A Framework for Planning a Unified Wired and Wireless ICT Infrastructure

The increase in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) has pushed the existing access networks to their limits. Whole new access networks are currently being deployed and are expected to take full advantage of the already started synergy of services converging on to one network. Through a brief survey of synergy and technology trends, it is concluded that a future network will complementary use of wired and wireless technologies. In this context the paper proposes a framework for planning of unified wired and wireless ICT infrastructures. The framework includes different input parameters of relevance for the planning and implementation, which also include a step-wise implementation plan. Planning methods for wired and wireless planning is presented and a simplified largescale case study is conducted to verify and illustrate the use of the framework. Keywords— Wireless Access, WiMAX, FTTH, Broadband Networks, Network Planning, ICT infrastructure, Modeling