Fakultät Verkehrswissenschaften „Friedrich List“ Institut für Wirtschaft und Verkehr
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF WIRELESS LOCAL AREA
NETWORKS IN RUSSIA AND GERMANY
Puzina Natalia
Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics, Moscow, Russia
[email protected]
Dresden, August 2015
Abstract
Throughout the world, is rapidly growing need for wireless connections, particularly in the
business sector. Users with wireless access to information - anytime, anywhere can work
much more efficiently than their colleagues, tied to a wired telephone and computer
network.
Comparing the experience of two countries: Russia and Germany, it can be noted that the
significant differences in the development of marketing programs for small businesses
related to the different attitudes in these countries to provide access to the Internet
wirelessly.
First of all the differences between Russia and Germany are different conditions for the
owners of local area networks. Relation to Internet security by ordinary users and by the law
plays an important role.
Keyword: wi-fi, wireless communication services, wireless networks, Internet access
Motivation
1 MOTIVATION
Internet access connects individual computer terminals, computers, mobile devices, and
computer networks to the Internet, enabling users to access Internet services, such as
email and the World Wide Web. Internet service providers (ISPs) offer Internet access
through various technologies that provide a wide range of transmission speed.
Fixed line access
Telephone line
Cable TV
Digital subscriber line
(including Fiber to the
Curb)
Mobile access
WLAN (Wi - Fi)
Mobile phone
networks
Satellite
communication
Fiber optic subscribers lines
(including Fiber to the building
and Fiber to the home)
Figure 1: Internet Access
WLAN - wireless local area network - the easiest and fastest way to connect a device to the
Internet.
Wi-Fi is a trade name for a wireless local area network (WLAN) that uses one of the IEEE
802.11 standards. It is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Individual homes and businesses
often use Wi-Fi to connect laptops and smart phones to the Internet. Wi-Fi Hotspots may be
found in coffee shops and various other public establishments. Wi-Fi is used to create
campus-wide and city-wide wireless networks.[1]
1
Motivation
Now even when someone is cruising or checking in a hotel, the first thing they look for is
free Wi-Fi access. Wi-Fi is changing the healthcare sector is already a well known fact. In
fact, Wi-Fi is creating revolution in building a city. A smart city has to be Wi-Fi enabled for
better living of the citizens.
Access to the Internet is carried in different ways. For example in the Moscow Metro to
access the Internet is necessary enter your mobile phone number and then you will receive
a message with the code for access. In this way, the provider will know who exactly uses
his services. The procedure for obtaining the code is necessary to pass once after which the
system saves your data and for accessing to the Internet the next time you only need to visit
the site of the Moscow Metro. This technology makes it easier to switch the network as
well. And it makes the user happy because he doesn’t need to sign in every time.
But here in Germany, the need for a fast Internet connection on the go is more problematic.
In Russia the Internet is more free, but dangerous.
2
Access to Wireless Networks
2 ACCESS TO WIRELESS NETWORKS
For example, in May 2010, the The Federal Court of Justice of Germany ruled that owners of
private wireless networks will be required to put on them the password for the device
connection. It was intended to prevent pirated content lovers to download illegal movies and
music using the open networks. If it turns out that in an open network were illegally
downloaded files, network owner is obliged to pay a fine of up to € 100. A precedent for
such a decision was the author's claim [2], when it was found that Wi-Fi-network was open
and user has been illegally downloaded song. However, the user can prove that at the
appointed time was on holiday, and thus avoid responsibility.
For that reason of the copyright law the owner of hotspot is now in a very uncomfortable
position, he is responsible for everything that happens in his network. If the user
downloading illegal content responsible before the law will be the owner of the network. If
Internet fraudster uses a network in a coffee shop or hotel to answer before the law is the
owner of a cafe or hotel.
However, the demand for wireless Internet in Germany is very high. According to Deutsche
Telekom, the last 12 months the company has installed more than 50 thousand new access
points. However, prices for access at these points is not democratic: an hour of Internet
cost approximately € 7. A recent survey by the Institute of Public Opinion Research OnePoll,
shows that the Internet - the most popular optional in hotel rooms. 61% of respondents
prefer to access the World Wide Web in the room TV (17%), bath (5%), refrigerators (3%)
and a mini-bar (1%).[2]
On average in Europe, free internet access is available to 80% of hotels and in Germany only 65%.[2]
Comparing the provision of Internet access in public transport, cannot ignore the Moscow
Metro. In Moscow, in the subway you can access the Wi-Fi network for free, go through the
simple registration procedure. Deutsche Bahn until the end of the year plans to provide Wi-Fi
all high-speed trains, service cost will be approximately € 4,95 per day. [3]
In July 2014 became a completely free wireless internet access at the airport Frankfurt. [4]
Earlier, Wi-Fi in the largest airport in Germany is only free for the first hour of use, now during the day. However, for this you need to go through the standard procedure of
registration and log in to the network using a special password. Frankfurt was second in
3
Access to Wireless Networks
Germany after the Cologne-Bonn Airport, completely abolish fees for wireless internet. At
the airports of Munich and Dusseldorf Wi-Fi is free for 30 minutes, and in Hamburg - for an
hour. [5]
However despite the difficult situation with public transport networks Germany has a great
experience in deploying private networks. In particular the Dresden University of Technology
students have free Wi-Fi covering the entire territory of the university and serves more than
35,000 students studying here. Not many Moscow universities can boast of such a network.
