Aug

12

Building a Wireless ISP Network….The Opportunity

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In the US, most of the people have one or more broadband access services to choose from - variations of DSL from multiple vendors and cable. That is if you’re in a metropolitan area. For more rural locations your choices are limited….if you have any at all. Therein lies an opportunity for those willing to pursue it.

In the rural areas of the country, the selection is limited. Satellite is available to anyone (at high cost), but between dial up and T1 there are no options for many residents. Satellite suffers from latency, making it unsuitable for VoIP and some other real time Internet services. Some applications that should not be sensitive to latency (email, Web forms) will perform poorly or fail due to the increased packet time.

The traditional carriers (RBOC) and resellers face a cost issue in bringing broadband service to outlying areas. Without a concentration of users the per user cost at published rates causes either a poor or negative margin. The way cost accounting is done in larger corporations makes the business case worse for a large carrier. Cost allocations between departments for such things as floor space, personnel, and backend support end up as added costs rather than leverage opportunities. Traditional wired service will not reach outlying residents unless mandated by law, and the trend is against this happening in the near future.

So the opportunity is open for a business offering Internet broadband access service to outlying residents.

Therein lies a tremendous opportunity.

Now….just how do you go about taking advantage of this opportunity, filling a need, and building a wireless ISP network?

To assist you with working through the planning and execution of this effort here are some insights and resources you should consider:

* Business Continuity Planning - This isn’t the technical side of the business, the backup systems, redundant pathing, fail-over and restore, or alternate location stuff. Here you’re looking at subjects such as Legal Structure, Personnel Insurance, Asset Insurance, and Process and Procedure.

* Revenue and Profit - Covers where and how to create your income including installation, basic monthly service, custom access service, volume or corporate pricing, other services, business partnerships, usage based service, civic service, and tower leasing (or you could build and probvide your own).

* Security Issues - There’s much to consider in this arena. Don’t overlook it.

* Bandwidth issues - The access line to your tower(s) is likely the critical factor to success. Whether it’s a T1 or a DS3 line. First off, it probably represents your single largest operational cost. Next, it determines the maximum quality of service you can provide.

Quotes you receive for bandwidth will probably be very different in terms of cost and performance guarantees, and should cover Performance Standards, Service Availability, Mean Time to Respond, Mean Time to Repair, Latency, Packet Loss, and Jitter. To help you search for the best match provider for your bandwidth requirements….I recommend utilizing the services of an unbiased independent broker by submitting a RFQ request to DS3-Bandwidth.com.

Here are some additional resources that may be of benefit to those developing a WISP….or thinking of it.

StartAWisp.com

WISP Centric

There’s also an excellent forum for discussion of ideas and issues between WISP owners and potential developers at DSLReports.com.

Final advice….think strategically taking care to consider the business areas hilighted above. Do make use of an independent unbiased broker for the bandwidth decsion. Also, apply the resources shared here as well as any others discovered from your own research.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire
Communications….including Business-VoIP-Solution.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you’re always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

Aug

12

WiMAX - Broadband Wireless Access Technology….The Nitty Gritty

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WiMAX is a standards-based wireless technology that provides high-throughput broadband connections over long distances. WiMAX can be used for a number of applications, including “last mile” broadband connections, hotspots and cellular backhaul, and high-speed enterprise connectivity for business.

WiMAX technology involves microwaves for the transfer of data wirelessly. It can be used for high-speed, wireless networking at distances up to a few miles. The term WiMAX comes from ‘Wireless (Wi) Microwave Access (MA).’ WiMAX is very similar to Wi-Fi in that it uses the same core technology of wireless modulation developed way back in the ’60’s and ’70’s. It’s called OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing), for those that care about the technical terms.

The real benefit of WiMAX technology is that you can run signals very, very close to each other on wireless channels. You can have super narrow lanes, so you can put a lot of traffic over them and they don’t disrupt each other.

With WiMAX, you’re enabling the traffic lanes – or channels – to get smaller and narrower. This helps service providers seeking to offer wireless last-mile DSL or cable-type service because they can provide a narrower channel that uses less bandwidth and serve more users. You can take what used to be a fixed Wi-Fi lane and make a bunch more lanes and serve more people.

