What is a Wireless Internet Service Provider?
A Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) can be an operator with a Wi-Fi based network infrastructure or also a Wi-Fi hotspot. They often offer additional services, like Virtual Private Networking, location based content, and Voice over IP.
WISP's are largely operated in rural areas where cable and digital subscriber lines are not available.
Typically an WISP provider will locate an elevated point of the region such as a radio or water tower to mount their equipment. At a customer location, a small dish is intalled on the roof of their home or office which would point back to the WISP’s dish.
Roaming between service providers is encouraged by the Wi-Fi Alliance with the WISPr protocol thus making it difficult for a single service provider to build an infrastructure that offers global access to its subscribers. WISPr is a set of recommendations approved by the alliance which facilitate inter network and inter operator roaming of Wi-Fi users.
Average download speeds of over 100 Mbit/s are offered by many Wireless Internet Access Service Providers and with an estimated range of approximately 30 miles (50km). The technogies used include LMDS an MMDS and one particular access technology, WiMAX is being standardized by IEEE 802.16.
Originally, the early Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) were only found in rural areas that were not covered by cable or DSL. The early WISPs would receive a fast connection such as a T1 or DS3 connection, then broadcast the signal from a high elevation such as a radio or water tower.
