Low‑cost Internet access in rural areas is enabled by satellite services such as Starlink, but delivering that bandwidth to multiple users requires intelligent network management. The Guest Internet controller performs this function by allocating bandwidth, enforcing usage limits, and preventing network abuse. This efficient control allows a single satellite link to serve entire communities at a fraction of the cost — often as low as one cent per hour per user.

The availability of low cost Internet for remote rural communities around the world is made possible by satellite Internet services. Starlink provides the most popular satellite service. The satellite receiver on its own is not sufficient to provide Internet for the community. Delivery of a community Internet service requires several technologies; we call this a “digital ecosystem”: a group of technologies that work together to deliver the Internet service to a remote rural community.

• A satellite Internet provider; Starlink is popular.
• A network controller manufactured by Guest Internet that shares the Internet service between many people and ensures that the service is not abused.
• An outdoor WiFi wireless distribution network that connects mobile devices and homes.
• A cloud management service that administers and monitors the service.
• A gateway that charges for the Internet service using vouchers and Mobile money.

A Starlink or similar service is designed for installation in a home, and used by 4 or 5 people. The satellite service has to be shared using a controller that applies controls so that a hundred or more people can use the service at one time. The satellite service is not free and so people using the service have to pay, however by managing the utilization of the service, the cost per person can be as low as 1-cent per hour of use.

Adapting satellite Internet to provide a service for rural communities

Connecting remote rural communities with fiber cables or microwave bridges is often impractical for cost and logistical reasons. The distances are sometimes measured in hundreds or thousands of Km, and the income generated by offering the service will not permit the cost of the installation to be recovered, there is no return on the investment.
Satellite Internet, such as the service offered by Starlink, will provide community Internet access for a very low cost compared with any other terrestrial method of connecting the community to the global Internet backbone. Although Starlink is designed to provide the Internet service for a home, many tens of thousands of communities around the world are using the Starlink service to provide Internet for communities members, so that hundreds of thousands of people can have access to the Internet.

The Starlink service can be shared because the Guest Internet controller manages the Internet access for many people. Each user has a limited time to access the Internet, and has a limited data speed and limited data volume. 

A frequently asked question is how many people can share a Starlink connection at one time? The answer depends on the duration of access and data speed that each community member is allowed. With limited duration and data speed for each user it is possible that 150 people can be connected to a Starlink antenna at one time. A service with one Starlink antenna may be adequate for a community of 500 people, as only a small percentage of the population will want to connect to the Internet at one time.

Satellite Internet provides the connection for remote rural communities

Currently, the dominant global Internet satellite network is Starlink, developed and operated by Space-X. The Starlink satellite constellation currently has over 10,000 satellites in orbit and will have more than double this when completed. The satellites rotate the earth in low earth orbits (LEO). This means that the distance between the ground antenna and the satellite is less than 400Km. LEO satellite pass overhead quickly, a few minutes from horizon to horizon and so the ground antenna has to switch between satellites as each passes overhead.

Each customer has an antenna that can communicate with a satellite, and can swap the connection between satellites as each satellite moves across the sky. Each satellite relays the customer connection to one of the many ground stations around the globe. Each ground station has a high-speed connection to the Internet.
 
The antenna must have 180-degree visibility of the sky to ensure that it can connect with at least one satellite. If the antenna is installed in a location that is surrounded by buildings or trees then the antenna must be mounted on a roof or antenna tower to provide 180-degree visibility of the sky. 

It is possible that any point on the earth might have several satellites overhead at any time due to orbital shells with different inclinations. The customer ground antenna must have a 180-degree visibility of the sky and so several satellites might be visible to the antenna.

The next figure illustrates the Starlink customer antenna.

A Starlink satellite antenna and router

The operation of Starlink has to be approved in each country where it will provide service, as the frequencies used by Starlink require a license to authorize their use.  At the time of writing Starlink is available in over 20 countries in Africa and has pending applications to operate in many more countries.

