Apr. 4, 2006 - Welcome to the final article in BWE's series of "How-To" articles that
focus on building broadband wireless networks in areas that desperately
need high-speed Internet connections.
This week's article is focused on how to get a broadband wireless
network built in your neighborhood, city or town, even if you personally
cannot afford it.
Once you have determined there is a true demand for high-speed Internet
service, conducted wireless site surveys and found several good base
station sites, secured pricing for Internet backhaul circuits and
selected the proper networking equipment, the final step is to find
someone to help you plan, design and build your first broadband wireless cell site.
If you want to do most of the work yourself, it might be best to hire
an experienced consultant that can guide you through the process of
building a wireless network.
In addition to hiring a consultant, it would also be very wise to buy
a book called, "
Deploying License-Free Wireless Wide Area Networks," by
Jack Unger and/or take one of BWE's WISP training classes that will
teach you the real world skills needed to build and operate a WISP.
If you don’t have the time, but do have a good budget to work with, you should
consider hiring a systems integrator such as
Michwave Technologies.
A systems integrator will specify the equipment, plan security strategies, prepare the network management
platform, build the network and train your staff on how to maintain and expand
the network once it is up and running.
Before hiring a consultant or system integrator, make sure you talk to
several of existing customers as well as many of the WISP's actual
subscribers as possible. Many WISPs will tell you great stories about their
equipment or their network operations. However, the most dependable people to
listen to are the WISPs actual subscribers. Subscribers always tell you the
truth about what they like or what they hate about a WISP's operations. They
can also give you a good idea of what kind of technical support you'll need to
offer.
Also ask to see a profit and loss statement from the WISP. This will show
you if they are actually making a profit as well as what their biggest
liabilities are. Large amounts of old, unused equipment is a telltale sign
of equipment that didn't work like the manufacturer said it would.
Over 58% of WISP startups are financed by the owner's checkbook or credit cards.
The majority of WISPs are started with a single cell. The WISP fills up
the first cell up with customers, and then launch a second, then a third, etc.
If you have no money, and live in a rural area, you should check
with the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
which approves millions of
dollars in grants each year for towns with less than 20,000 people.
Be advised that the grant forms are long and are time
consuming to fill out, but can be very lucrative source of funding
if you can win one.
Another option is the Small Business Administration (SBA), which will
assist any entrepreneur or small business with a good business plan.
The SBA is usually very helpful in finding the right resources to help
small business launch their first business.
There are also businesses known as lease finance companies
that will provide the necessary financing to fund equipment-lease agreements
for both operators and their customers to lease equipment versus the operator
having to buy the equipment upfront.
Agility Solutions is a lease finance company that specializes in
Wireless ISPs.
If you don't have the credit to borrow money or don't want to spend the
time looking for venture capital, there are experienced companies like
Hindsight Wireless that will come to
your town and build a wireless ISP at no cost to you. You simply tell them
about your town and how many potential customers they might be able to sign up.
They do the rest.
In conclusion, almost any town that wants high-speed Internet connections can
build a network using broadband wireless technology. The costs will vary depending
on how large of a system you want to build and the type of terrain and local
resources you have available, but one thing is for sure. The capital expenditure
required to build a wireless Internet network is significantly lower than building
a wired system that requires running a wire to every single residence and business
in town.
If you would like to read all the articles in this series, or an expanded
version of this article, you can read them online at:
www.bbwexchange.com/howto/.
More details on how to build a WISP or Wi-Fi Hotspot are available on
BWE's main website located at www.bbwexchange.com.
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