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Security of personal information
3 SECURITY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
It should also be noted that access to the wireless network in Germany more difficult than in
Russia because of differences in the legislation.
In Germany the steadily increasing number of crimes related to infringement of copyright on
the Internet. Only recently in West Germany against illegal copying (download) music and
video from the Internet was initiated more than 25 thousand criminal cases.[7]
And since the German law the responsibility for downloadable content illegally carries the
network owner, it is quite natural that the wireless Internet access is not so easy to obtain.
Open Wi-Fi network is a danger to personal information. According to the company ESET
(ESET NOD32 Antivirus, commonly known as NOD32, is an antivirus software package
made by the Slovak company ESET ), users are increasingly faced with cyber crimes and
other forms of network threats, connected to the Internet through a free access point Wi-Fi,
for example, to check the bank account, payment for mobile phone, send e-mail and other
activities. ESET experts identify several major security threats arising from the use of free
access points Wi-Fi:
• Network organized hackers can impersonate perfectly legal free access point.
• Attack of malicious software computer connected to the access point.
• Sniffing - interception and analysis of malicious users online user traffic, which leads to the
loss of sensitive data.
• Theft of personal information by the "man in the middle", which means a situation in which
the attacker can read the messages exchanged between users so that they are not even
aware of his presence.
However, a recent survey the company Avast (Avast (stylized as avast!) security software
products are developed for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Android and Linux users by
AVAST Software, a Czech private limited company) found that only 6% of Russians protect
their data using a virtual private network (VPN) when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks,
smartphone or tablet, so that 94% remain unprotected.[11]
5
The demand for Internet access in Russia
4 THE DEMAND FOR INTERNET ACCESS IN RUSSIA
Internet in Russia and sometimes Runet is a part of the Internet which is related to Russia.
As of 2015 Internet access in Russia is available to businesses and to home users in various
forms, including dial-up, cable, DSL, FTTH, mobile, wireless and satellite. In September 2011
Russia overtook Germany on the European market with the highest number of unique
visitors online. In March 2013 a survey found that Russian had become the second most
commonly used language on the web.[8]
The Russian market of public Wi-Fi is actively developing at the expense of large-scale
financial projects, as well as by a large number of smaller regional implementations. The
most widely used in Russia is B2B (business to business) - projects where payment of
external Internet channel by the owner institutions, while the end-user access via Wi-Fi is
free.
A good example of a large financial project is a Wi-Fi network in the Moscow metro. The
Moscow City Government held an auction won by the company "МаксимаТелеком"
("MaksimaTelekom"). The company has acquired the right deploy free Wi-Fi network in the
Moscow metro. Wireless network operator can earn accompanying communication sessions
display advertising. That's why start page authorization Wi-Fi metro network is filled with
advertising.
Prospects managed Wi-Fi networks in Moscow, are largely related to implementation of
projects in the public sector, and urban infrastructure. It is expected that the peak demand
for Wi-Fi in Moscow will be in 2018 - the year of football World Cup.
By the end of the year, all lines of the Russian capital's famous subway system -the world's
second busiest, with some seven million passengers a day - will be connected to broadband
Internet. [9]
Opened in the 1930s, the metro was as much a monument to Soviet ambition as a transport
system, with extremely deep lines and stations staggeringly decorated with mosaics,
frescos, stained glass and heavy chandeliers.
Now organisers say its internet connectivity will be equally impressive, letting busy
commuters check email and even download the classics of Russian and world literature for
free while riding to work.
6
The demand for Internet access in Russia
Some 710,000 passengers in 3,500 of the metro's 5,000 carriages already connect daily to
the network.[9]
Maxima Telecom was the sole major mobile operator in Russia that dared in 2013 to join the
ambitious government-initiated project for which no public money is being spent.
The Russian public Wi-Fi networks dominate unmanaged network.
Public Wi-Fi network refers to an unmanaged if the Wi-Fi-router installed by the end user
who receives at the operator only service internet access. Managed networks cover about
40% of the number of access points and include, as a rule, to operators of large projects.
