2004

Motorola to WISPs: We Get It
[December 21, 2004] Sure, the core of the company deals with the telcos, but Motorola's CANOPY division has been selling to WISPs for years.

Vonage Where You Want To
[December 17, 2004] If you're roaming around the world, you can take your Vonage with you. Vonage CEO Jeffrey Citron says everything's going well at his company.

How E-Mail Helps SMBs Compete
[December 16, 2004] One service provider says its offering, available for resale to ISPs, enables small business to compete with big business.

An Enticement to Softswitch
[December 10, 2004] CLECs and ISPs looking for a VoIP system designed specifically for tier 2 and tier 3 carriers have an option in a company that was swallowed by Lucent but, luckily, never digested by it.

Serving Corporate Travelers
[December 3, 2004] An ISP that specializes in serving business travelers at hotels has gone that extra mile to serve its most important corporate customers.

A CLEC of CLECs
[November 18, 2004] Cutting through the VoIP hype, one company says that, with the right CLEC alliances, a voice company can deliver network agnostic voice services and applications anywhere in the U.S.

Your Free Washington Bureau For ISP Advocacy
[November 16, 2004] Can two people make a difference? They're determined to try. They don't want your money—they want you to write to the FCC.

Pulver Says the Future is Purple
[November 11, 2004] The guru of VoIP packed a massive ballroom as ISPCON attendees gathered to learn what VoIP would mean for them.

What WiMAX Might Be
[November 9, 2004] In his keynote speech to ISPCON attendees, "WiMAX? Why Not?", wireless guru Nigel Ballard shared his hopes and fears concerning the WiMAX standards process.

An Alternative to Exchange
[November 8, 2004] One company's pitch to ISPs looking to offer collaboration products to small business is simple: all the features, minus the hassle.

Sure, it's a Free Phone, But Will it Sell?
[November 2, 2004] The free ISPs found that a million people using a free service was no business at all. But one VoIP startup says this time, it's different.

The Video Phone That Isn't
[October 25, 2004] One video company has come up with a novel way to sell video phones. It starts by acknowledging that people neither want nor need them.

Doing A Bit of Good
[October 22, 2004] A company out of Eastern Europe says its client side anti-spam and anti-virus package is both cheaper and offers more features than the competition.

U.S. VoIP Ranking by Subscriber: Q2 2004
[October 18, 2004] This horserace has just begun, but a few companies have taken a surprising early lead.

Security Products Meld in Response to Blended Threats
[October 11, 2004] As spam becomes viral and viruses spread through spam, anti-virus and anti-spam companies are aggregating products and solutions to serve up multi part security and messaging solutions

Panning for Gold
[October 8, 2004] They say that the people who made real money from the California gold rush weren't miners, but the people selling the shovels. This year's gold rush in California is VoIP, and one innovative Californian company is offering small businesses a new e-commerce shovel: click to call.

EarthLink Endorses SIP, Again
[October 7, 2004] Perhaps the VoIP protocol wars aren't over yet, but one major ISP made its protocol choice very clear with a new product announcement earlier this week.

Startup Promises New Carrier Class DSL Hardware
[October 4, 2004] Out of Canada, which (in DSL terms) is more advanced than the U.S., comes a startup with a nifty little DSLAM that, the company says, goes way beyond next generation DSL to deliver a network designed for services.

AIR2LAN Pursues the Leading Edge
[September 30, 2004] If you're not expecting to find an innovative, business class WISP in Jackson, Miss., you haven't heard of AIR2LAN.

WISPerMapper Flexes its Price
[September 28, 2004] Based on software developed to monitor Dartmouth College's own network, WISPerMapper is designed for wireless broadband networks of all sizes, and now the pricing is more reasonable (but also more complex).

College Users Fill the Pipe
[September 21, 2004] Dartmouth College's network—and its users—are very similar to the network and users of most ISPs, except that the college users take advantage of all the bandwidth. What's being deployed at Dartmouth know gives us a glimpse of what may be deployed elsewhere in the future.

VoIP Battleground in RBOC Monopoly War
[September 17, 2004] The Bells have mostly succeeded in closing their networks to ISPs. The next step in the monopoly war is being fought right now, as the Bells seek the right to close their networks to all non-Bell applications.

Top Six ISPs in Canada by Subscriber: Q2 2004
[September 15, 2004] In Canada's relatively well-connected market, the ILECs and MSOs rule, but don't count competition out completely.

Leave Healthcare Wi-Fi to the Experts
[September 14, 2004] Serving large enterprises is tough enough. When you learn about what Gary Jenkins at Sharp Healthcare has to do to set up an AP, you'll be relieved that there are other industries besides healthcare that WISPs can serve.

From Phone Support to Click Support
[September 10, 2004] ISPs need to enable tech support staff to do more with less. Here's one company's answer to the problem.

Publishing Prepared Her For Webhosting
[August 30, 2004] Linda Miksch found her publishing company background gave her some unusual insights into webhosting, enabling her to build a business that really differs from its competition.

Printer Tech Company Seeks WISP and Hotspot Operators
[August 23, 2004] A new value-added service will soon be available for wireless service providers.

It's Very Personal
[August 20, 2004] You don't want to change your name, so why do you have to change your e-mail address? A company that operates out of Boston and the Pacific Ocean island of Palau has built a completely new kind of top level domain that's designed to give individuals an e-mail address they'll never have to ditch.

The Filter for Your Anti-Spam Filter
[August 19, 2004] A Californian company has come up with a way to double check your mail filter, finding the diamonds that have been thrown out with the dirt.

Editorial: Selling VoIP
[August 13, 2004] When you look at adding VoIP to your bundle of services, don't forget that technology is not the only hurdle. Marketing is tough too, but there's plenty of advice available, and some of it is very good.

Laying a Virtual Foundation for a Global Telco
[August 9, 2004] What do you get when you roll together a voice consulting company, an integrator, and a voice technology company? You get VoIP, Inc.

Editorial: Selling Privacy Makes Sense
[August 6, 2004] You're probably as angry about this issue as your customers: marketers are obtaining personal data by fair means and foul, and regular people are fed up with the advertising barrage. So use this frustration—in your ads.

I Wish They Could All Be CISPA
[August 5, 2004] The largest state in the union provides the perfect ecosystem for its state association, which is thriving.

Xoasis Adds Voice
[August 2, 2004] Xoasis Networks affirms its belief that 2004 is the year of voice over IP as it releases its Convergence Platform 2004.

Rockliffe Adds Features
[July 29, 2004] The mail services provider has upgraded its e-mail protection and added optional groupware features to its Windows e-mail infrastructure.

Proxyconn Adds Features
[July 19, 2004] The dialup accelerator announced today that it is adding a slew of additional features to its dialup package, anticipating that ISPs want it all in one client, one app, one download, one support call.

Company Releases Real World Data on File Sharing
[July 16, 2004] If you want to find out what's happening, just connect to the net. That's what CacheLogic did: it measured P2P file sharing in six Internet hubs around the world.

Examining Layer Seven
[July 16, 2004] Want to know what applications are really running on your network? A new appliance promises to provide all the details, even for links running at 1 Gbps and faster.

On the Fast Track
[July 15, 2004] Founded by a duo who were still in high school, a small town webhost has grown rapidly without compromise even as times got tougher.

Modem Maker Launches VoIP Service
[July 12, 2004] If you're examining your VoIP options, you owe it to yourself to look at this offering from a veteran modem maker, aimed at ISPs of all sizes.

Simplifying Telecom Law
[July 9, 2004] One lawyer lays out simple guiding principles that could be used to untangle the thicket of rules and regulations that govern telecommunications.

