Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Wireless... hmm, ok, maybe if I need a good back-up solution. But it's far too slow to run all my business-critical apps. It's unreliable. It's unsecured. Are you crazy?

Not exactly. Fixed Wireless Broadband networks have evolved through multiple generations of both antenna technology and network infrastructure. What may have characterized wireless broadband when you piloted it back in the 90's no longer has any bearing. What was once little more than a cell phone antenna stuck to your laptop, or possibly a router, is now a new generation of wireless technology that more and more large enterprise retail, hospitality, c-store, and more are looking to for the future of their broadband network.

What's changed? For starters, the GSM network coverage is getting more and more saturated every day. Beyond that, Accel Networks' proprietary antenna technology means better signal and reliable connectivity. Simply put, signal strength is the least of your concerns. What's more, with Accel Networks' you can even maintain an completely private and secure Layer 2 network with fixed wireless broadband technology.

If you're ready to think anew about wireless broadband, put it to the test. Talk with one of our agents or partners about a no-risk certification process to validate the viability of wireless for your primary or back-up network needs.

Labels: backup network, Coverage, Fixed Wireless Broadband

posted by Nick Carter at 7:28 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, May 12, 2009
How often do you find headlines that read like this: "Sidewalks Destroyed and Sod Ripped Up as Miles of Fiberoptics are Laid to Increase Broadband Capacity." Not very often. When major tcom companies like Verizon need to increase broadband capacity to meet demand, more and more often they're turning to fixed wireless broadband solutions.

That was the case with this morning's announcement that Verizon Wireless Increases Wireless Broadband Capacity in Watertown Area. According to their press release, this wasn't just for your average teenager downloading videos and music. Verizon has a serious interest in "the company's high-speed wireless broadband network geared toward mobile professionals and business customers."

What is most notable to me, however, is the speed at which the upscaling can occur on wireless broadband networks. As I parodied the downsides to beefing up wireline networks--major construction that entails destruction in its path--there is a serious side to the benefits of leveraging a growing GSM network. Think about the costs and time-to-market that would be required for copper cable and fiberoptics to deliver the same bandwidth capacity that Verizon's 10 new cell sites will offer. Wireless Broadband is, without a doubt, the answer to expanding broadband coverage.

Labels: Broadband, Coverage, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Rural Broadband Access, Verizon

posted by Nick Carter at 5:56 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, May 5, 2009
I can remember the widespread panic a few years back when major metropolitan areas around the U.S. began to experience brownouts during peak load times. Mainly, the media focused on California cities where they simply couldn't build power plants fast enough to keep up with demand. There was panic in the streets. Could such a staple of life be so fickle? So unreliable? Then, just as quickly as it came, the problem was solved and most forgot about it.

Well, the fear hasn't gone away, it's just shifted focus. Today, analysts and so-called experts are postulating as to when the global backbone of the Internet will meet it's match in bandwidth demand. Researchers at Nemertes Research actually presented a theory (in 2007) that bandwidth demand would outgrow network capacity by 2010. Well, it's 2009 and I don't believe anyone is truly nervous about that prospect.

In fact, in a much more recent article from TMC.net, the issue raised is not global network backbone, it's actually local network access. DSL, cable, frame relays, and a slew of T1's are bringing more and more people online at an alarming rate, but can the local networks handle it? Gary Kim believes the wildcard that could save us all may turn out to be wireless broadband.

"wired broadband supply increases linearly, obviously posing some risk if access demand grows non-linearly."

But if local broadband access meets a crunch time,

"New broadband wireless capacity can be turned up much more quickly than wired broadband can."

I couldn't have said it better myself. In fact, the only thing I think the author, Gary Kim, has overlooked is the fact that this is already happening all over America. Anytime a c-store goes up on a highway in the middle of nowhere, the access demand for that specific location has indeed grown beyond the ability for wireline providers. Sure, it doesn't make headline news because it's not a community of millions in a high-profile California city. The proof is, nonetheless, in the pudding.

Enter Accel Networks. Fixed Wireless Broadband from Accel is used every day to ramp up broadband access in an otherwise "under-served" area (i.e. unable to connect via anything wired). With no copper cable laid at all, Accel has stores online in as little as a week, including layer 2 security. Wildcard, Mr. Kim? I do beleive you're onto something.

Labels: Broadband, Coverage, Fixed Wireless Broadband

posted by Nick Carter at 10:37 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The other day my power went out. Of course, I immediately looked over at the stove clock to see the time and it was just a blank LED screen. So, what was my next move? I instinctively turned to look at the microwave to see the time there. No such luck. Obviously, they were both on the same connection to the power grid so of course they would both be out. They shared a common point of failure. That "duh" moment was the beginning of a great new idea.

What if that had been my internet, not my power… and it wasn't my oven clock that was down, it was my point-of-sale system? If you use one carrier and that carrier goes down, then what back-up can you have?

