TeleDynamics Think Tank

Over the past few weeks we’ve been showcasing the deployment of wireless internet service providers (WISPs) and how they leverage various technologies to add value, flexibility, and reliability to their infrastructures. We examined how technologies such as LTE, MPLS, and cloud services are being employed to supplement WISP offerings.

But the innovation doesn’t stop there. There are a multitude of other technologies, protocols, and innovations that are being incorporated to bring about a new age of the WISP. We describe these in further detail in this article.

Like all ISPs, Wireless ISPs (WISPs) benefit from the integration of other technologies with the services they provide. In previous articles, we saw how LTE and MPLS can be used in conjunction with WISP infrastructure to deliver more useful and flexible services to subscribers.

In this article, we continue our series devoted to the key themes at WISPAMERICA this year, taking a closer look at how cloud technologies can benefit WISPs and make their offerings more attractive and competitive.

Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) play an integral role in delivering internet connectivity to areas where wired connectivity is not economically viable. Rural, remote, and mountainous regions are the primary areas where WISPs thrive. In many cases, WISPs are the only option for connectivity, making them a vital component of a nation’s telecom infrastructure.

There are many technologies that help support the services provided by WISPs. One that is being leveraged more and more in recent years is Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS). This topic received considerable airtime at WISPAMERICA this year.

Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) have traditionally relied on the use of Wi-Fi technologies that leverage unlicensed frequency ranges of 2.4 and 5 GHz, along with all of the legal limitations that come with them. Recently, however, additional connectivity options have been made available and much more affordable to WISPs. Among those options is the use of Long Term Evolution (LTE) solutions. In this article, we examine how WISPs can use LTE for their networks, which was a topic of particular interest at WISPAMERICA this year.

Key trends for WISPs from WISPAPALOOZA

Wireless Internet Service Providers or WISPs constitute a growing industry in the United States and worldwide. The WISP Association (WISPA), an advocacy organization for WISPs in the U.S., has over 650 members and 200 vendor associations. WISPA organizes an annual event called WISPAPALOOZA for the purpose of bringing together WISPs and vendors from all over the country.  Last week, Anthony Morris and Trey Smith were speaking with people about our wireless networking and telecommunications solutions at the TeleDynamics booth.

Here we cover some of the key trends this year that affect WISPs.