WiMAX will also be delivered over licensed spectrum. What that means is that you can turn up the output power and broadcast longer distances. So where Wi-Fi is something that is measured in hundreds of feet, usually WiMAX will have a very good value proposition and bandwidth up to several miles.

Also WiMAX is designed to be a carrier-grade technology, which requires a higher level of reliability and quality of service than are now available in typical Wi-Fi implementations.

Those fundamental differences make WiMAX more of a metropolitan area access technology versus hotspot.

There are areas of the world - especially in emerging markets and rural areas - where deploying wired broadband infrastructure is not cost effective. WiMAX is very cost effective technology to quickly deploy in the regions which otherwise would not have broadband access. So WiMAX helps spread broadband to more users more quickly than existing technologies.

Another benefit of WiMAX is the ability to get higher connection speeds farther away from the transmitter. Right now you can get a really high speed connection in Wi-Fi close to the transmitter. The other option is that you can get a pretty slow Internet connection using a cellular technology, which spans a greater distance. WiMAX fits between those two offerings. You’ll get speeds similar to close-up Wi-Fi connections out to several miles away from the transmitter.

WiMAX will also be much easier to install, which makes it more cost-effective for service providers and hopefully some of those savings will accrue to users.

Today, Wi-Fi kind of lives by what we call the “five minute rule.” If you live in a city, most likely you can walk five minutes and find a hotspot. Or if you’re in your car in the suburbs or a village, you can usually drive within five minutes and find one of those. With WiMAX we’re trying to offer that same type of service without having to drive or walk five minutes. Eventually, you can just open your notebook and get a connection, wherever you may be.

When WiMAX is fully developed, you’ll no longer be limited to 300 feet within the Wi-Fi hotspot. And you won’t have to drive around looking for a connection. Even though it’s only five minutes, it’s still five minutes, and that’s just not as natural as getting a connection anywhere.

When people have a broadband connection they tend to use their computer more, they leave it on and they integrate it more into their lifestyle. WiMAX technology extends the range of broadband wireless access to more users in more geographies. This happens first with last mile connections where anyone wants them, and eventually in notebook mode for mobility.

The potential impact to internet connectivity and data management applications for communities and business is enormous with WiMAX. If you’re interested in developing a WiMAX solution for your municipality or business…I suggest you contact the folks at Futura Technologies for advice and support for your project.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire
Communications….including DS3-Bandwidth.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you’re always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

Aug

12

How Do You Become a WiFi Hotspot?

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WiFi is a very hot commodity worldwide…for both users & those wanting to cash in on the business potential. Below you’ll find some things to consider if you’re one of those interested in the business potential of WiFi. If you have more to add….please do.

I’ll try to keep this as simple as possible.

Here’s some simple ideas you should consider for becoming a WiFi Hotspot.

* To turn your business into a hotspot, you really only need 2 things:

- Hotspot Kit (which should include hardware, software, and remote monitoring)

- High Speed Internet (whatever is appropriate for your situation….DSL, T1, or DS3 connectivity)

* Before you order your hotspot kit, you need to first determine what type of service you will need:

- Single Access Point OR

- Multiple Access Point

The number of connection points you need is determined by the amount of area that you wish to make available for wireless internet access. For example….larger hotels will require one access point per every 20 rooms (on average) while a coffee shop can adequately service their clientele with just a single access point.

* The last decision you will need to make is whether or not to bill your clients for wireless internet access. Today, more and more enterprises are offering wireless internet access as a value-added service in an effort to attract more visitors to their hotels/shops. In today’s competitive environment, offering complimentary hot zones can be the determining factor when customers weigh your offering against that of your competitors.

However, should you find that billing your customers is what you want to do, find a provider who can help you do that. Your hotspot kit should come with software that will enable you to take credit cards right over your gateway (the page the users ’see’ when they try to access the web using your hotspot). You’ll likely partner with that provider in that revenues would be shared by both you and “them”. Thae provider you choose will make sure the hotspot is running efficiently. This allows you to focus on your key business and to receive a profit-share check each and every month your customers log on to the net in your hotspot.

The above is a simplistic description of what you’ll need to think about before becoming a WiFi hotspot. Do your homework along these lines and you’ll have a decent foundation to make a good business sense decision.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications….including
DS3-Bandwidth.com and Business-VoIP-Solution.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you’re always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

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