Segmented HoReCa (Hotel, Restaurant, Café) - it is a clear leader in the penetration of Wi-Fi
among B2B - at least 40-50% in large cities and the fastest growing segment in the regions
of Russia.[9]
If you want to access the Internet in cafes or any other public place in Russia, you only need
to ask for the password from the hotspot in this place. Your device will remember it and
next time be authorized automatically. This way access to the Internet allows you to quickly
get the information you need but you cannot visit all of the sites. If the owner of the network
considers that the site is dangerous or suspicious, then access will be impossible. For the
service provider, in this case pays the owner of the access point - the owner of a cafe or
restaurant.
7
Internet access in Germany
5 INTERNET ACCESS IN GERMANY
In 2009 Berlin’s city-state government announced it would offer free Wi-Fi in the central
parts of the city, but — like similar plans around the world — that plan never got off the
ground in Germany’s largest city.
But there are many locations all over Germany with Wi-Fi hotspots (free or fee). According to
one website [6], there are over 400 free Wi-Fi locations in Berlin alone, mostly at cafes,
restaurants and hotels. The most common commercial Wi-Fi service in Germany is the
Telekom HotSpot Network. Just in Berlin there are over 100 locations, including the airport,
Starbucks, most McDonald’s, the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz, and many hotels and
restaurants. If you are, for example, a T-Mobile USA customer or customer of other
companies you can sign up for the HotSpot service, but US customers may be subject to an
18-cents-per-minute or a flat per-day roaming charge in Europe and at some international
airports. But you can buy a prepaid pass online for such services that may save you
money.[6]
8
Germany's Wireless Internet Problem
6 GERMANY'S WIRELESS INTERNET PROBLEM
Free wireless networks are in short supply in Germany. Liable for the activities of their
users, service providers are operating in a risky legal gray area.
Many German smartphone and tablet users have cell phone plans that allow them to surf
online, but the data volume is generally limited. And those who are just visiting, are often
subjected to horrendously high roaming charges. In any case, accessing data-intensive
content such as movies, music works better over a wireless local area network.
Other countries do indeed come up with creative ways to provide comprehensive Wi-Fi
coverage. In one historic park in Israel, for example, donkeys now wear routers around their
necks to ensure visitors don't have to go without Internet access.
Now, though, Germany is making an effort to catch up. Part of this push is commercially
motivated, since Internet access via hotspots is becoming a competitive advantage, as well
as an attractive business model for many providers. The pioneers in the movement, though,
were noncommercial initiatives. Germany's first "Freifunk" ("free wireless") clubs formed over
a decade ago with the goal of creating open Internet access for all. These networks draw on
the concept of a sharing economy, with router owners each making a portion of their
unused bandwidth available to others.[10, p 1]
Legal concerns are the main reason Germany lags behind so many other countries, not just
pioneers such as Estonia or Israel. German law holds the operator of a public hotspot liable
for everything its users do online. This, Buermeyer told the Bundestag subcommittee,
creates a situation in Germany in which "it's only possible to offer a Wi-Fi network for the
public if you have very steady nerves or very solid financial backing."
For years, organizations and individuals have been calling for Germany to abolish or at least
curtail this so-called "liability of duty" (Störerhaftung),but the government refuses on the
grounds that such a move is "neither appropriate nor necessary." This corresponds, among
other things, to the wishes of the music industry, which seeks to prevent illegal downloads.
Despite the uncertain legal situation, some companies are already stepping in to fill the Wi-Fi
vacuum in the hope of winning over customers early in the game. Deutsche Telekom, which
already dominates the country's market with its existing 12,000 access points, has
announced the most far-reaching initiative. The German telecommunications giant's new
offer, in collaboration with Spanish firm Fon, is called "WLAN to go." Launched in June 2013
9
Germany's Wireless Internet Problem
, the program plans to create 2.5 million new hotspots throughout Germany by 2016. [10, p
2]
The Telekom/Fon project also has competition in the form of numerous regional initiatives.
In Berlin, cable network provider Kabel Deutschland recently launched 80 new hotspots,
which allow both locals and tourists half an hour of free surfing. After those 30 minutes are
up, only Kabel Deutschland customers may continue to use the network. And in Munich, a
cooperation between the municipal utilities company and Telekom provider M-Net just
established a hotspot on Marienplatz, a major square in the city. Many more around Munich
will follow suit this year.
Hotel operators, meanwhile, can no longer afford not to offer free Internet access.
According to a survey of 8,600 travelers around the world, conducted this February, three
quarters of those surveyed consider wireless Internet access a basic amenity, one they rank
higher than free breakfast or complementary parking.
