India Broadband Forum

India Broadband Internet

Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) is a very flexible, cost effective and self-configuring wireless Internet service. WISP is quite fast. With WISP, the Internet connection is activated the moment you boot the computer. In the US, the WISPs are scattered over the secondary markets. They are creating a niche for themselves among the wireless LANs on the one side and the wireline broadband giants on the other side. The government wants the rural WISPs to disseminate information to people and feels that they are a practical solution for the rural broadband service.

According to industry analyst firm In-Stat, among the services on offer from WISPs, adding VoIP services is one of the top competitive considerations, as it is necessary to attract new subscribers and distinguish themselves in the market in the face of increasing competition, decreasing margins, increased acquisition and operational expenses.

The WISPs are making deep penetrations in communities and they depend on improvisation to overcome inherent hurdles in the design of the network and the installation of the equipment. They are making an attempt to gain foothold in overlooked and forgotten markets, where established telecom companies are not willing to invest in physical plants to deliver DSL. The common factor among the WISPs is their widespread reliance on unlicensed spectrum, generally bands like 900 MHz and 5.3 GHz and 5.7GHz to 5.8 GHz.

There is the possibility of cable operators severely undercutting competitors with attractive packages. But that is not likely to affect WISPs. They intend to target undeserved areas and are likely to offer services that are not available with other technologies. The biggest advantage with WISPs is rapid provisioning. Most providers require less than two hours to connect a customer at their premises as compared to weeks or months for many DSL connections. WISP is likely to become a solution suited to all businesses with multiple sites.