Estudio de cobertura de banda ancha inalámbrica en el departamento del Meta para la banda de 2.4 GHz con tecnología WiFi, a partir de los lugares establecidos por el MINTIC y mediante la herramienta de simulación Xirio.

Abstract

At the beginning of the year 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic started, which led to people being confined and having to stay indoors for several months in their homes. As a result, there was an increase in remote work, virtual classes, online meetings, and a multitude of activities carried out through video conferences. This somewhat facilitated the lives of many urban sectors, such as students, as it gave them the possibility to work and study at the same time thanks to the flexibility of location and class schedules. However, this did not have the same outcome in rural areas due to the limited internet access opportunities in these locations. This can be affirmed based on data provided by an article in the "Revista Semana" that states, "Internet access in Colombia is 56% in cities and 23.9% in rural or remote areas, with rural areas having the least access to the internet and coverage." Currently, we are in the digital era, which is influenced by various technological advancements occurring in fields such as robotics, electronics, telecommunications, and systems, among other areas that contribute to the development of a country or nation. In most cases, having internet access is vital for implementing any kind of project. In the process of increasing coverage in Colombia, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MINTIC) is implementing projects to bring coverage to rural areas that are further away from urban areas, such as the Digital Centers project. These projects have encountered different problems that have hindered progress in the country, including obstacles in conducting studies to analyze areas without coverage or areas that are difficult to access. The objective of this project is to develop a study of wireless coverage in areas of the Meta department for the 2.4 GHz band, as the Meta department is one of the areas considered for coverage by MINTIC. The Digital Centers project has planned areas in the Meta department where the coverage study will be conducted. In this study, simulation tools for coverage analysis (XIRIO) will be applied, as they allow us to conduct the study of wireless broadband coverage without having to physically visit the location. It will evaluate various WiFi technologies and verify their efficiency. This study also aims to provide input for entities or study groups interested in verifying the implementation of connectivity projects in the areas under study.