That Old Time Internet Religion
[July 8, 2004] During the boom, the prophets said the Internet would change the world. Steve Stroh reminds us that it's happening, but not at the pace they predicted, nor by the companies that the bankers and venture capitalists bet on.

An Innovative Disposable E-Mail System
[July 7, 2004] Of the many anti-spam methods being touted, only disposable e-mails promise to show users where their spam's really coming from. One company has added some tweaks of its own.

MX Logic Sees Success in Corporate Markets
[July 7, 2004] The anti-spam provider is confident that it—and its ISP clients—will be able to charge corporate customers for anti-spam as the service is recognized as a key element of security.

Upgradable Radio Promises Cheaper Point of Entry
[June 29, 2004] Answering the concerns of its own customers, DragonWave has implemented a pricing strategy common in other areas of the IT industry but new to fixed wireless broadband.

DragonWave Embraces Customers With a New CEO
[June 29, 2004] DragonWave's new CEO, Peter Allen (that's Peter, not Paul) promises a renewed customer focus at a company better known for its engineering prowess.

Fifty New Features for Plesk
[June 28, 2004] In a massive upgrade, the software engineers from SWsoft have piled on the goodies. Now they're looking for beta testers like you.

Compression Company Makes Waves in ISP Industry
[June 28, 2004] Competition increases in the dialup acceleration space as one more company arrives in the ISP universe (or planet).

Keynote Speaker Says WiMax is Wrong For Urban Areas
[June 15, 2004] In a controversial keynote speech at the Wi-Fi Planet Conference & Expo last week, an industry CEO said WiMax would be inappropriate for dense urban areas, proposing a different architecture that is already becoming popular.

The Pervasive Computing Paradigm at the Wi-Fi Planet Conference, Spring 2004
[June 14, 2004] One topic of gossip and anticipation at the Wi-Fi Planet Conference & Expo, held last week in Baltimore, Maryland, was the persasive wireless Internet network.

Stalker Software Provides Potential Weapon Against Terrorists
[June 11, 2004] The provider of e-mail infrastructure has responded to a request from a German client to help the ISP comply with a new law requiring ISPs to be able to monitor the activity of one subscriber without compromising the privacy of others.

Every Anti-Spam Provider Needs an ISP
[June 10, 2004] Talking to an anti-spam provider and their first ISP customer (now a partner), we learned how ISPs can help anti-spam software designers with feedback and data.

Book Review: FutureWealth
[June 7, 2004] IT does not matter, but how a company handles information determines whether it succeeds or fails. It's all in a prescient book written four years ago.

The Telecoms Future
[June 7, 2004] Francis McInerney, VC and author, describes the future of the wired Internet, a future vastly different than the one most are expecting.

Editorial: Defining a National Alliance
[June 4, 2004] The nascent National Internet Alliance is advocacy the way the small ISPs should have always done it. But the alliance must be lead by its feet, or it will never get off the ground.

Integrated Security and VPN for the SMB Market
[June 3, 2004] This security vendor is looking for ISP partners to sell its SMB all-in-one Linux-based security-plus-more service, offering ISPs a cut of the substantial monthly service fee.

ISP Profile: Crocker Communications
[May 28, 2004] When Matthew Crocker decided to set up an ISP, he simply had to persuade his mother that it was a good idea. Today, he's working on rolling out a variety of services, as they become economically viable.

The Logic is Mightier than the Blade
[May 27, 2004] Sometimes the best ideas for a new business come from the one you're running now. That was certainly the case when four colleagues from ASP Breakaway Solutions founded infrastructure software provider BladeLogic.

Even U.S. Carriers Might Deploy Services
[May 27, 2004] A manufacturer of carrier-class application management systems says this might be the year the U.S. deploys—but if not, the company should look for customers in smaller, local broadband networks.

Orthogon Systems Demonstrates Planning Tool
[May 25, 2004] When the OFDM equipment maker's CEO visited our offices as part of a quick U.S. tour, he brought a fascinating planning tool and several decades of RF engineering experience.

Using Managed Services to Retain Small Business Customers
[May 24, 2004] Dave Brown of EmergeCore says that ISPs can lease equipment to their business customers and manage the equipment as well, raising ARPU and lowering churn.

D.C. Deadlock Continues As Crucial Telecom Deadline Expires
[May 17, 2004] A D.C. Circuit Court ruling made in March is causing a crisis now. As the FCC, the court, the White House, and major Internet companies angrily trade blame, we approach a period of literal telecom lawlessness.

Coyote Claims a Lower Cost of Ownership Alex Goldman
[May 17, 2004] The company's main client base is big business. But for webhosts and ISPs with big business customers, a Coyote Point Systems Equalizer may provide the best price, without any sacrifice.

Building Trust in an Age of Phishy E-Mails
[May 13, 2004] Neal Creighton says that surfers cannot distinguish between fraudulent and legitimate websites, but he has a solution that involves trust, which is what the company he runs is all about.

A VoIP Solution for Regional ISPs
[May 10, 2004] ISPs and CLECs that think the cost of entry into the VoIP market is millions of dollars will be surprised to learn about gateway hardware priced under $10,000 and CPE that generally sells under $200.

Data Shows Independent ISPs Have Low Churn
[May 7, 2004] Overall industry churn data is unavailable, but one company provided ISP-Planet with data covering a broad segment of the online population.

Book Review: Database Nation
[May 6, 2004] How much of you do you own? Individuals do not control the use of their name, address, phone number, or even DNA. As concerns about privacy spread, O'Reilly's primer on the subject, written by Simson Garfinkel, repays rereading.

Security at Fiber Speeds
[May 3, 2004] It's no secret that a gigabit network can challenge the processing power of gigahertz microprocessors. So when local fiber ISP Dalton Utilities started looking for a gateway security solution, there were few options.

A Killer Platform
[May 3, 2004] Who needs a killer app? ServGate's small business security platform is designed to deliver whatever application the customer wants, in a cheaper, more powerful, more flexible packag

It's About the Basics, not About Rocket Science
[April 30, 2004] Based near one of NASA's space centers, an old player in the telco equipment space is expanding is product line to provide small business and enterprise networking equipment.

Telco Data Goes Open Source
[April 29, 2004] It's not a movement; it's an individual. One person is building a website containing the basic information ISPs need in day-to-day operations that the Bells make tough to find.

Privacy That's More Than Pretty Good
[April 23, 2004] One company says that in order to protect your privacy, it must know as little as possible about you, and it's patented that idea.

Big Plans for Small ISPs in North Carolina
[April 22, 2004] A group of ISPs has found a way around the rules that the BOCs wrote specifically to keep them out of the broadband game.

Some Ideas from ISPCON
[April 19, 2004] So much happened at ISPCON that we'll be writing about it for weeks. But first, here are the key issues affecting ISPs today.

Logical Net: Growing by Doing Good
[April 16, 2004] Regional ISP Logical Net has taken the simple idea of affinity marketing and, through careful, details-oriented implementation, executed a simple business plan that will be difficult to imitate.

Proxyconn Pitches Pure Speed
[April 15, 2004] Proxyconn says that when its product is tested, the company wins on speed. But when we talked to Proxyconn's ISP customers, we learned that's not why they bought the product.

ISPCON ISP-CEO Session, Spring 2004
[April 15, 2004] The ISPCON ISP-CEO session covered a wide range of topics. We summarize most of the key points of the session here—but nothing beats actually being there.

Everyone Announces Anti-Spam
[April 12, 2004] The e-mail provider Everyone.net, known colloquially as "everyone," adds additional mail protection to its portfolio of services.

That is the Sound of Fonality
[April 9, 2004] ISPs would like to be able to provide phone service without handing a packet or a dime to the RBOCs, like one Los Angeles-based startup.

