Definition: Wireless Internet Access Service Provider

WISP is an acronym which stands for Wireless Internet Access Service Provider. These can be Wi-Fi hotspots or an operator with a Wi-Fi based network infrastructure. Often they offer additional services, like location based content, Virtual Private Networking and Voice over IP.

WISP's are predominantly in rural environments where cable and digital subscriber lines are not available. WiMax was expected to become mainstream in 2006 and was anticipated that it would dramatically change the marketplace by increasing the number of interoperable equipment on the market and making mobile data transmission feasible. Unfortunately this has not happened and has hampered the expected increase in adoption rates of WISP services.

Typically, the way that a WISP operates is to pull a large and usually expensive point to point connection to the center of the area they wish to service. From here, they will need to find some sort of elevated point in the region, such as a radio or water tower, on which to mount their equipment. On the consumers side, they will mount a small dish to the roof of their home and point it back to the WISP's dish.

Since it is difficult for a single service provider to build an infrastructure that offers global access to its subscribers, roaming between service providers is encouraged by the Wi-Fi Alliance with the WISPr protocol. WISPr is a set of recommendations approved by the alliance which facilitate inter-network and inter-operator roaming of Wi-Fi users.

Many wireless broadband services provide average download speeds of over 100 Mbit/s, and is estimated to have a range of 50 km (30 miles)[citation needed]. Technologies used include LMDS and MMDS, and one particular access technology is being standardized by IEEE 802.16, also known as WiMAX.

At first, Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) were only found in rural areas not covered by cable or DSL. These early WISPs would receive a large connection, such as a T1 or DS3 connection, and then prodcast signal from a high elevation, such as at the top of a water tower. To receive this type of internet, consumers would mount a small dish to the roof of their home or office and point it to the transmitter. Line of sight was usually necessary for this type of technology, but technologies by Motorola have not adhered to this general rule.

Benefits of Using a Wireless Internet Access Service Provider

• Rapid Deployment - Allows networks to be deployed without cabling for client devices, typically reducing the costs of network deployment and expansion. Spaces where cables cannot be run, such as outdoor areas and historical buildings, can host wireless Internet access networks.
• Fastest Internet Access in the World - Wi-Fi is the fastest Internet access network in the world. Wi-Fi is currently at 54Mbps now, and soon 802.11n will offer 248Mbps. The access speeds blow away 3G, cable and DSL providers. Only fiber to the curb can really compete with Wi-Fi.
• Massive Availability - Wireless Internet Access (Wi-Fi) antennas are built into 99% of all modern laptops, getting a laptop without a built in Wi-Fi antenna would be extremely rare.
• Affordable Pricing for the Masses - Wi-Fi chipset pricing continues to come down, making Wi-Fi a very economical networking option and driving inclusion of Wi-Fi in an ever-widening array of devices.
• Interoperability Amoung All Vendors - Wi-Fi products are widely available in the market. Different competitive brands of access points and client network interfaces are interoperable at a basic level of service. Products designated as Wi-Fi Certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance are backwards compatible.
• Worldwide Wi-Fi Standard - Wi-Fi is a global set of standards. Unlike 3G cellular carriers, which are slow and fragmented, the same Wi-Fi Internet access device works in different countries around the world.
• Ubiquitous Coverage - Widely available in more than 250,000 public hot spots and tens of millions of homes and corporate and university campuses worldwide.
• Secure Network Connections - As of 2007, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is not easily cracked if strong passwords are used and WPA2 encryption has no known weaknesses.
• Quality of Service - New protocols for Quality of Service (WMM) and power saving mechanisms (WMM Power Save) make Wi-Fi even more suitable for latency-sensitive applications (such as voice over IP and video on demand) and offered in a very small form-factor.

