Product Application Example

DuxTel Micro Community Telco model
for Body Corporate and Property Developers

Background

It is a well known principle that purchase of a product or service in bulk amounts will generally attract a lower per-unit price. Therefore, when groups of individual consumers band together to aggregate their buying power into a single bulk purchase, significant cost savings can be enjoyed by cooperative participants.

In the past, although this principle has been successfully employed by consumers of goods such as household items, food and drink products and even essential services such as electricity and gas, complex technical services such as internet communications have not been possible due to the technical constraints of service delivery to individuals on an equitable and metered basis.

 

The DuxTel Internet Commander

The DuxTel solution is the culmination of many years of product development and enhancement, and delivers all of the administrative controls required for very small communities to now take advantage of a bulk purchasing power on internet services.

The DuxCommander system comprises a fully functional combination of hardware and software systems. The hardware components are deployed at the site and top individual premises, and the software and management system is delivered out of our secure datacentre facility in Geelong, Victoria.

Due to this shared infrastructure delivery model, the DuxCommander system is cost effective for groups of even less than 10 customers!

With a DuxTel Solution, community and corporate groups are able to obtain internet and telecomm services from wholesale carriers under a competitive tender process, and pass on the cost benefits to participating subscribers.

 

How it Works

The hardware components provide the basic connectivity mechanism to the central community location, and communicates network utilisation statistics and accounting information back to the administration software via a secure VPN tunnel. The administration software collects relevant access details and generates monthly billing information which can be issued to participating customers on an automated schedule by email.

The DuxAdmin component provides an administration platform for the Community Operations Manager to provision customers, process payments, and maintain services like internet access credentials, email accounts and even web sites.

 

 

Customer Access Network Options

The DuxCommander solution is network technology agnostic. It will work equally well over wireless, as standard DSL-based copper technologies or even fiber networks. The benefit of operating on industry standard  protocols means that the solution can be deployed using the optimum customer access network available at the intended site, for example:

• Where a copper cable network is available, such as with a private estate or retirement village, ADSL or ADSL2 technology can be deployed
• Where no cables are available or possible, such as park or open space, wireless network equipment can be deployed.
• Where an existing data network is present, such as an office building with ethernet infrastructure, then direct-to-desktop access can be supported.

Best of all, this capability makes the DuxTel solution future-proof. If the copper cables installed at a retirement village are upgraded to a fiber resource as part of an infrastructure upgrade, then exactly the same DuxCommander back-end solution can continue to drive the access services.
It is even possible for a single site to comprise multiple or mixed access networks.

 

Proven Technology

The DuxCommander solution is currently in use today in a wide variety of deployments throughput the Eastern States of Australia, delivering services to thousands of independent consumers under more than a dozen independent brands. DuxTel customers include ISPs, both wireless and traditional, Hotspot providers, local council FreeNet operators and Web site developers.

Deployed locations include Gold Coast Tourist resorts, student accommodation centers, retirement villages and rural wireless ISPs.

The DuxTel Internet Commander delivers a turn-key solution for any organisation wishing to establish an internet delivery system, and ideal for body corporate and property development organisations.

 

System Components

For organisations considering use of the DuxCommander solution for their own infrastructure services, there are five basic solution components:

• DuxAdmin software access license establishment: This component includes a one time establishment fee for each organisation. Once established, the organisation may on-sell services to their own customers, or resellers, with no additional establishment fee required.
• DuxAdmin software monthly access fee:  This component is based on the number of end users of the system, and the total resources utilised (e.g. internet access account, email account, web site, etc) A minimum monthly fee may also apply for very small operators.
• Access Network Hub Hardware: This component comprises the DuxMaster access controller device and associated central network infrastructure.  For a wireless network, central access infrastructure would include the wireless base station, antennas and power supply equipment.  For an ADSL network, this component would include network switch equipment, DSLAM ports etc.
• CPE (Customer Premises Equipment): For an ADSL service, the CPE would be simply a standard adsl broadband modem. For Wireless networks, the CPE is usually a roof-mounted external radio receiver with cable installed to the PC or home router location.
• Level 3 Technical Support: Although support of the end user is usually the responsibility of the service operator, DuxTel provides full support for the operator.

 

Indicative Costs

Although costs vary from location to location, and depend of factors such as community size, remoteness and access network technology, the following information may be used as a guide for preparing a draft implementation budget and financial business plan:

 

Component	Notes	Approx Cost
DuxAdmin Establishment
	Includes interface customisation and training for service administration	$1500
Monthly Software Fee
	Per internet access user Per email account Minimum monthly fee	$1 $1 $50
Access Network Infrastructure
	Wireless base station Wireless Base station install DSLAM core DSLAM install	$1200 $2500 $800 + $100 (per user)* $1200
CPE
	Wireless CPE Wireless Install ADSL CPE	$220 $250 $100
Technical Support
	Telephone (per hour) On Site (per hour)	$80 $150

* DSLAM equipment is approximately $100 per port, with 12, 24 and 48 port models available
Prices are indicative estimate, do not include taxes and incidental costs and subject to change upward or downward without notice

Cost Example 1	Residential Building (25 apartments)
Category	Component	Aprox Cost
	DuxAdmin Establishment:	$1500
Core Infrastructure
	Duxmaster gateway DSLAM with 36 ports DSLAM Install	$800 $3600 $1200
CPE
	25 ADSL modems	$2500
Monthly Software Access
	25 access accounts 25 email accounts	$25 $25
Total establishment		$9600
Total monthly		$50 (plus wholesale access fees)

 

Cost Example 2	Caravan Park (50 sites)
Category	Component	Aprox Cost
	DuxAdmin Establishment:	$1500
Core Infrastructure
	Duxmaster wireless gateway Wireless Gateway Install	$1200 $2500
CPE
	50 Wireless CPE 50 CPE Install	$11000 $12500
Monthly Software Access
	50 access accounts 50 email accounts	$50 $50
Total establishment		$23500
Total monthly		$100 (plus wholesale access fees)

 

Cost Example 3	Shared Housing (8 residents)
Category	Component	Aprox Cost
	DuxAdmin Establishment:	$1500
Core Infrastructure
	Duxmaster wireless gateway (indoor)	$1200
CPE
	Own laptop – no CPE required	$12500
Monthly Software Access
	8 access accounts 8 email accounts	$8 $8
Total establishment		$2700
Total monthly		$50 minimum fee (plus wholesale access fees)