Kidsnet for Dot US and the World
[April 8, 2004] As ISPCON approaches, Kidsnet is proud to announce sales growth, product improvements—and a contract with a TLD administrator.

Big Plans in Bay Bulls
[April 6, 2004] Right now, it's a small, local WISP powered by a wind turbine on a hillside. But with VoIP and video plans, this little business could get big very fast.

GoDaddy Adds E-Mail Marketing
[April 5, 2004] Develop in house, sell cheap, and make money on high sales volumes. That's the philosophy at GoDaddy, which just added e-mail marketing software to its portfolio of value-added services.

With Change, Iserv You Better
[April 1, 2004] When Vic Shepherd took the job of CEO of Iserv in 2001, it was clear that the business had to change, and Shepherd had a clear idea about what had to change: everything.

Fighting for Seattle's Coffee Houses
[March 30, 2004] Doug Luce has left Pittsburgh and moved to Seattle to take his company's business plan to hotspot central, where he will take on Starbucks in its home town, as well as Cometa and others.

GWI's Big Lucent Buy
[March 29, 2004] GWI, one of the oldest ISPs on the planet, has just invested in a significant DSL infrastructure upgrade. We spoke to the company's founder and president to find out why.

Listen to the Wireless News
[March 23, 2004] Tune in tomorrow to the radio show about the wireless Internet, broadcast each Wednesday at 10 AM EST, with archives allowing you to choose when to listen.

Gennux Offers Modular Anti-Spam to ISPs and Cellular Carriers
[March 19, 2004] Gennux has a genuinely effective anti-spam idea, but ISPs aren't interested. Instead, they want the cheap and simple pieces of its technology.

Real Rural Broadband
[March 18, 2004] If there's absolutely no other broadband option in your area besides satellite, ISAT Platform wants to be your partner.

As Spam Adapts, MX Logic Promises to Adapt Too
[March 15, 2004] MX Logic is selling an anti-spam service supported by the MX Logic Threat Center to deploy constantly evolving anti-spam techniques, aiming to rid end-users of e-mail's pesky, adaptable vermin.

An Updated Anti-Spam Router
[March 12, 2004] The company that claims it built the world's first anti-spam router gets spun off from the parent company, standing alone on the strength of its technology.

Openwave Adds Edge Infrastructure Protection
[March 11, 2004] The prime maker of carrier class MTAs adds a product to its portfolio to protect the edge of wired and wireless networks.

A Carriers' Anti-Spam Coalition
[March 11, 2004] Openwave, MTA provider to the carriers, is building an anti-spam working group for ISPs, starting with large carriers.

Nomadix's Hotspot Patent, Revisited
[March 9, 2004] It can be difficult to understand the meaning and import of any individual patent, as this discussion of Nomadix's patent shows.

Keeping Data Backup Simple for ISP Customers
[March 8, 2004] This product's first ISP customer says end users want a simple backup product that won't intrude on their work and play.

A Real ISP Association
[March 5, 2004] With four years to prove itself, this small association with a significant ISP membership shows it's concerned about all aspects of running an ISP.

Competitors React to Circuit Court Decision
[March 4, 2004] A recent decision by the D.C. Circuit Court showed that the only certainty in telecommunications regulation is a continuing litigation bonanza.

Broadband ISP Awards
[March 1, 2004] The most popular broadband user community in the U.S. has given awards to the best ISPs in the nation.

Dialup Acceleration's Veteran Rookie
[February 27, 2004] After years in training in the hostile climate of the cellular industry, one company is bringing its accelerator to the dialup ISP market.

A Big WISP Merger
[Febraury 26, 2004] Two companies claim that, combined, they'll be the biggest business WISP in California, and the U.S.

Broadband Over Powerline is For Real
[February 23, 2004] Every year for the past three years, you've heard that broadband over power line is coming this year. Now, in 2004, Amperion says it's really ready to deliver.

ISP Profile: STSN
[Febraury 20, 2004] You may not know STSN, but you know its customers. The company provides premium broadband Internet service to hotels around the world—hotels you definitely have heard of.

STSN's Hotspots
[Febraury 20, 2004] STSN distinguishes its hotspots from those of the competition in numerous ways including security, flexibility, scalability, and adaptability.

AOL, Feeble Giant
[February 19, 2004] With AOL advertising on the Superbowl and mailing out so many free CDs, perhaps you've wondered how it can afford to throw so much money away. Maybe it can't.

Move the Router, Shift the Paradigm
[Febraury 17, 2004] Mesh architecture—an intriguing and innovative way to deploy Wi-Fi networks—takes a big step toward maturity as a result of this evolutionary development.

Broadly Speaking
[February 13, 2004] VoIP promises to lower phone bills and connect more people than ever before. One IP telephony provider—the subsidiary of a respected CLEC—shows the way.

Jasomi in the Middle
[February 13, 2004] This startup says that ISPs can deploy VoIP services, but that if they use cheap CPE and open source softswitches, they'll call on Jasomi to tie it all together

The Undercat of Dialup Acceleration
[February 12, 2004] ISPs looking at dialup acceleration should check out software from a company which, while not top of the market in the U.S., is certainly no dog.

Building Big, Invisible Bridges
[Febraury 10, 2004] The wireless Internet is complex and invisible. One company claims its bridges build links where none were possible before.

Is The Phone Company Overcharging You?
[Febraury 9, 2004] A company that is running some CLECs of its own now offers its billing resolution solution to fellow CLECs who may also be victims of the telco billing process.

A Broad Patent for Hotspots
[January 27, 2004] Last week, Nomadix announced that it has been awarded a patent covering key aspects of revenue generation at hotspots. We asked Nomadix's co-founder and CTO how the company plans to use its new power.

New Features for Hosting Software Vet
[January 26, 2004] ShopSite, an e-commerce software veteran, has released version 7.0 of its ShopSite package, with several new features aimed at improving its ISP market share.

Prepaid Services are P-Cube's Big Ticket
[January 20, 2004] Today, P-Cube announces a major partnership with one of the trendiest, fastest growing equipment makers in the world.

Small Fish, Big Name, Right Price
[January 15, 2004] Barracuda Networks has been making waves with its simple, affordable anti-spam appliances.

Balloons, Movies, and Milk in Albuquerque
[January 13, 2004] Whether it's the hazards of ultraviolet light, wind, RF interference, or the "best effort" of the telco, it's all in a day's work at lobo.net, where service is provided to businesses, film shoots, and the local fiesta.

UNIX at the Core of the Net
[January 9, 2004] Extreme Networks' latest product is the result of over three years of secret research. The company aims to enable a revolution in the delivery of converged services.

A Simple Business Opportunity
[January 8, 2004] Clean, reliable, useful e-mail will sell, as the experience of UK Web veteran Easyspace proves in its new Easypost offering, powered by Everyone.net. Full service e-mail is especially valuable to less-savvy customers.

2003

An Overview of Value-Added Services
[December 22, 2003] ISP-Planet and the folks at ISP Market agree on one thing: value-added services are the key to survival in an ISP marketplace that lies under the creeping shadow of commoditization.

The Security and Voice Services Switch
[December 18, 2003] The latest products from Quarry Technologies are designed to allow CLECs and ISPs to provide voice and security services over IP networks with the QoS of ATM or Frame Relay.

Good News: Wi-Fi is Boring
[December 16, 2003] The word from fall Wi-Fi Planet Conference & Expo is that deploying wireless LANs is no longer terrifying. Instead, service providers are focusing on delivering profitable, popular services over robust wireless infrastructure.