Different Types of Wireless Internet Access

• Indoor Wi-Fi Access Points - Indoor Wi-Fi Internet access points are the most ubiquitous form of broadband Internet access in the world. There is not a remote city or third world country that doesn't have at least one Internet Cafe in town. Wi-Fi Internet access points are easy to install and very cost effective to deploy. Wi-Fi 802.11g currently provides 54Mbps of bandwidth.
• Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) - In every small town, there is at least one wireless Internet service provider, also known as a WISP. It might be a very large Turnkey WISP or it might be a small Neighborhood WISP (NISP). Unlike Wi-Fi, a WISP will install a fixed antenna on a customer's premises, which provides the equivalent to a wireless T1 or faster connection.
• Municipal Citywide Wi-Fi Mesh Networks - It used to be that only rural towns in America saw that benefits of building a wireless Internet network in town to generate new economic development. In the last year, just about every big city in the world has contemplated adding wireless Internet access to their portfolio of economic development tools to generate jobs and attract corporations to their cities and towns. In addition, wireless Internet access is also seen as the only cost-effective way to provide broadband Internet connections to underpriviledged citizens. The technology that made this possible was wireless routers using mesh networking technology. Mesh network technology made it possible to blanket a city or town with Wi-Fi access points and offer the same type of roaming capabilities that users have come to expect with wireless cell phones.
• Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) - EDGE was designed by 3G carriers to carry wireless data over cell phone connections, which were designed for low bandwidth voice applications. As a result, the maximum speed is limited to only 236.8 kbit/s for 4 timeslots (theoretical maximum is 473.6 kbit/s for 8 timeslots) in packet mode and will therefore meet the International Telecommunications Union's requirement for a 3G network. By Wi-Fi standards, EDGE is very slow and offers only a marginal connection at best.
• Evolution-Data Optimized for CDMA - EVDO was also designed by 3G that operated CDMA networks. The initial version was called EV-DO, Rev. 0, but quickly upgraded to EV-DO Rev. A. Sprint and Verizon Wireless are deploying EVDO technology in the United States and by Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility in Canada. EVDO was yet another attempt to develop a faster wireless data transport system that could compete with Wi-Fi. In addition to the increase in the maximum burst downlink rate from Rev. 0's 2.45 Mbit/s to 3.1 Mbit/s, Rev. A offered a significant improvement in the maximum uplink data rate, from 153 kbit/s to a maximum uplink burst rate of 1.8 Mbit/s. Still slow compared to Wi-Fi, but EVDO can provide acceptable wireless Internet connections if nothing else is available.
• High-Speed Downlink Packet Accesss for UMTS - HSDPA was designed by 3G carriers that operated UMTS networks. High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), sometimes referred to as High-Speed Downlink Protocol Access, is a 3G mobile telephony protocol in the HSPA family, which provides a roadmap for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)-based networks to increase their data transfer speeds and capacity. Current HSDPA deployments now support up to 7.2 Mbps and represents the fastest 3G wireless Internet access protocol.
• Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) - WiMAX is a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to wired broadband like cable and DSL. WiMAX provides fixed , nomadic, portable and, soon, mobile wireless broadband connectivity without the need for direct line-of-sight with a base station. In a typical cell radius deployment of three to ten kilometers, WiMAX Forum Certified™ systems can be expected to deliver capacity of up to 40 Mbps per channel, for fixed and portable access applications. This is enough bandwidth to simultaneously support hundreds of businesses with T-1 speed connectivity and thousands of residences with DSL speed connectivity. Mobile network deployments are expected to provide up to 15 Mbps of capacity within a typical cell radius deployment of up to three kilometers. WiMAX technology will be incorporated into the majority of notebook computers and PDAs by the end of 2007, allowing for urban areas and cities to become "WiMAX Metro Zones" for portable outdoor broadband wireless Internet access.

Different Slices of Wireless Internet Access Spectrum

• 900 MHz Wi-Fi Internet Access Spectrum
• 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11b/g Internet Access Spectrum
• 2.5 GHz MMDS Internet Access Spectrum
• 3.5 GHz WiMAX Internet Access Spectrum
• 4.9 GHz Public Safety/Emergency First Response Team Spectrum
• 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11a Internet Access Spectrum
• 3G Wireless Internet Spectrum
• EDGE Wireless Internet Access Spectrum
• EVDO Wireless Internet Access Spectrum
• GPRS Wireless Internet Access Spectrum
• CDMA Wireless Internet Access Spectrum
• HSDPA Internet Access Spectrum
• WiMAX Wireless Internet Access Spectrum

How to Build a Wireless Internet Access Network in Your Town

• Building Wireless ISPs in Rural Towns, Outlying Suburbs and Inner City Districts
• Do Wireless ISPs Provide a Good Return on Investment?
• How to Select a Wireless Internet Antenna Site for Your Town
• How Much Internet Bandwidth Does My Town Really Need to Build a Wireless ISP?
• How to Select the Right WISP System For Your Town's Needs
• How to Get a Wireless ISP Built in Your Town