Even Deutsche Bahn, Germany's national railway, now offers Wi-Fi in around 90 of its 255
ICE trains, with plans to eventually extend coverage to the entire fleet by the end of
2014.[10, p 2] Access to the network, though, is only free in Deutsche Bahn's train station
lounges. To use Wi-Fi on the trains, passengers have to pay a fee -- to Telekom. Germany's
recently deregulated long-distance buses are more advanced in this field, with nearly all
operators offering Wi-Fi onboard, perhaps as a consolation for longer traveling times.
These pioneers of full-coverage Wi-Fi access also consider Germany's "liability for
disturbances" legislation the largest obstacle preventing comprehensive coverage. "It's
basically as if we hold the road construction company responsible when a driver causes an
accident"
Europe’s largest economy offers just 1.9 wireless hotspots per 10,000 inhabitants,
compared with 4.8 in the U.S., 29 in the U.K. and 37 in South Korea, according to a study by
Eco, a German association representing 800 Internet companies. The scarcity of free Wi-Fi
in Germany has caught the attention of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is vowing to revamp
the country’s telecommunications law as part of a broader digital push.[10, p 2]
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Conclusion
7 CONCLUSION
Cities are trying to provide more modern set ups. Offering free public Wi-Fi is a part of this
plan. But the biggest problem with public Wi-Fi is that it is not reliable at all. There are
always high chances of the network being hacked and that leads to bigger threats like
identity theft. Any intruder can get access into your personal files and manipulate them.
A few cities, such as Perth, Tel Aviv and others have already tried successfully to build a
reliable Wi-Fi at urban and downtown areas. Such developments are extremely useful, not
only to the residents, but to the tourists as well. In fact, it is fast becoming one of the
highlights for attracting the tourists.
Planning is on to connect each house with Wi-Fi. Community Wi-Fi will be a revolution in the
world of communication. But to make it a reality, the providers should take care of the
quality as well. Constant and unfailing network is the only hope that will make it possible. At
the same time, public Wi-Fi also needs to become more secure.
The crux of the thing is that the more facilities are given to the user, the more they will be
pleased. And since we are enjoying every latest technological achievement, the developed
future of Wi-Fi will only contribute to satisfy this thirst.
Summarizing, comparable access to the Internet in Germany and in Russia for several
parameters in the table:
11
Conclusion
Parameters
Germany
Russia
The average cost of 1 MB of
24 Cent
5 Cent
data transfer
(provider Blau) [12]
(provider Beeline) [13]
The average transfer speed
42 Mbit / s
20 Mbit / s
of 1 Mb
(provider Blau)[12]
(provider Beeline) [13]
Need to register in a wireless
Yes, registration with the
Yes, a one-time registration
network
number of mobile phone and
with the number of mobile
email address.
phone.
(sometimes need address)
Availability free Wi-Fi in
Internet access for 60
Unlimited access to free Wi-
airports
minutes free of charge
Fi
(Berlin, Schönefeld)
(Moscow, Domodedovo)
Internet access on trains
Yes, € 4,95 per day [3]
No
Internet access for students
Unlimited access to free Wi-
No access to the Internet
on campus (for example, TU
Fi
(MTUCI)
Dresden and MTUCI)
(TU Dresden)
Based on the above, we can conclude that the two countries: Russia and Germany have
much to learn from each other.
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References
8 REFERENCES
[1]
Wikipedia.org: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_LAN
[2]
Газета.ru: http://www.gazeta.ru/business/2014/10/03/6246257.shtml
[3]
Deutsche Bahn:
http://www.bahn.de/p/view/service/zug/railnet_ice_bahnhof.shtml?dbkanal_007=L01_S
01_D001_KIN0011_service_wlanzug_LZ01
[4]
Frankfurt airport: http://www.frankfurtairport.com/content/frankfurt_airport/en/news/Frankfurt-Airport-Offers-Free-Round-theclock-Internet-Access.html
[5]
Munich airport: http://www.munichairport.de/en/consumer/aufenthalt_trans/digiWelt/wlan/index.jsp
[6]
Hotspot.de: http://www.hotspot.de/content/hs_finden.html
[7]
Die Welt: http://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article132751523/Warum-es-in-Deutschlandkein-freies-WLAN-gibt.html
[8]
World Wide Web Technology Surveys:
http://w3techs.com/blog/entry/russian_is_now_the_second_most_used_language_on_t
he_web
[9]
Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-moscow-metros-wi-firevolution-as-city-gets-wired-2014-12?IR=T
[10] SpiegelOnline International: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/free-wifishortage-german-laws-make-it-hard-to-provide-wireless-internet-a-909288.html
[11] Blog Avast: https://blog.avast.com/ru/2015/02/
[12] Blau Mobile: https://www.blau.de/tarifuebersicht
[13] Beeline Mobile: http://moskva.beeline.ru/customers/products/mobile/tariffs/details/vseza-200/
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