Big Mail Company Now Ready to Serve You
[December 15, 2003] Outblaze, probably the largest e-mail company you haven't heard of, is now offering its cost advantages to small- and medium-sized providers of e-mail services.

Innovation on the Show Floor
[December 9, 2003] Jupitermedia's Wi-Fi Planet Conference & Expo in San Jose showcased all the changes in the rapidly evolving wireless Internet industry.

Eligible Security Company Seeks Big US ISPs
[December 8, 2003] Companies that are already successful abroad but are not yet successful in the US can be very useful to US companies. We describe a large security company working on growing its US presence.

Sendmail, the Flexible Mail Solution
[December 5, 2003] Sendmail, Inc.'s modular corporate mail server allows administrators to pick and choose best of breed software to build a perfect solution.

From ISP to Cartoon
[December 4, 2003] We're serious about this. Cartoonists are finding a laugh a minute at work, but only one started laughing while working at an ISP (PacBell doesn't count as an ISP).

An ISP Does VoIP
[December 1, 2003] Addaline, a new VoIP service, took center stage when a well-read blog featured the small and previously unknown company.

ISPCON Continues to Grow
[November 26, 2003] The ISPCON tribe is providing ever greater value to both attendees and exhibitors, but ISPs have to go to Washington, D.C., which is exactly where the next show will be held.

Jack Knows the Way to San Jose
[November 25, 2003] Jack Unger, wireless educator, led a full-day Sunday session at ISPCON. He's on the road now, teaching all the time, looking forward to the Wi-Fi Planet Conference & Expo in December.

MAP is Spam's Simple Answer
[November 21, 2003] Steven Trupp says that current spam propogation measures are so primitive that a simple piece of software can solve most of the problem.

More PANS, Less POTS
[November 18, 2003] Thomas Hazlett, conservative critic of government regulation and former FCC Economist, wittily criticized current wireless regulation in a timely speech last week in New York.

Drool Boxes on the Show Floor
[November 17, 2003] Now playing in Phoenix, Arizona: A trade show on whose show floor is a greater amount of bandwidth than is available to many of the nations of the world.

Cisco Shows it's Easy to Talk Over IP
[November 14, 2003] Cisco's latest tag line is "This is the power of the network. now." A little $210 box released in 2001 illustrates one instance of Cisco's power.

Fixing a T@gged Server
[November 13, 2003] James R. Twine discovered the problem in the most unpleasant way, but the discovery led to a solution, which is now available as shareware or enterprise software.

The Foundation of Your ISP
[November 11, 2003] Foundation Technologies aims to address the ongoing concerns of small, rural ISPs. The company performs outsourced IT management, tech support, and fixed wireless Internet consulting for its ISP customers, many of whom fear "losing the tech guy" to big city salaries.

Closing the IE Security Hole
[November 10, 2003] Winferno, a software company specializing in Windows products, has released an add-on for the Windows browser that makes browsing less hazardous. The company is reaching out to ISPs with a site license offer.

Death of Dialup Greatly Exaggerated
[November 7, 2003] Artera Turbo drafted a former Ascend and Cisco sales executive to reach out to small- and medium-sized ISPs across the nation with a dialup product for both residential and business services.

Finding Gold in Streets Lined with Copper
[November 6, 2003] 18 months after molting, Tasman Networks is confident that its long term bet on business copper networks will mint gold, as fiber deployment remains a distant dream in the real world.

Accurate Billing is a Value-Added Service
[November 3, 2003] Small ISPs can provide one thing the big companies cannot: a reliable and comprehensible billing system.

Book Review: Why Not?
[October 23, 2003] This book by two Yale professors, one a business school professor and the other a law school professor, says that most problems can be solved, and provides a method for solving them. It challenges you to solve whatever problem annoys you the most.

A National DSL Rollout
[October 20, 2003] With DSL regulation poisoned by uncertainty, and the telecommunications market bare of investment, a privately owned ISP survivor throws its hat into the national broadband ring.

Triennial Review Part IV: A Game Played Every Year
[October 17, 2003] Tucked away in the FCC's triennial review is a provision that sets up an annual contest between CLECs and the local phone company. It is a high stakes game for the CLECs, but penne ante for the phone company.

Wireless in the Rockies
[October 13, 2003] Deploying antennas in areas where the mountain goats roam, Amigo.net faces unusual challenges. A relationship with one antenna manufacturer solidified at an old ISPCON gave the WISP access to the latest technology.

Ninth Circuit Court No Friend of ISPs
[October 10, 2003] While we argue that the recent decision opening up cable to competition actually harms ISPs by increasing uncertainty, Jim Pickrell points out that ISPs have to take a stand.

Subscribers Don't Know What Their ISPs Do For Them
[October 9, 2003] It's getting more and more dangerous on the Internet, and the best ISPs protect their customers so well that they don't know just how bad it is out there.

Savvy Moves (and Lots of Cash) Built ANET
[October 6, 2003] ANET Internet Solutions has grown since it was founded in 1995, built through some savvy moves (and hard lessons).

Triennial Review Part III: Another Unfunded Mandate
[October 3, 2003] The FCC claims that state commissions have a better understanding of local markets than the FCC, logic that conveniently justifies pass-the-buck policies.

Helping Others Be Prepared
[October 2, 2003] "Be prepared" is the motto of the boy scouts. Some ISPs are finding in this timeless childhood wisdom a way to help others and earn money doing so.

Triennial Review Part I: A Definition of Competition
[September 19, 2003] In the first hundred pages of the triennial review, the FCC defines competition. This deceptively esoteric subject is the foundation of the effort to end line sharing.

Anti-Spammers, Please Don't Spam
[September 18, 2003] We're not pointing fingers or naming names, but surely anti-spam products shouldn't be sold through. . . spam?

Broadband for Yachts, Cannery Ships, and Coalition Warfare
[September 16, 2003] It required a naval background and a great deal of seed money, but privately owned Wheat Wireless has found one market niche where it faces no competition.

Broadband Traffic Manager
[September 15, 2003] Developed for Sweden's many small, local fiber networks, this innovative bandwidth management solution provides features, such as user-based bandwidth on demand and detailed subscriber behavior data, that may not be available anywhere else in the U.S. market.

DSL is Different in Japan
[September 11, 2003] How do you get 26 Mbps for $40 per month? You live in Japan, where competition has made it possible.

Redback Embraces Gigabit Ethernet
[September 8, 2003] Redback Networks' new forwarding engine module for its Subscriber Management Systems (SMS) brings Gigabit Ethernet technology to DSL service, instantly upgrading the device with the swap of an important card.

You Are A Socialist
[September 4, 2003] The Cato Institute, an influential right wing think tank, has published a book that seems to explain current thinking in Washington, D.C. It says that network owners have a right to deny access, and that "forced access" is mere "infrastructure socialism."

The Spam Conundrum
[August 29, 2003] Numerous simplistic suggestions are being touted as solutions to the difficult problem of spam. Unfortunately, one of the easiest effective spam-fighting strategies is impossible in the litigious environment of the U.S.

Texas.net Grows
[August 25, 2003] A business-oriented ISP that focuses on serving major cities in Texas has survived the VC-funded dot bombs and is ready to take on the post-bankruptcy zombies that remain as it announces its latest acquisition.

Flawed FCC Data Guarantees Flawed Policy
[August 15, 2003] The FCC's data on broadband penetration in the U.S. is tainted by efforts to protect the interests of incumbents—and to shield the FCC itself from possible criticism.

DIRECWAY Touts WISP Alliances
[August 11, 2003] DIRECWAY, the broadband Internet offering of Hughes Network Solutions, is being offered to WISPs and other businesses as an alternative backhaul for hotspots.

