Frequently Asked Questions
Please send your question to Gary Bowers, gary.bowers@region10.org
Which school districts are members of the Wireless Internet Consortium?
Avalon ISD, Bells ISD, Bland ISD, Blue Ridge ISD, Boles ISD, Caddo Mills ISD, Campbell ISD, Canton ISD, Celeste ISD, Collinsville ISD, Ector ISD, Farmersville ISD, Ferris ISD, Greenville ISD, Gunter ISD, Howe ISD, Italy ISD, Kaufman ISD, Kemp ISD, Leonard ISD, Mabank ISD, Melissa ISD, Milford ISD, Palmer ISD, The Phoenix School, Pottsboro ISD, Princeton ISD, Quinlan ISD, S & S Consolidated ISD, Terrell ISD, Tioga ISD, Tom Bean ISD, Trenton ISD, Van Alstyne ISD, Whitesboro ISD, Whitewright ISD, Wills Point ISD and Wolfe City ISD.
Will Region 10 continue to provide data and videoconference services?
Yes. The data and videoconference services will be available as separate services.
Data services include Help Desk, Firewall, DNS, Email, Web hosting, and IP addresses for $4,000 annually. Filtering is also available and will be invoiced separately.
Videoconference services include Help Desk, Scheduling, Bridging, On-site technician, Access to TETN & Internet2 networks, ISDN service and training for $4,500 annually. These services will be invoiced by Region 10 separately and in addition to the cost of the wireless Internet service.
Will school districts that are in the Wireless internet Consortium continue to use the IP numbers provided by Region 10?
Yes, districts can continue to use the IP numbers provided by Region 10 as a member of the Wireless Internet Consortium.
What are the specifics on the quality of the wireless wide area network, such as packet loss, latency, and jitter?
The wireless network is carrier class with low latency, packet loss and jitter with Quality of Service as a standard part of the network. Since it is designed for real-time applications like VoIP and videoconferencing, there is zero packet loss, latency of normally 5 milliseconds but not over 10 milliseconds and jitter of 10 milliseconds or less.
Depending on the telecommunications provider, the Service Level Agreement for packet loss is less than 1%, and latency less than 30 milliseconds for round-trip transmissions.
Will the wireless network service be built with some capability for growth, if so how much?
The wireless network is built with the capacity to potentially scale up to 40 Mbps with a software upgrade to the microwave radio. Any increase in service would also incur an additional fee for the service.
A larger increase may require changing a microwave radio if demands exceeded 300 Mbps on one ring. In the future, Internet bandwidth could be provided up to 100 Mbps.
Can the wireless network service be interrupted by environmental conditions like rain and snow?
The network is designed for the weather conditions in North Texas. The service level agreement for network service is 99.99% up time. The microwave radios used for the wireless service are FCC licensed so interference is not an issue. Only a direct lighting strike will interrupt service to a site until it is repaired, usually within four hours.
If we are using the wireless Internet service, do we still need to keep a T1 circuit for videoconference services?
The videoconference network is now packet-based and fully compatible with H.323 IP videoconferencing. A dedicated circuit is no longer required and Region 10 districts are now using Internet bandwidth for videoconference services. If you choose to have a T1 circuit for videoconferencing you can request it from a telecommunications service provider and also file for E-rate discount.
Can the wireless company use a tower at the district site for services to clients other than the consortium?
Yes. The telecommunications company providing the wireless Internet service is a common carrier and therefore has to offer services to other clients. For instance, if a cellular telephone company needed a tower at that location, the wireless company could negotiate to provide a tower, but would only provide services if the school district approved an agreement that provided monthly revenue to the district, since the tower is on the district’s land.
Will the district retain any rights to the tower after the seven year term?
A district does not have any ownership of the tower since it is used to provide telecommunication services. If the district does not continue with the service after the first seven year consortium agreement then the district may be paid a fee for using the tower on their land; or, the tower may be removed upon request. The tower cannot be sold to the district due to restrictions placed on the telecommunications provider by the FCC Universal Service Administration Company.
What is insurance coverage on the pole located at our district?
Conterra Ultra Broadband is a telecommunications common carrier registered with the FCC. They have $1,000,000 of general liability insurance with a $15,000,000 umbrella policy that covers the pole at your site.
What can I expect during the installation of the wireless Internet service?
The project is built in three phases starting with districts in the north and moving south. The installation process includes the microwave equipment install a day or two after the pole is in place. This requires a technician to mount the microwave radios; run the cable underground to the building; drill an entry into the building; run a cable through the ceiling; and install the equipment in the rack you have available or on a wall mount rack.
Next, a Quality Control inspector will need access to check the installation; a final alignment will be done on the microwave radios; and then a five day burn in for testing will occur.
Next, Region 10 will install an Adtran 3430 router between Conterra's service and your router or switch so we can monitor the network and deliver services. We will test connectivity across the network and check your Internet bandwidth during that installation. We ask that you accommodate this router in your rack with UPS, next to or near the Conterra microwave equipment. Here is the spec sheet on the Adtran 3430 router. This will ultimately replace the Cisco 2610 that is providing EdNet10’s Internet service.
Finally, we need to schedule the date you want to cut over to the new 20 Mbps service. We expect the cutovers will occur from late September through early December.