Elements of the rural community Internet service

Implementing rural community Internet requires the integration of a group of technologies; a digital ecosystem that makes it possible to provide remote rural communities with low cost Internet access, and to charge community members for the service so that the costs of the Internet Service Provider (ISP) operating the service are paid. A small affordable charge paid by each resident for the shared Internet connection pays for the ISP or satellite Internet service. The rural community Internet system has elements that are shown in the diagram.

The rural community site has three components and community members connect to the WiFi using smart phones or laptops.

• Satellite antenna to access the Internet service; Starlink.
• The Guest Internet controller is managed by the Guest Internet cloud service.
• WiFi network infrastructure to provide Internet access for users.
• The Guest Internet cloud management system; coordinates user authentication for all rural sites, with an API interface for a external applications software or Telecom billing systems.
• Payment gateway host server; manages the online access charge process.
• Mobile operator payment processor; an API service provided by the mobile operator.

Manage Internet access and billing for the rural community Internet service

Each rural WiFi Internet installation has a Guest Internet controller. The WiFi network infrastructure is connected to the Guest Internet controller, and the Guest Internet controller connects to the ISP service, such as a Starlink antenna. The Guest Internet controller shares access to the Internet for many concurrent users. The Guest Internet controller is also responsible for ensuring that users have paid for the service before being allowed access to the Internet. There are two types of user authentication.

• Pay on demand; the user purchases an access code that can be used for a limited time, purchased either as a voucher, or purchased online.
• Pay by subscription; the user remains connected via fixed wireless access (FWA) while the monthly fee is paid. Payment is through one of several methods.

Guest Internet controllers are selected for the data speed of the Internet service;

• ISP service below 100Mb/s: STAR-15 kit
• One Starlink Antenna, 150Mb/s: GIS-R4, STAR-8 kit
• Two Starlink antennas, 300Mb/s: GIS-R10, GIS-R20
• Three or four Starlink antennas, 450Mb/s or 600Mb/s: GIS-R40
  

The Guest Internet controller is a software and hardware product that is installed at the location where the WiFi Internet service will be provided. There is a range of Guest Internet controller products that are appropriate for all levels of cost and performance required for each installation. The Guest Internet controller has a stand-alone mode of operation for small installations. Larger installations and multi-site installations are supervised by the Guest Internet cloud service, which will manage the access of users to broadband networks at many locations. 

The Guest Internet controller installs in a network between the Internet service provider (ISP) circuit and the end-user WiFi network infrastructure, to control and manage access of many users to the Internet connection. Key functions of the Guest Internet controller include:

• The Guest Internet controller manages the sharing of one Internet connection by many concurrent users, by supervising the data flow to avoid network congestion of the ISP connection.
• The Guest Internet controller customer authentication implements several different methods for authenticating customers to support several concurrent-billing methods.
• The Guest Internet controller internal database stores authentication information for each access, including the rate-plan (duration of access, data speed limits, etc) chosen by the customer.
• The Guest Internet cloud API (application program interface) is provided for integration with external customer billing software, that includes, subscription, Mobile Money and credit cards, plus interfaces with Telco billing and monitoring systems.
• The Guest Internet controller can monitor any device connected in the LAN network that has a UI IP address, this includes wireless access points and remote client premise wireless equipment (CPE’s). When a failure is detected an alert is sent via email to the network supervisor and field service tech.
• The Guest Internet cloud service monitors the status of all Guest Internet controllers that are assigned to the account and the ISP connection to each controller. There is no limit to the number of Guest Internet controllers that can be assigned to one cloud account. When a failure occurs, an alert is sent via email to the network supervisor and field service tech when a failure is detected.
• The Guest Internet controller firewall implements a range of security measures that will prevent abuse of the service, including the prevention of users sharing one access credential with others. The firewall has other features, such as blocking access from a device that has an active DDoS virus.
• High reliability operation of Guest Internet controller products demonstrated by tens of thousands of robust controllers installed, and with some older controllers still in use after 15-years of operation.