A New Way to Compete with Cable
[August 8, 2003] Across the U.S., cable has an advantage over DSL in the race for subscribers. Cavalier Telephone is out to change that with a new $50 per month bundle that combines SDSL with unlimited local calls.

Wi-Fi for the Asphalt Nomads
[August 5, 2003] In their 30-foot mobile homes, owners of Recreational Vehicles (RVs) represent yet another niche market for fixed wireless broadband. Jonathan Miller is building a network to serve them wherever they go.

AT&T Blames Bell Canada and MCI
[August 1, 2003] AT&T's second objection to MCI's plans to exit Chapter 11 alleges consistent fraud against AT&T and other LECs that is continuing today. Many LECs including Bell Canada are implicated in the alleged fraud.

Where's Your $50 Million?
[July 25, 2003] Broadbandit (noun): One who padded his coffers by $50 million or more riding the bandwidth bubble.

IT In a Box for Small Businesses
[July 18, 2003] After Dave Brown sold his ISP, he spent a few years dispensing advice. But he's back in the game as an equipment vendor with an everything-in-one-box product for small business end users and the ISPs that serve them.

Spam Shuts Down Legitimate Websites
[July 14, 2003] Legislative "solutions" to spam, proactive blacklists, and reactionary backbone providers only harm legitimate ISPs and their customers as the problem continues to grow.

Flat Fee Rates for Cheaper Collections
[July 11, 2003] Fidelity Information Corporation, a nationwide collection agency, has an ASP-style website that allows small business to send collection letters for a flat fee.

What Happened to Log On America?
[July 10, 2003] Log On America went bankrupt after alleging that EarthLink had failed to pay for acquired subscribers, so who was willing to pay for the infrastructure? A company accustomed to buying failed ISPs in New England.

Controlling the Network in a DMCA World
[July 7, 2003] As the RIAA and the movie studios promulgate their laws in nations around the world, service providers will need to know what applications their users are running, and when.

Silverpop Prepared to Beat Challenge-Response
[July 2, 2003] Silverpop is an e-mail marketing firm that's used to dealing with anti-spam blacklists, working with ISPs to get whitelisted access to their customers. The company says challenge-response anti-spam systems might be less difficult to beat than blacklists.

Beyond Intrusion Detection
[June 30, 2003] Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) have been so thoroughly marketed that it seems that every company is now claiming to be better than IDS. Captus Networks is selling a solution to ISPs that is designed to detect and prevent intrusions before human managers are aware of them.

Dragonwave Sees a Backhaul Future in 24 GHz
[June 27, 2003] 24 GHz spectrum is now available for point to point deployments only—which is great, because that's exactly what ISPs need it for.

Talking About Hotspots at the 802.11 Planet Conference & Expo
[June 26, 2003] We asked the co-provider of the wireless network to the world's biggest broadband wireless Internet conference about hotspots in general and the company's new software in particular.

Cisco, VCs Take Over as Cogent Restructures
[June 20, 2003] The good news for Cogent is that it reduced its debt from over $371 million to about $27 million. But what's good news for the company and its creditors may not be as welcome to the company's 342 shareholders.

Open a Can of STOPzilla
[June 16, 2003] Sold as a generic pop-up blocker, STOPzilla is also designed to stop adware and spyware, kill unwanted cookies, and has a history eraser feature.

Voices for Choices Wins Two vs. SBC
[June 13, 2003] Voices for Choices, an activist coalition, has won two lawsuits against SBC in Illinois recently, even as SBC got its anti-regulation law passed in the state legislature.

This Local ISP Has Grown
[June 13, 2003] LocalNet, based in Williamsville, NY, has grown to 85,000 subscribers. It's a story of organic growth and basic common sense.

Building a Better P2P Delivery System
[June 12, 2003] Cachelogic unveils a brilliant system that dramatically reduces P2P traffic by making searching and file delivery more efficient. But is this English company ready for the U.S. legal system and the RIAA's explotation of it?

Outsourced E-Mail for Everyone
[June 5, 2003] Josh Mailman of Everyone.net wants his company to become the world's e-mail provider. 500 million e-mails per month is a good start.

US Online: Dialup and DSL are Dead
[June 4, 2003] Dialup provider US Online is exiting the ISP wholesale business to focus on value-added services. Wire-line may not be dead everywhere, but in Washington state, there's so much fiber they're beyond Fiber to the Home (FTTH); we're talking Fiber to the Cow (FTTC?).

Propel's Popping With MegaSPEED
[May 14, 2003] As Propel releases a new version of its dialup accelerator with ad blocking and download management features, a major North American dialup wholesaler adopts the product.

Control P2P Traffic
[April 28, 2003] P-Cube's Engage software, part of its Service Engineering solution, can identify and block or prioritize a wide variety of applications and protocols, including potentially illegal P2P programs.

Dialup Acceleration A Two Car Race
[April 16, 2003] Two companies, SlipStream Data and Propel, are competing to offer dialup acceleration to ISPs.

Video Over VDSL For CLECs
[April 11, 2003] Next Level, the manufacturer of voice-enabled networking equipment, says its latest line cards enable ADSL+ and VDSL, that both cards can be used in the same chassis, and that they can deliver voice, video, and broadband.

A Cold, Cold WISP
[April 8, 2003] Operating in some of the most hostile terrain in North America, Navigata contends with ice, snow, avalanches, and mudslides, but complains that the greatest and least predictable hazard of doing business is landlords.

ISPs Can Now Host Dialup Acceleration
[April 4, 2003] Flush from its recent EarthLink customer win, Propel announces that it has modified its ASP-style dialup acceleration service so that large ISPs can host their own instead of using Propel's infrastructure.

Branding the Cow
[March 20, 2003] FatCow's memorable website and service plan have given this local webhost a global customer base. A woman, a brand, and a simple plan made it all happen.

Honeypots: Tracking Hackers
[March 14, 2003] Honeypots are systems that are designed to log hacker activity. The book Honeypots: Tracking Hackers is a hands on book that tells you how to set up honeypots on your network.

The Honeynet Alliance
[March 14, 2003] If you want to get involved in a worldwide project that is setting up systems to track hacker activity, consider these words of wisdom before you dive into the project.

Editorial: States' Rights Killed My ISP
[March 13, 2003] Conservative thinkers who want to reinterpret the Constitution have won a test case, making broadband regulation a laboratory for their policies.

SEMO.net: Showing That Competition Works
[March 13, 2003] Since 1995, a company has grown in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. In an area the telcos claim cannot be served profitably, the company provides dial-up, DSL, cable, fixed wireless, Web design, WLAN consulting, and webhosting.

RedV PopUpProtector
[March 10, 2003] Gene Kavner, whose previous company partnered with Gator Corporation, is now in the business of fighting intrusive advertising, and seeks to distribute his product through a revenue share program with ISPs.

Telerama: Bushwacker of the Internet
[February 24, 2003] When there's no path to follow, you've got to take out the machete and clear your own trail. Founded in 1991, Telerama has adapted to many new technologies, offering them to customers in unorthodox and unusual ways.

No News From the FCC
[February 19, 2003] Small businesses, CLECs, and independent ISPs anxiously await an announcement of changes to regulation that may or may not occur tomorrow.

Book Review: Deploying Wireless WANs
[February 18, 2003] Jack Unger, founder and president of Wireless InfoNet, has written "Deploying License-Free Wireless Wide-Area Networks" for publication in March, 2003 by Cisco Press.

Power Line Communications Association (PLCA)
[February 10, 2003] The Power Line Communications Association (PLCA) is building bridges between all of those who might get involved in providing Internet service over electric power lines.

EarthLink: 2003 and Beyond
[February 7, 2003] EarthLink chooses in 2003 to continue its strategy of differentiating its service by delivering a better Internet instead of competing based on content, bundles, or price.

