Powering Wireless Internet Service Providers – The Need for Speed

One of my favorite lines in the original Top Gun is when Maverick says, “I feel the need,” and then Goose joins in and they both conclude, “The need for speed.” Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) today are facing that same need. The first wireless internet services were delivered in 1992 to a rural area in Laramie, Wyoming. The Carmel Group* today reports that there are over 2,800 WISPs in the US and there are an estimated ten million subscribers to WISP services. WISPs are no longer limited to just rural areas; they are providing services in urban, suburban and rural environments.

It is not only the number of WISPs and subscribers that have grown, but also the services that WISPs are providing. Originally providing access to the internet through a wireless infrastructure, today WISPs are offering ever expanding services including voice and TV. By adding additional service offerings, WISPs can increase their monthly fees, so they are always on the lookout for new services.

To support these growing services, higher data rates are required. Typical wireless infrastructure today can easily support the higher data rates through many different technologies such as 5G; however, the question becomes does the rest of the WISP infrastructure support the higher data rates?

One of the most important technologies required to support the higher data rates is Power over Ethernet (PoE). PoE is one of the most common ways that WISPs provide power to their devices such as point-to-point radios and wireless access points. PoE is a convenient technology because it simplifies installations through a single cable and can provide power in locations where power is not easily accessible.

PoE was invented in 1997 by a company called PowerDsine, which today is a part of Microchip Technology Inc. In 1997, PowerDsine introduced the very first semiconductors to put power over an Ethernet cable called the Power Source Equipment (PSE) and another one to take power off the cable and put it into the device called the Powered Device (PD). At the time there were no switches with PSE ICs incorporated, so in 1998 PowerDsine introduced the first midspan also known as an injector. This is a device that accepts an input cable from a switch containing data and puts out a second cable containing both power and data.

Even though PoE switches are available today, midspans continue to be a key infrastructure. Only 20% of installed switches today can provide power. So, when deploying over an existing network, if power is required, a midspan is still a critical component. And today, only 50% of newly installed switches are PoE switches. Many still like to isolate functions on separate devices. Midspans in general have a much longer lifespan than switches which typically need to be replaced every four to five years. By separating the switch from the midspan, replacement costs are much lower.

Those who install PoE switches may still require a midspan. PoE switches are designed with a power budget. This is the maximum amount of power available to be deployed over the ports. Often, a PoE switch will not have enough power budget to provide full power on all ports. So, even if the switch can provide power, midspans are sometimes required to supplement power on some of the ports.

Up until recently, PoE midspans supported data rates up to 1 Gbps. With the demand for services increasing, WISPs who rely on midspans will need to support data higher data rates. Today we are seeing the need for data rates as high as 2.5 Gbps; however, with infrastructure such as 5G, data rates up to 10 Gbps and beyond will be required.

Recently Microchip has introduced new midspans that can support 2.5, 5 and even 10 Gbps.? They are available in indoor and outdoor single port models. Microchip also has a line of multiport rack mountable midspans that can provide up to 10 Gbps over 24 ports.

So, as the demand for higher data rates are required in the WISP community, Microchip will continue to be able to provide the required infrastructure. If you are attending WISPAPALOOZA Oct 9th through the 12th at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, drop by the Microchip booth #542 to see all the options Microchip can provide.

* Lift-off! Internet Service Providers Take Flight with Fixed-Wireless and Hybrid Networks, The 2021 Fixed-Wireless and Hybrid Fiber-Wireless Report by The Carmel Group