ARPU |
grant addresses all HH |
$83.32 $90.32 |
|
Project costs to date |
total without subscriber RNs |
$560.7k $473.8k |
|
Cost per HH passed |
rural only rural + towns in range |
$66 $5.34 |
|
$/HH passed for 45 CASF fiber projects |
(2019+’20 sample) |
$17,972 (on average) |