Open Source OSS System
[February 6, 2003] The founder of futureLAB says that open source systems free businesses from support contracts and upgrade plans. With a copy of the code, ISPs can upgrade their systems how and when they wish.

E-Mail Professional Business Letters
[February 5, 2003] Letter Services, Inc., of San Rafael, Calif., has launched a service that turns regular e-mails into business letters. The company is looking to ISPs as channel partners as it targets small business customers.

CommSPEED Pursues All Profit Paths
[January 31, 2003] Providing a varied portfolio of services, getting SBA funding, staffing with local students, and pioneering the deployment of MMDS technology, CommSPEED is getting all the details right.

Know Your Enemy
[January 27, 2003] The Honeynet Project set out to learn more about blackhat hackers. The book Know Your Enemy describes what the project did, what it learned, and what it hopes to achieve in the future.

The Big Kahuna Hits the Beach
[January 23, 2003] A cofounder of high-end webhost Rackspace has founded a new company courting the other end of the market. Richard Yoo's ServerBeach will offer fully-functional personal website hosting for $99 per month.

Rural Broadband Coalition Is Born
[January 13, 2003] The Federal government is funneling $2 billion through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help jump-start rural Internet Service Providers. One group of lobbyists wants help make sure you get yours.

Regulatory Future? More Uncertainty
[January 10, 2003] As the FCC conducts its triennial review of rules for the telecommunications industry, glimpses into the secretive process give hints of deep ideological and political divides within the commission, with little apparent room for agreement or compromise.

Iceland's Best DNS Software
[January 3, 2003] Although free is cheaper, most folks looking for DNS management and diagnostic software will find it difficult to find a better price than that offered by Men & Mice.

2002

Cisco Press: Storage Area Network Fundamentals
[December 27, 2002] If you're about to manage a Storage Area Network on a day-to-day basis, you'll want Cisco Press' Storage Area Network Fundamentals, a book that covers everything from hardware warning lights to the structure of the Internet.

CryptCOM's Secure File Transfer
[December 19, 2002] Working from a flexible, programmable database at the back end, and multiple layers of security before, during, and after a session at the front end, startup CryptCOM Securities says it delivers secure file transfers over the Internet.

Top Consumer ISPs in South Korea
[December 19, 2002] With a densely populated urban area around its capital city, Seoul, South Korea has developed a flourishing broadband community and only one in twenty subscribers still uses dialup.

Mailcenter's Modular Mail Management
[December 18, 2002] Sendmail, Inc. recently released a product specifically designed for large ISPs that provides mobile messaging, content filtering, and more—all of it resting on a stable foundation, the popular open source Sendmail engine.

Threat Report, 2002
[December 16, 2002] Anti-virus and anti-spam service provider MessageLabs predicts the evolution path of malware for 2003 and details the biggest problems faced in 2002.

Florida PSC's Decision Opposed
[December 13, 2002] CLECs in Florida say that the latest decision by the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) will thwart their plans to offer service in areas where Sprint is the local phone company.

HP's SP Certification Program
[December 12, 2002] HP's new certification program is designed to enable enterprise customers to find service providers who can deliver basic services and advanced business packages.

A New CEO for Ensim
[December 9, 2002] A "godfather" of Silicon Valley has joined Ensim as president and CEO, promising to bring a new customer focus to company that he says has industry-leading technology.

The Storms of Ontario
[December 3, 2002] Storm Internet of Eastern Canada operates all flavors of Internet. The company also operates in all weathers. Its equipment has recorded temperatures ranging from 51°C (124°F) to -40°C (-40°F).

Anti-Virus Protection for $300 a Year
[November 27, 2002] With paltry pricing that's tough to beat, RAE Internet is making waves selling its anti-virus solution developed in Bucharest, Romania.

Stepping Up To 28 GHz
[November 26, 2002] Unlicensed 802.11a and 802.11b technologies are all the rage for Wireless ISPs. But Quad Cities Online contends that for true performance, 28 GHz licensed spectrum is the space to be.

QoS for ISP Networks of All Sizes
[November 14, 2002] Deterministic Networks is bringing network management and forecasting tools developed for satellite networks to Internet services providers of all shapes and sizes.

Pearl of an Anti-Spam Program
[November 11, 2002] ActiveState's PureMessage application uses probability modeling to determine whether an e-mail is or is not spam. Savvy Perl programmers like the flexible nature of this product.

FASTNET Gets Hip to HIPAA
[November 6, 2002] The consequences of the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act are only coming into play now. One ISP certifies that its data centers are HIPAA-compliant.

Managing the Internet's Core
[November 4, 2002] QOptics emerges from stealth mode, changing its name to Elematics and debuting its intelligent network control that is designed to make managing an Internet backbone easier.

Could Micropayments Add Up To Real Money For ISPs?
[October 30, 2002] Many ISPs still search for a way to make money from the content that traverses customer's connections. An Austrian developer has a solution for turning content into commerce.

Proxim is Big on Bundles
[October 29, 2002] Proxim wants to know why anyone uses the phone company for backhauls. Until it has the answer, it will make wireless products easier to deploy by bundling one-box solutions.

Building a Smarter Gateway
[October 25, 2002] CableLabs upped the ante on CPE with the release of the Cable Home 1.0 specification in April. Now Broadcom and Gatespace have responded by building a smarter DSL gateway.

New HostingBusiness Suite from Sphera
[October 17, 2002] Sphera's latest additions to its HostingDirector lineup resolves thorny web server access issues. Consider the software suite technological marriage counseling for complex business relationships.

Brightmail 4.0 Cracks Down on Spam
[October 11, 2002] Brightmail launches a major update to its product line, promising even better accuracy in its anti-spam protection. Until it's perfect, the company will accept an error rate of 1 in 100,000.

Propel Reaches Out to ISPs
[October 4, 2002] The dial-up accelerator software maker is seeking ISP resellers and affiliates that want to speed up dial-up page loads for their narrowband users.

Cogent Cuts Data Center Fees
[October 3, 2002] When Cogent purchased PSINet for$10 million, the focus was on the downfall of the seller, not the rise of the buyer. This time, Cogent's aggressive pricing plan is the center of attention.

ADTRAN Dares You to Compare
[September 25, 2002] ADTRAN says that the market for access routers lacks competition, and has fired up a new, affordable, product. Any local ISP selling business services should take the ADTRAN challenge.

NextWeb Acquires Worldwide Wireless Networks
[September 20, 2002] Privately held NextWeb, Inc. has signed a deal to acquire bankrupt, publicly-traded Worldwide Wireless Networks, Inc.

IP Storage Book Review
[September 12, 2002] Four years ago saw the release of the first book describing how to build a storage network. Now that experienced author, Tom Clark, tackles IP storage networks in a new book.

Norlight: A Small Counterpunch
[August 28, 2002] Until recently the incumbent monopoly phone companies were crowing that the competition was dead, but it's a new day, and small companies like Norlight could do well.

Book Review: CLEC
[August 8, 2002] Written in a conversational style by an industry insider, this book provides the lessons learned from the billion dollar classroom that was the telecoms boom.

Catch as CATCH Can
[August 2, 2002] Scam artists can run, they can hide—but nobody can outrun the long arm of the law when the Internet extends its reach to common netizens.

Keeping Up With Ratware
[July 31, 2002] Reacting to spam is not enough. Spammers have new tools that usurp ever greater bandwidth. ISPs need software that can innovate as fast as spammers. Has MessageLabs built a better mousetrap?

ISPs Rave About Vircom's Anti-Spam Capabilities
[July 19, 2002] Enthusiasm for Vircom's spam-fighting software suite goes beyond its ability to sort through unwanted e-mails. ISPs are rallying behind a customer-based coalition.