Users that connect to the WiFi network have different methods of authentication, which depend on the billing mode assigned for the user.

• Pay by subscription; the customer is permanently connected to the Internet via a fixed wireless access (FWA) wireless connection. The customer is authenticated onto the network via recognition of the device connection. The billing system supervises the customer’s connection and advises the Guest Internet controller to suspend the customer authentication if the monthly fee is not paid by the due date.
• Pay on demand; Access to the Internet is for a limited duration where an access code is purchased by one of several methods that include printer vouchers and online payment with methods such as Mobile Money.

The Guest Internet controllers and cloud management system have features to generate and print access code vouchers. In addition, the billing mode methods can be implemented by 3rd party software systems via the cloud API when required by the application. The steps for each user to obtain access to the Internet and maintain a connection to the Internet are as follows.

• The user connected to the network then the Guest Internet controller receives this request and begins the authentication process.
• The Guest Internet controller verifies user credentials against the internal database (populated by the Guest Internet cloud server). Successful authentication grants access, while failures are denied or redirected.
• Once authenticated, the Guest Internet controller establishes a session, assigning IP addresses and applying policies such as bandwidth limits, rules, and security settings.
• The Guest Internet controller consolidates user data streams, inspecting packets for security threats or policy violations. It then routes traffic to the Internet.
• Throughout the session, the Guest Internet controller continuously monitors traffic, collecting data on usage, performance, and security events. This information supports network management and billing.
• When a user disconnects, the Guest Internet controller terminates the session, freeing resources and updating usage records.

Each step ensures secure, efficient, and manageable broadband access, and manages the increasing complexity of large-scale multi-site distributed networks.

Network infrastructure for a community Internet service

The network infrastructure for a community Internet service has three components.

• The Internet connection, usually a satellite service such as Starlink.
• The Guest Internet controller that will share the Internet service with many people, has a mechanism to charge for the Internet access, and monitor the use of the service to prevent abuse.
• The WiFi network infrastructure, which can be an outdoor wireless access point for mobile devices, home installations for communication at greater distances, and wireless bridges to nearby communities that can share the Internet service.

By deploying Guest Internet controller and wireless WiFi Star-kits, the infrastructure investment is minimized while providing a secure, robust and high performance service for the community. Community members can access the WiFi service using mobile phones when in range of a wireless access point. Homes that have the CPE and wireless router kit installed (such as the Star-4 kit or Star-16 kit) can connect to the central antenna over a greater distance, providing that there is a line of sight between the antennas.

The next diagram illustrates a community Internet installation.

A home that is connected to the central antenna via wireless, as a fixed wireless access (FWA) customer, can be charged for the service either as a pay-on-demand customer or as a subscriber. A subscriber will be connected to the Internet permanently while monthly payments are made for the service, and disconnected when a payment is missed. The subscriber chooses a rate plan, which determines the monthly charge and the maximum data speed corresponding to that charge. There may be other conditions such as a maximum monthly data cap.

Mobile users are always pay-on-demand customers, which means that the user purchases an access code, either as a printed voucher or purchased online using Mobile Money, or other payment system. The pay on demand access code has parameters associated with it, similar to the subscriber rate plan, the principal difference is that the access code has a limited duration; it is not a permanent connection. A summary of the access code characteristics follows.

• The access code can be generated either by the Guest Internet controller or Guest Internet cloud; the code is a 6-digit alphanumeric code. A 3rd party application can generate and set access codes up to 9 alphanumeric digits.
• The access code has a limited time of validity after first use. The user may be offered a limited duration e.g. 1hr, 4hrs, 8hrs, 1day, 1week, etc. The person managing the system decides what duration will be offered for access codes.
• Maximum download and upload speed is set for each access code. The data speed of each user is limited in order to share the bandwidth available from the ISP between the numbers of concurrent users.
• Maximum download and upload data volume limits can optionally be set for each access code. This is the amount of data that each user can consume.
• Number of concurrent users for the access code. The default is one however any number can be set. A business might decide to generate an access code with unlimited users so that any person can get Internet access with the “code of the day”.
• Set the start data and time after which the code can be used. For a large community sharing one Internet access then access codes can be issued that can be used only after the specified date and time.

