Let’s start by discounting some common components of definitions – it is not a service; it is not a technology; it is not a single solution. It is a mechanism to deliver services, technologies and solutions.
In telecommunications networks the access network is often referred to as the last mile as it is the piece of the network that connects to the subscriber. The structure of this component of the operator network will vary from place to place but the last mile is typically built using copper lines many of which are more than 50 years old. Mobile networks also have the concept of the last mile, although this is the wireless connection from the base station (mast) to the handset.
So, if these are the existing access networks then the next generation of access networks must bring something fundamentally different. They must be revolutionary and, in contrast to some definitions, they must be a replacement. To be blunt NGA is not delivered on copper lines or low-speed wireless connections. They must become the first mile.
DEFINITION: NGA is a replacement for existing communications access networks that will deliver unlimited broadband services.
Naturally this begs the question, “What is unlimited broadband?”
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