Beating a Path to Packets
[July 1, 2002] ADC's intelligent Access Network enables service providers to use as little of a telecom's network as possible to provision DSL, voice and video services.

Optimism is the Message
[June 20, 2002] Rockliffe, Mirapoint, and a pair of research firms agree that the Internet messaging market is booming. Vendors expect ISPs to get the message and cash in on the trend.

Help CATCH Alleged Broadband Con Man
[June 14, 2002] Impostors, swindlers and frauds damage the image of every ISP. Help a high-tech task force track down its prime suspect alleged to be the man behind one of the worst DSL scams ever.

MOVEit DMZ Promises Secure FTP
[June 7, 2002] Battening down the hatches on file transfers takes more than secure connections and encrypted file storage. Learn how your ISP can provide cost-effective secure FTP services.

It's Safe to Look at the Blacksun
[June 3, 2002] Blacksun, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is a webhost that aims to compete with larger companies by offering better service and better reliability to customers of all sizes.

Sun Radiates the RaQ 550
[May 24, 2002] Sun is branching out into new markets with the release of the Sun Cobalt RaQ 550. Designed as a Web server, the unit is also suitable for other applications including WAN/LAN management.

American Internet Service Providers' Association
[May 9, 2002] Growing slowly but surely, you can count on the AISPA to help fight nearly any legislative wrangling that could harm independent Internet service providers in the U.S.

The Politics of Peering
[April 29, 2002] Deep inside data centers where networks meet and trade traffic at gigabit speeds, the shape of the core of the Internet is changing along with the business of content delivery and peering arrangements.

Earnings Whipsaw in Perplexing Quarter
[April 25, 2002] Some are up, some are down, and some are temporarily out of the picture in Chapter 11. For ISPs, it looks like a dark present will yield to a brighter future, as results from Internap show.

Xoasis, A Refuge From The Sun
[April 19, 2002] Tired of working with Web server heavyweights like Dell, Sun, and IBM? Check out an equipment maker who is focused on doing one thing only for ISPs.

IBM Takes On Sun Cobalt
[April 15, 2002] The IBM e-Server xSeries Hosting Appliance includes up to 40 pre-loaded applications, operates on Red Hat's Linux platform, and uses Sphera's Hosting Director for under $2,600.

Mirapoint's Multiprocessing Messengers
[April 12, 2002] Mirapoint's latest product line features the flagship M4000 Message Server. With two 1.4 GHz Pentium III processors, available in SAN-ready and NAS-ready versions, this messenger is faster than ever.

FASTNET Acquires Netaxs
[April 5, 2002] The merger of two ISPs near Philadelphia, Pa. is intended to build a super-regional ISP and "the first profitable Internet business of its size."

The DSL Monster Scam
[March 14, 2002] The FBI is looking for a man known as Cory Dyer who launched what looked like a DSL business in California. Dyer allegedly blew town with the cash and never provided a single Internet connection.

Cogent Communications: LAN on Steroids
[February 6, 2002] This telco-free network has an 80 Gbps backbone and sells bandwidth at one percent of the prices charged by the telcos. The company can deliver, but can it stay in business? We asked the founder.

One Way To Deliver Microsoft Applications
[January 24, 2002] Vobix focuses on securing new business partners because hooking up with ISPs gets the company new end-users. Does your ISP have what it takes to sell applications to small business clients?

The ISA Wants You
[January 10, 2002] The Internet Security Alliance is reaching out to all Net-based businesses in an effort to open up participation in security policy making. Learn what the organization has to offer your ISP business.

2001

Application Switch II From Radware
[December 19, 2001] Radware's latest switching system is no incremental seasonal upgrade—it's an entirely new platform that represents a newfangled approach to intelligent routing.

ISPCON Storage Services Power Panel
[October 18, 2001] A panel of experts presenting their vision of the future for storage area networks and of storage service providers (SSPs) at ISPCON Fall 2001. Vendors accused of being wedded to the past.

Eternity Arrives in the United States
[October 12, 2001] Eternity is a concept with mystical overtones, but a company called No Magic is delivering its Eternity Virtual Secure Drive to ISPs with a guarantee that Epochs will secure data over time.

Underdogs Unite
[October 11, 2001] A group of ISP advocates gather to fight ILECs' abuses of current telecom laws. This gathering of underdogs hopes to build a coalition that can play David to telecom companies' Goliath.

Brief Takes From Fall ISPCON 2001
[October 10, 2001] The impact of Sept. 11, 2001 on ISP businesses, MegaPath's take on current business conditions, and Sun comes up for ISPs, ASPs, and ISPs at ISPCON in Las Vegas this week.

ISPCON Fall 2001 Preview Las Vegas
[October 5, 2001] Bring your appetite for applications to the Fall ISP event and see what hardware and software makers have in store for your ISP business this year. Sun Cobalt, Allot, and more.

Mega Network Management
[September 20, 2001] Ever wonder what you would get if you could spend a million bucks on a network management system? The answer is CPLANE's IgnitionControl, delivering made-to-order services.

Manhattan ISP CEO Asks for Help
[September 13, 2001] As lights went out in Central Offices and switching farms in Southern Manhattan, one ISP CEO called for ISPs to reach out and help each other serve customers.

Data Mining Goes Underground
[August 24, 2001] Data centers strain resources, erect ugly buildings, and tear up streets to complete fiber links. But USDCO might have the last laugh, sinking to new depths to stymie critics while quarrying data into dollars.

Gorillas, Polar Bears, and a 500 lb. Turtle
[August 15, 2001] We caught up with a company that's set up webcams in ports, zoos, and highways and is now offering its CD-sized web-based camera controller to everyone in a bundle priced at $4,995.

WebTrends Reporting Center 4.0
[August 7, 2001] WebTrends, long regarded as the best log analysis software for Windows NT and 2000 systems, is redefining the way it does business. And check out the new Service Provider Edition.

X Marks the Spot
[July 31, 2001] Avaya is developing its xSP Member Network to produce customer synergy. Since all members are converged service providers, surely they can add to their product portfolio by networking via Avaya?

E-mail Virus Protection as Certain as Death and Taxes
[July 24, 2001] If you think that there is no way conventional anti-virus applications can stop the sprawl of e-mail contagions—you're right, which is why MessageLabs took its virus-stopping solution to the Internet.

Tracking the Names of Nodes
[July 6, 2001] When operations get really big, it's time to toss aside written records and develop a real network management tool. Enter EDGE IP from Threshold Networks—automating the process of DNS management.

Amperion: Broadband Everywhere
[June 19, 2001] Amperion is a startup that hopes to deliver the Internet over power lines. With new technology and backing from American Electric Power, Cisco, and Redleaf, this idea just might deliver through wires that are already deployed.

Why It's Worth Watching WorldNet
[June 15, 2001] AT&T WorldNet designed and launched its video e-mail service in just four months. The debut featured a web cam promo, a gold medallist, and 60 minutes of free service. Tune in to this channel to see how it all came together.

Universal Agent from Arula
[June 1, 2001] Arula Systems' new software architecture provides platform-independent, chat-enabled, upgradeable, scriptable, Java-based device management—whew!—it seems this HP spinoff has it all.

ISP Association Directory:
Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA)
[May 25, 2001] This fixed wireless broadband association was founded in February, 2001. A young pup, it's brimming with energy and confidence as it looks to help service providers take to the airwaves.

Fiber Connection Management
[May 22, 2001] IMC FiberLinX from IMC Networks allows service providers to manage fiber and copper wireline connections from their network management center without a truck roll.