Recently, Accel completed an implementation for a retail store chain. With hundreds of stores, we were responsible for implementing both primary networks and network continuity (back-up) at various sites. The unique part is this: our multi-carrier antenna technology allowed us to tune one site's primary network to one carrier with their back-up network on another. The site's entire network was wireless, allowing for deployment in a matter of days. And their continuity is as bullet-proof as networks get.

Best of all, even though there a multiple carriers, there is only ONE bill. So you get the coverage you need, without the administrative nightmare. Accel delivered a predictable and reliable fixed wireless broadband service faster than any wireline could ever boast. How will you connect your next store opening?

Labels: backup network, Broadband, Coverage, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Network Providers

posted by Nick Carter at 11:18 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, April 21, 2009
In March, the FCC auctioned licenses to the 700MHz spectrum which was made available by the nation-wide mandated transition to digital TV. Who wound up owning the vast majority of those licenses? Verizon Wireless. The FCC raised $19.6 Billion but the real winner was Verizon Wireless, who now estimates they will have enough network to reach every corner of rural America with 4G fixed wireless broadband access.

Aside from the fact that infrastructure already exists all over the nation for broadcasting this spectrum; And, not to mention that receivers and devices on this spectrum have been developed and redeveloped since the dawn of television; It's the physics of the waves that makes Verizon, and all of the broadband industry, excited to see what develops. The 700MHz spectrum waves can travel long distances and propagate through walls, which makes it ideal for covering broad, geographically dispersed regions of the U.S.

As we wrote about a while back, fixed wireless broadband has always been the most feasible technology for bringing internet to rural areas. That fact has not changed. What this purchase means, however, is that one of the most technically capable spectrum in air waves is now under the control of one of the nations largest telecom companies, Verizon, with the express mission of bringing delivering broadband to more Americans than ever.

When can we expect to see the roll-out begin? Verizon plans to begin building a 4G network as early as 2010. However, reaching every household could take years. Whatever the time frame, this purchase marks an exciting new era for wireless broadband.

Labels: Broadband, Coverage, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Rural Broadband Access, Verizon

posted by Nick Carter at 5:18 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, April 7, 2009
I had a noon appointment yesterday, so I decided to head out about 10 minutes early and stop off at a store to pick up something real quick. I knew exactly what I needed and where to find it, so it should just be a quick in-and-out, right? Wrong.

My first clue should have been when the associate had to call the back room manually and check to see if an item was in stock. Should the computer tell him that? When I approached the registers, lines were longer than usual, but nothing too daunting, and besides, I had time to spare. Ten minutes later, however, I was about to abandon the mission and just come back later when at last a new register opened that I could move to. Finally, just a swipe of the credit card and I'm out the door.

I was wrong. The delays that I was experiencing were due to a network outage. The store's local network was up and running just fine, but they had lost their layer 2 network connection with the central store. Their point-of-sale system was entirely dependent on the central network, as was inventory (even local inventories) and credit card processing. After waiting for a manual imprint of my card and a telephone authorization, I arrived at my meeting 15 minutes late.

Fixed Wireless Broadband backup networks offer more reliability than any wireline network could dream. Since the "grid" relies on no physical connectivity, careless diggers and even natural disasters have far less effect. The store's sales and customer satisfaction could have been significantly higher with a PCI-compliant back-up network from Accel Networks.

Labels: backup network, Broadband, Coverage, Fixed Wireless Broadband

posted by Nick Carter at 9:15 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, March 3, 2009
You may have heard of a recently launched and rapidly growing advocacy group called Internet for Everyone. The premise of the group is easily surmised: they are creating awareness of the lack of broadband access for rural and under-developed areas of the U.S. And, while much of the sentiment on their website may remind you of a social movement, their interests appear to be very much business-focused, realizing that where businesses can get online, there the economic growth will bring the rest of the community along.

One of the hottest topics for Internet for Everyone today is the recently approved stimulus package which includes billions for internet infrastructure. Telecom companies around the nation will be awarded huge projects for building the infrastructure that will bring broadband connectivity to rural areas.

But is this effort too narrowly focused? When I visited Indonesia last year, I was surprised to learn that the entire nation had totally skipped the wired telephone age. By the time they were ready to build their nation's telecom infrastructure, it no longer made sense to go wired. Today, they are a nation of wireless users. The same phenomenon has happened all across developing countries. So why not the developing regions of this great country?

In fact, fixed wireless broadband is already delivering connectivity to places where wired connection is impractical or impossible. Take a look at our coverage map and you'll see that Accel provides 2.5-3g speed to over 80% of the U.S. without a single copper line laid. If you're still in an area without coverage, broadband access may be closer than you realize. Let's talk.

Labels: Broadband, Coverage, Rural Broadband Access

posted by Nick Carter at 4:57 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments