Fiber or Die! WISPs and Other Providers Move to Fiber Deployments

CCI Systems recently attended WISPALAOOZA 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our team was there with several partners, including 诺基亚 , Ciena , and A10 Networks, Inc . The show was well-attended and there was no denying the noticeable buzz around the Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) industry.?

Several things are happening in that space:?

• Federal funding is starting to get infused into operators.?
• Several wireless vendors are either merging or being acquired.?
• Several operators are merging or being acquired by venture capital or larger operators.?

During the event, two common pain points mentioned by wireless operators were:?

1. Competition.?
2. Restrictions on wireless offerings.?

Let’s explore those issues with some insights and provide some solutions.?

WISP Competition Continues to Grow and Overbuild within Coverage Areas?

Competition in the form of overbuilders was a problem expressed by several regional and local operators, especially in the West and South.??

WISPs enjoyed a monopoly on large sections of their service areas because they could deploy a wireless offering 100 times faster than a more traditional operator, like cable and FTTx. However, those WISP competitors are still getting funding, still building outside plant, and continuing to cover more of the WISP coverage area at a steady pace.??

The other part of the conversation is sky-based competition. Satellite internet is a fast-growing threat to wireless internet service providers. Notably, Skylink—satellite internet offered by SpaceX —is quickly becoming a viable option over wireless coverage.?

Despite WISPs enjoying a high penetration rate in the service areas that they cover, not everyone is willing or able to take advantage of their wireless service. Businesses requiring a high level of availability for speed and quality might find wireless too risky. Schools and municipalities may have security concerns about running restricted services over a wireless connection.?

The bottom line is WISPs enjoy a great deal of success when they hit the market, but they are not always seen as the “best” option.?

Restrictions on Wireless Offerings Due to Bandwidth Concerns?

Recently, Fierce Telecom published an excellent article covering this topic and presented other reasons why WISPs must evolve to stay in business.?

While some WISPs plan to hang on as long as they can with wireless, Carpenter said most larger WISPs will evolve into fiber-first internet service providers, or FFISPs, over the coming years.?

The fiber-first trend will continue to grow stronger in the coming years. To beat the competition and keep those would-be competitors out of your coverage area, a WISP will need to start offering high speeds and great reliability–something only fiber can offer.???

Once the WISP becomes a fiber operator, more resources will become available. For example, most federal grants DO NOT allow a wireless solution, but offering fiber presents an opportunity for much of the network infrastructure cost to be covered by grant money. This leaves more capital in the WISP’s pocket to build out other portions of the operation.?

"Existing clients and new customers are coming to CCI asking to get smarter on fiber and fiber operations," explains William Halvorsen , Customer Solution Architect. "Our experts live and breathe fiber and offer insightful, meaningful consultation."

Whether it’s how to price out the fiber build, including design and vendor selection, or if it’s program management and building the actual network itself, our team provides solutions to build resilient, reliable infrastructure.?

Educating Wireless Providers with Fiber-Based Solutions?

Educating WISPs on the fundamentals of a fiber to the x network is an area our team excels at and continues to see a need within telecommunications for wireless clientele.?

After working with WISPs in the past, CCI has discovered two ways wireless operators have experienced success.

1. Making strategic decisions will be much easier with an understanding of FTTx.?
2. This education in fiber will save both time and money for the service provider.?

For instance, if a WISP has towers and infrastructure in place, our engineers can help design an intelligent network that radiates out from those existing facilities—even if those locations are connected via wireless or microwave backhaul. Then, as middle mile fiber is deployed to the towers and other locations, CCI’s team helps design architecture to connect subscribers effectively and efficiently to the new offering.?

WISPs are no different from any communication network of the past 30 years. First, it started with dial-up, DSL, ADSL, xDSL, cable, 1G PON, 10G PON, and now, 25G PON… Wireless technology is how we initially reach underserved, rural communities, but eventually, most of those subscribers will need to have the opportunity to connect with fiber.??

WISPALAOOZA opened our team’s eyes to the present need in the WISP market for fiber technologies and the implementation of those technologies. Between CCI’s expertise in fiber and PON, strong partner relationships, and a panoptic view of any network our engineers encounter, there will be a solution to build toward your future.?

If you’re a WISP who is interested in learning more about fiber-based technologies to strengthen your current network, contact our experts today for a consultation.?