ISP Association Directory: CompTel
[May 18, 2001] This telecom advocacy group witnessed breakup of Bell Telephone and had a hand in drafting the Telecom Act of 1996. Venture a guess about what this tenured telecom group is doing today?

RLX Technologies
[May 17, 2001] If it's new, hyped, and small enough to fit on the head of a pin, then chances are RLX Technologies is putting it to work in their smaller-than-tiny servers. This company is brought to you by Transmeta, IBM, and Compaq.

ISP Association Directory:
Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)
[May 4, 2001] This learned IT group dates all the way back to Truman. Based in Illinois, the organization joins Internet professionals and students nationwide. Chances are good that there is a local chapter of the AITP near you.

ISP Association Directory:
Association of Communications Enterprises (ASCENT)
[April 27, 2001] ASCENT was once a group of long distance resellers. But those companies have morphed into ISP-like companies, and the association is fighting the same battles that are being fought by regular ISPs, state by state.

Real-Time Site Performance Analysis
[April 25, 2001] WebTrends Live promises real-time website analysis by tracking performance in the browser, as users go through a site, instead of analyzing logs after the fact. It gathers data on plug-ins, product purchases, and more.

ISP Association Directory:
Internet Industry Association of Australia (IIA)
[April 24, 2001]  The Australian IIA has its work cut out for it. The government is more interventionist and owns the only ILEC in town. How does an association deal with a government monopoly?

ISP Association Directory: Commercial Internet eXchange
[April 20, 2001]  CIX, pronounced "kicks," is the oldest ISP organization in the United States. It was present at the creation of the first peering agreement. Today, it represents ISPs on national and international issues.

According to Whom?
[April 4, 2001] When one person says the network's down and another says it's up, who's right? Eccord Systems says it gives service providers an objective look at their network status. Could accuracte information improve your SLAs?

ISP Association Directory: USIIA Profile
[March 23, 2001] Born during an era when independent BBS operators were considered to be the Internet, the USIIA continues on today, representing the interests of Internet service providers on Capitol Hill—and beyond.

When Spam is Good
[March 18, 2001]  Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam. (Viking Chorus from Monty Python's Flying Circus: The Spam Sketch.)

Gobs of Data Storage in a Snap
[March 8, 2001] Learn how one company plans to build a global storage dynasty through direct sales made by service provider channel partners selling its SAN systems.

Internet World Wireless 2001: Fixed Wireless Opportunities Forum
[March 2, 2001] Manufacturers of laser and radio equipment proclaim that they have the technology to bring the Gigabit Internet to every small business in the United States. Next-generation radios will operate in bands from 20 GHz to 220 GHz.

Caching in on Cell Phone Browsing
[February 28, 2001] BoostWorks is already a success in Europe and Asia, where the mobile Internet market is in full bloom. So the company is bringing its direct-to-browser content accelerator to the U.S. in search of mobile Web clients.

Messaging Solution in a Bottle
[January 9, 2001] Bridgecom wants to transform ISPs into total unified messaging service providers melding phone functions with fax delivery systems and e-mail, allowing users to access these services from phones or the Internet.

Israel's Internet Gold
[January 5, 2001] Curious about Israel's ISP market? Tomer Zedel, Internet Gold technical manager, speaks about how the company uses IP Planet's satellite services to connect to the world.

2000

Epoch Internet is in the Middle
[December 13, 2000] Epoch Internet is a backbone provider, a webhosting service, and an access provider. The company hopes to expand its market reach by reselling services through ISPs.

Streamline Your Hosting Systems  
[December 6, 2000] Sphera's HostingDirector promises plug-and-play capabilities on dedicated or shared servers. Virtual site management could be a real moneymaker for ISPs.

Notes from an All-Macintosh ISP  
[November 17, 2000]  I interviewed the CEO and founder of an ISP that runs on Macintoshes, and learned about the early days of the ISP business.

Self-Improving CRM Solution  
[November 16, 2000] Athene Software claims its products transform a service provider's customer relations department from reactive to proactive.

Edgix, Edge Services Provider
[October 20, 2000]   Edgix claims that it serves ISPs before publishers, and that in doing so, it has created a new category of company, the Edge Service Provider.

Optical Wireless
[October 13, 2000]  Optical Wireless technology, such as that offered by Plaintree Systems, is faster to deploy, less subject to intereference, and more secure than the fixed wireless competition.

GoAmerica's ISP Opportunity
[October 6, 2000]  GoAmerica has been operating its wireless ISP services for some time. We describe the partnership program it calls the "ISP Opportunity."

e-CRM at $6 Per Hour
[September 29, 2000]   Growing too fast? You may need the assistance of an outsourcing company like Asia Internet Services, founded by Americans in the Philippines.

Own-Branded You Can Really Own  
[September 27, 2000]   CMGI goes after AT&T with NaviPath's Navi499 own-branded ISP offering.

The IP-Based Call Center  
[September 13, 2000]   ISPs know the Internet and understand communications convergence, but even if you're already living and breathing this technology, the power of CosmoCom's IP-based call center will impress you.

ISP as Marketing Plan
[August 29, 2000]   An ISP needs no servers, and no software. All an ISP really needs is subscribers. MiracleNet's business is serving subscribers to vendors. Instead of an ad budget, the company returns to subscribers a portion of ad revenues and commissions.

The Cost of Free  
[August 10, 2000]   IDC analyst Steve Harris was so annoyed by his free ISP that he turned his pain into a report, "The Free ISP Experience," documenting his personal experiences using six free ISPs.

Wireless Internet Solutions Provider, Inc.
[July 28, 2000] With a credit-card-sized modem and an antenna the size of a ball-point pen, WISP Inc. will provide actual web access through a laptop or Palm Pilot. Fixed IP address included.

Does Your ISP Business Use the Internet?
[July 25, 2000]  A company called Simplified sells software that enables end-users to order and manage their own Internet accounts. CEO ("big head honcho") James Cashiola challenges ISPs to use the Internet, not just provide it.

Satellites Reach the Rest of the World
[July 19, 2000] Existing telecommunications satellites have a large footprint — they can reach almost any point in the world. So can sateillite Internet access connect areas of the third world where even wireless is impossible? Protocol gateways and two-way connections may make it happen.

Free Yourself
[July 13, 2000]  FreeMe.com is providing ISPs all the ASP stuff you've seen before — calendars, planners, contact management — but it's all free.

Fast Growth, Big Opportunities
[June 30, 2000] IFXCorp. is building a Latin American ISP business. It sees a fixed wireless opportunity where local telco equipment and copper are sub-par.

Point of Contact
[June 27, 2000] Mirapoint, a messaging solution provider, announces a partnership program for ISPs.

Getting Help With Help
[June 14, 2000] What do you do when you're overwhelmed with calls to your help desk? We provide an overview of one option: outsourcing the help desk.

Increasing Interest in Supplying Airport and Hotel Access
[May 8, 2000] Several big companies are releasing hotel and airport broadband access solutions around the United States. We examine three solutions that are being implemented now.

This ISP Controls its Own Destiny
[April 21, 2000]  ServInt is a privately-held ISP that has its own Internet backbone, provides value-added services, maintains a commitment to philanthropy, and is a content creator and streaming media provider. Its founder will soon be twenty-five.

Advocacy Group Polls ISPs on Telco Sins
[February 29, 2000]  The USISPA is using an online survey to gather evidence of RBOC "anti-competitive behaviors which are harming ISPs' ability to serve their customers" to present to the FCC.

Mobile Net Access Dominates Japanese Market
[February 25, 2000] Already outdistancing the conventional, wired competition, NTT DoCoMo expects to sign up 20 million mobile wireless Internet subscribers by the end of 2001.