Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) News

Other BWIA / WiMAX Blogs And Sites - Towerstream

With putting in a "blogroll" on BWIA / WiMAX News, there are so many blogs and sites that I should list that for the foreseeable (until I get every one listed that I know about - it'll take a while) future, I'm going to make this a twice-weekly feature.

Tuesday's BWIA / WiMAX Blog / Site to be added is:

Towerstream - www.towerstream.com

Towerstream is, admittedly, a favorite Broadband Wireless Internet Access / WiMAX Service Provider. But that favor has been earned, and proven to be well-deserved as Towerstream is one of the very, very few Broadband Internet Access Service Providers... regardless of their chosen "physical layer" that knew when starting, and has remained focused on "knowing exactly what business they're really in". In Towerstream's case, that business is "moving the Internet bits, fast and reliably". Towerstream has resisted temptation (and some serious offers...) to move away from that focus - into content, hosting, voice services, and other businesses that conventional wisdom dictates are "profit centers" or "value-added". But as I've discussed numerous times, being a Service Provider in it for the long term and providing best value for customers is an incredibly demanding business, and a Service Provider needs to remain laser-focused in order to succeed.

Towerstream has found ample ways to distinguish itself as a (wireless) Broadband Internet Access Service Provider. Two of particular note:

• Towerstream offers very fast installation in its service areas. They can sometimes arrange for installation of their service (installing the antenna / radio / router equipment) on the same day that it's ordered. They can do that because they use wireless.
• Towerstream offers tiers of speeds, and within the limitations of the particular equipment installed, can upgrade the speeds within minutes; for example when 1.5 Mbps (a popular choice as it matches the speed of a "T-1 circuit" isn't adequate for an office, an "upgrade" to 3 Mbps can be handled over the phone.

Towerstream also seems to endear itself to customers for good billing - it's a very straightforward transaction - a certain speed for a certain price, no extra dinging, minimal contracts, month-to-month service.

It's almost incidental that Towerstream uses Broadband Wireless Internet Access, WiMAX, license-exempt spectrum and licensed spectrum, etc. What distinguishes Towerstream is that they fully integrate the capabilities... and liabilities... of wireless into their business model, such as the fast installation capability.

Towerstream mentioned to me that they list BWIA News on the blogroll of their CEO's blog. That's appreciated, but this isn't tit-for-tat; Towerstream was already on my list for a well-deserved mention on my blogroll.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) - Wi-Fi, on a MacBook Pro laptop.

Other BWIA / WiMAX Blogs And Sites - Sageni

With putting in a "blogroll" on BWIA / WiMAX News, there are so many blogs and sites that I should list that for the foreseeable (until I get every one listed that I know about - it'll take a while) future, I'm going to make this a twice-weekly feature.

Tuesday's BWIA / WiMAX Blog / Site to be added is:

Sageni - www.sageni.com

Sageni is the consulting operation of Patrick Leary, formerly of Alvarion. To those really on the inside track of Broadband Wireless Internet Access and WiMAX, Leary is near-legendary. Leary first came to my attention as one of the very few representatives of vendors that understood very early on that smaller service providers, often underfunded and operating in overlooked rural areas (the "Broadband Boonies") were going to be important in the evolution of the Internet. Leary was ubiquitous on the mailing lists that the Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) used to educate themselves, and Leary impressed me, and many others, in trying to explain the real facts of the FCC's Part 15 rules as they actually applied to the WISPs business practices. When BWIA really took off apart from the wireless telephony industry, Leary rode his knowledge and impressive set of contacts to well-deserved promotions within Alvarion, and became a spokesman for Alvarion and the BWIA industry as a whole at conferences, FCC hearings, and much other impressive work behind the scenes. Alvarion was one of the foundational vendors of WiMAX (both fixed and mobile), and Leary was on the inside track of the rise of WiMAX.

Most impressive to me is that Leary is absolutely a straight-shooter when it comes to what BWIA / WiMAX can, and cannot do. Leary is far, far better qualified than "industry analysts" because of his hands-on involvement in real-world BWIA / WiMAX deployments -from small one-person operations in rural areas, to large urban deployments that would ultimately serve millions of users.

Now that Leary has evolved beyond the confines of a single vendor, he can offer his hard-won, real-world expertise totally independently, and now that he's independent, Patrick Leary is my primary recommendation for a BWIA / WiMAX consultant.

By Steve Stroh

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) - Wi-Fi, on a MacBook Pro laptop.

This article is Copyright © 2008 by Steve Stroh except for specifically-marked excerpts. Excerpts and links are expressly permitted (and encouraged).

This article was written and posted via Broadband Wireless Internet Access (BWIA) - Wi-Fi, on a MacBook Pro laptop.