When the administrator is generating codes and printing vouchers, up to 10,000 codes or vouchers can be generated at one time with the same characteristics. Access codes generated on a Guest Internet controller can only be authenticated on that controller. 

Any controller that is part of the cloud group can authenticate access codes that are generated using a cloud account group. There is no limit to the number of controllers that can be part of a cloud group.

Calculate how many people should connect to the Internet service

The calculation of the maximum downlink and uplink speeds to set for each code depends on three factors.

• The maximum upstream and downstream data speeds of the ISP’s Internet service.
• The number of concurrent users expected.
• The contention ratio.

The first calculation is to divide the ISP’s data speed by the number of expected concurrent users. For example, an ISP service with a maximum downstream speed of 150 Mb/s with an expectation that 200 people will concurrently access the service. Maximum downlink data speed per user 150/200 = 0.75 Mb/s per person.

The second factor is the contention ratio; this is the guessed amount that we can exceed the calculated speed per user because not all users will be using the maximum data speed. People streaming videos will use the maximum data speed, however people checking emails will use only a tiny fraction of the maximum data speed. A estimation for the contention ratio might be 3:1. Then multiply the maximum data speed by the contention ratio. The permitted maximum downlink data speed per user = 0.75 x 3 = 2.25 Mb/s per user. Repeat this calculation for the uplink data speed, which is usually lower than the downlink data speed.

In addition to setting the maximum data speed per user it is also possible to set a limit on the number of concurrent users who are connected to the system. Failure to set limits on the number of users and the data speed per user can result in network congestion, where all users will be disconnected from the internet service at the moment of congestion and will have to reconnect. The customer might be offered several rate plans to choose. Each plan has a cost and a maximum data speed. The customer can choose from options of cost and data speed. When a community has a large number of members then cost can be a factor to persuade people to choose lower data speeds so that more people are able to connect the service.

Prevent potential abuse of the Internet service

It is extremely important to prevent people abusing the service. One type of abuse is the illegal sharing of copyright material, CD’s or DVD’s. The copyright owners monitor sharing services such as Torrent and aggressively pursue a remedy to stop the illegal sharing. When the ISP is located in a country outside the USA or Europe it is difficult or impossible for copyright owners to prevent illegal file sharing. However any user of an ISP located in the USA will have the Internet service terminated if using the service to share copyright material. Starlink is a USA corporation that provides the Internet service around the world. Any sharing of copyrighted material in any country will result in Starlink terminating the Internet service for that customer. 

The Guest Internet controller has a firewall feature to detect and block the use of Torrent protocols to prevent illegal file sharing. Users can connect via a VPN to encrypt the connection and hide illegal file sharing. In this case the IP address observed by the copyright holders will not be the IP of the location where the service is provided.

Comparing performance of WiFi vs. mobile phone technology

A frequently asked question from people who are considering installing a WiFi Internet service for a community is to ask about the range of the outdoor WiFi. 

Most people who are not familiar with WiFi technology expect that the outdoor WiFi wireless products can communicate over many Km of distance and are very disappointed when they discover that the range is a few tens of meters from an outdoor WiFi antenna to a mobile device. People expect that the range of WiFi must be the same as a mobile phone service, however there are many differences between the mobile phone technology and WiFi technology. Some characteristics of a mobile phone service are compared with a WiFi service in the table below:

Next steps

When you are ready to install a WiFi Internet service for your community then please contact us to request important literature that will help you with your network design, installation, configuration and operation.

Contact us today to start your community Internet WiFi project

WISPzone has everything you need to start and grow, please contact:

info@wispzone.com

Guest Internet makes the best products for community WiFi, please contact:

support@guest-internet.com