Building Different Wireless Internet Access Service Providers

• Wi-Fi Internet Access Hotspot Providers
• Neighborhood Wireless Internet Access Serive Providers
• Rural Wireless Internet Access Service Providers
• Municipal Citywide Mesh Network Internet Access Service Providers
• 3G Cellular Wireless Internet Access Service Providers
• Mobile WiMAX Internet Access Service Providers
• Satellite Wireless Internet Access Service Providers
• Franchise Wireless Internet Access Service Providers

How Radio Frequencies Carry Wireless Internet Data

• How Radio Frequency (RF) Wireless Connectivity Works
• What Wireless Broadband Technologies Are Available?
• Using Radio Waves to Carry Wireless Data Transmissions
• How Radio Waves Transport Data Information over Different Frequencies
• What RF Frequencies Are Available to Build Wireless ISPs?
• Spread Spectrum versus Frequency Hopping
• Using Radio Signals as a Data Transmission Medium
• Microwave Radio Transceivers
• How Do Microwave Wireless Antennas Work
• Omni Directional and a Directional Sector Antenna
• Data Cables, Lightning Suppression, and Tower Structures
• Calculating Overhead and Wireless Data Throughput Rates
• Planning a Strong Wireless Link Budget

Evaluating Potential Markets for Wireless Internet Access

• Conducting a Competitive Broadband Market Assessment Report
• Broadband Market Assessment Report Table of Contents
• Developing a Prospective Customer Index for a Wireless ISP
• Calculating Customer Demand for Wireless Broadband Services
• Calculating Residential Demand for Wireless Broadband Services
• Measuring Competing Broadband Service Providers
• Selecting the Right Wireless Engineering Design for a Wireless ISP
• Designing a Strategic Wireless Internet Service Coverage Area
• Implementing a High-Speed Wireless Internet Network
• Planning a Broadband Wireless Internet Access Network

Wireless Internet Access Glossary of Terms

• Glossary of Wireless Internet Access Terms and Definitions

Directory of Wireless Internet Access Service Providers

• Directory of Wireless Internet Service Providers
• Directory of 3G Wireless Internet Access Service Providers
• Directory of Wi-Fi Internet Access Point Providers
• Directory of Municipal Citywide Mesh Network Providers
• Directory of Satellite Internet Access Service Providers

Wireless Internet Access Service Provider Success Stories

• Wireless ISP Success Stories
• Wi-Fi Hotspot Success Stories

Wireless Internet Access System Integrators

• Wireless Internet Access System Integrators

Wireless Internet Access Products and Services

• Wireless Internet Access Products
• Wireless Internet Access Vendors

Wireless Internet Access Product Resellers and Distributors

• Wireless Internet Access Product Resellers
• Wireless Internet Access Product Distributors

Request for Proposals to Start a WISP Business

• Click here to build a RFP to Start a New WISP
• Planned WISP Rollouts, Budgets and Equipment Purchases

Satellite backbones for Wireless Internet Access Service Providers and Wi-Fi Hot Spots

Many WISPs, especially in Africa, Asia and CIS use satellite as their main Internet backbones. For example, PEP-iDirect is a perfect platform to start up the WISP business with much lower costs than it would take with standard SCPC systems and terrestrial circuits if the local telecom markets are monopolized. At the same time PEP-iDirect allows to maintain the high quality of backbone service provided which is equal to a dedicated SCPC or even better. The PEP-iDirect system can support up to 1500 subscribers with no equipment upgrades as well as little as 50 subscribers, still staying cost effective for entrepreneurs.

Wireless Internet Access Spectrum Licensing Agreements

A wireless connection can be either licensed or unlicensed. In the US, licensed connections use a private spectrum the user has secured rights to from the FCC. In other countries, spectrum is licensed from the country's national radio communications authority (such as the ACMA in Australia). Licensing is usually expensive and often reserved for large companies who wish to guarantee private access to spectrum for use in point to point communication. Because of this, most wireless ISP's use unlicensed spectrum which is publicly shared and therefore more prone to interference.

This information provided by the Wikipedia Free WISP Encyclopedia.

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