Business Archives

2003

RLECs Deploy Wireless Gerry Blackwell
[December 30, 2003] Even those small ISPs that have the incumbent advantage find it necessary to deploy wireless technology to evade the tentacles of the RBOCs.

Good News: Wi-Fi is Boring Alex Goldman
[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.

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

Jack Knows the Way to San Jose Alex Goldman
[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.

An Overview of the Tower Industry Eric Furlow
[November 4, 2003] Every provider of broadband access has to deal with a difficult landlord, and in the wireless industry, that landlord is the tower owner. We present the options open to you.

Grand County Internet Services Gerry Blackwell
[October 21, 2003] Launching fixed wireless broadband has been an adventure for Eden Recor, president and owner of Grand County Internet Services, in the mountains near Denver.

Wireless in the Rockies Alex Goldman
[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.

Canadian Telcos Cooperate on Hotspots Gerry Blackwell
[September 23, 2003] Canadian cellular carriers are set to take a stranglehold on the public access Wi-Fi market with a degree of cooperation that U.S. companies don't seem capable of achieving.

City Launches Wireless Broadband Network Vikki Lipset
[September 23, 2003] With residents clamoring for high-speed Internet access, the city of Adel, Ga., took matters into its own hands.

Broadband for Yachts, Cannery Ships, and
Coalition Warfare Alex Goldman
[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.

Laundromat Hotspots Eric Griffith
[September 2, 2003] The long wait while you tumble dry your freshly laundered apparel at the local laundromat could be more tolerable with Wi-Fi Internet access. Serynade Wireless hopes that customers will pay for the privilege.

No, it Costs $50 to Build a Hotspot Alex Goldman
[August 14, 2003] You thought it cost $1,000 to build a hotspot? While big companies are spending big bucks setting up hotspots, ISP pioneer Telerama says that $50 of equipment and $50 of monthly bandwidth is more than enough for a hotspot.

American Tower Gerry Blackwell
[August 12, 2003] One of the ILECs of the wireless industry, American Tower has infrastructure that many companies want to exploit. It is also carrying a massive debt load. So why is it turning WISPs away at the door?

DIRECWAY Touts WISP Alliances Alex Goldman
[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.

Wi-Fi for the Asphalt Nomads Alex Goldman
[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 This WISP, Oliver Asks for More Gerry Blackwell
[July 22, 2003] With many potential opportunities to examine but less actual growth than he'd like, Oltronics president Bob Oliver has more than just plan A and plan B—he's already cooking up plans C and D.

FastKat 1, Goliath 0 Gerry Blackwell
[July 15, 2003] A couple of cheesed-off would-be broadband customers have formed their own successful WISP.

More Mileage from ISP Infrastructure Best of ISP-Lists
[July 8, 2003] Putting expertise and infrastructure to work providing value-adds to Internet connection customers is—or, we always thought, should be—a concern for ISPs. Some enterprising providers present their ideas.

Municipal Wi-Fi: No More Free Ride Eric Marx
[June 26, 2003] As the hotspot honeymoon ends, there's no more free equipment. Cities will be able to set up hotspots, but not at the prices acheived in Elgin, Walla Walla, and Long Beach.

Broadband Comes to Coffman Cove Gerry Blackwell
[May 27, 2003] For communities still languishing in the digital divide, Coffman Cove's municipally funded and operated WISP should be an inspiration and could be a model. If it can be done here in Alaska, it can be done anywhere.

Investors Build Their Own WISP Gerry Blackwell
[May 13, 2003] Humanvision, a Maryland venture capital company, started its own Wi-Fi service company when it couldn't find one to invest in.

Case Study: University Uses ReefEdge for Security Allen Bernard
[May 6, 2003] When California Lutheran University recently installed a wireless LAN connecting a dozen campus buildings, it needed a cost-effective security system.

Vernier Networks' Strange Convergence Max Smetannikov
[April 22, 2003] An ISP's enterprise wireless customers will demand security. Vernier Networks hopes to provide the security for enterprises, and airports, and all the spaces in between.

Out of the Midwest Gerry Blackwell
[April 15, 2003] For aggressive Wi-Fi services company EthoStream, it's Milwaukee today, tomorrow the world.

A Cold, Cold WISP Alex Goldman
[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.

BroadBand Solutions Gerry Blackwell
[April 1, 2003] Here is one WISP that is selling consulting services, Internet access, customer management software, and more, all while building a growing ISP. How do they do it? Here's the story.

Printing at Your Hotspot Eric Griffith
[April 1, 2003] No, it's not an April Fool's Day joke. One company says it can make money by charging for printing at hotspots—and by renting out laptops.

The SkyWeb Alliance Gerry Blackwell
[March 25, 2003] If local WISPs can learn to reach out from their local areas to create regional alliances like the SkyWeb Alliance, they may be able to compete with the RBOCs on a statewide or even national scale.

To Each Their Own Database Tim Sanders
[March 18, 2003] Are you a WISP tired of not knowing where your radio gear is? The answer is inventory management, and the ultimate way to control your list is to build it yourself.

Vonage Redux Best of ISP-Lists
[March 4, 2003] Members of ISP-Wireless seem convinced of the wisdom of offering VoIP services, but question whether it's better to use an outsourced turnkey product from a popular provider or build a proprietary solution.

The Visceral Urge to Vonage Best of ISP-Lists
[February 28, 2003] The idea of boosting revenues with value-added services has long beckoned to ISPs, yet few such services have proved profitable. Members of the ISP-Wireless list ponder Vonage's VoIP program as a possible moneymaker.

ISP For Sale: Make An Offer Gerry Blackwell
[February 25, 2003] In a down economy, healthy companies are learning that their less responsible competitors are for sale at good prices, and ISP brokers are back in business.

I(SP) Spy? Best of ISP-Lists
[February 11, 2003] Recent federal court rulings upheld the principle that ISPs may be compelled to disclose the identity of customers that may be illegally moving copyrighted material over the Net. Members of the ISP-Wireless list react.

CommSPEED Pursues All Profit Paths Alex Goldman
[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.

Crossing The Digital Divide Gerry Blackwell
[January 28, 2003] When a small community in rural Canada decided to become call center-ready, nobody could have imagined the myriad changes that broadband wireless would bring to Saint Pierre-Jolys.

Serving Up a Super WLAN Ted Stevenson
[January 21, 2003] An easy setup and low cost hardware, as well as a growing need for temporary Internet connections are key ingredients in a recipe for a new kind of ISP business model—short-term, or "event-based" networking services.

Identifying Rogue Access Points Jim Geier
[January 14, 2003] The presence of rogue access points is a major threat to your information systems. Here's what characterizes the problem, how to detect rogues, and what you can do to increase the security of your network.