Wireless Extends Reach

That said, wireless is far from perfect. Even though it provided a safe haven for many during the blackout, it didn't work consistently. The problems associated with a crowded spectrum and signal range, especially for users in rural and remote areas, have been well-documented. Securing wireless transmissions is another persistent problem. But wireless is clearly growing and maturing, according to experts. Probe Research says there is rapid acceptance of wireless LANs and the 802.11b wireless standard, known as Wi-Fi, at both the consumer and enterprise levels. In addition, the research firm reports that messaging, multimedia and personal-information-management applications are helping to push wireless services.

No surprise, then, that solution providers have been busy devising keen strategies and mobile solutions. Matt Larsen, for one, is managing partner of Inventive Wireless, a Scottsbluff, Neb.-based solution provider. He likes to refer to his company as a bridge over the "last mile" of broadband access for residents and businesses that can't reach a fiber connection. The solution provider, founded this year, offers Wi-Fi coverage in areas of Northern Colorado and splits its wireless services into two parts: residential service for Internet access and business-class Wi-Fi services.

In a way, Larsen's company is acting more like a small wireless service provider than a solution provider. But Inventive Wireless does more than simply provide services, such as installation and network integration, which can present some obstacles.

"Wireless is complicated. You're not talking about a lot of equipment, but you have to find a place that has inexpensive connectivity and access to a fiber backbone," Larsen says. "You have to get roof access and get the rights to install antennas and wireless repeaters."

id
unit-1659132512259
type
Sponsored post

Larsen says his company has gotten creative in overcoming such obstacles. For example, in one Colorado community, Inventive Wireless found an ideal location for an antenna on a hill, but a house occupied the spot. Larsen, however, was unfazed. He decided to provide the homeowner with free service in exchange for installing wireless equipment on her property.

Inventive Wireless has built six residential zones and two business-class networks, which offer up to 10 Mbps for between $75 and $100 a month, depending on the service. Larsen says he wouldn't be in business if telecom companies were doing a better job of delivering Wi-Fi and broadband to underserved areas.

"My impression of the telcos is that they had outrageous amounts of money thrown at them a few years ago, and now they're coming apart and are more concerned about their stock prices than driving technology," Larsen says. "Wireless ISPs are pushing adoption. They're like cowboys out there."

Larsen works with other wireless companies, such as Slice Networks, to develop more business-class hot spots and related wireless services. Slice, a start-up Wi-Fi hot-spot provider based in Glen Allen, Va., provides integration and installation services for wireless ISPs. The company launched a channel program, dubbed SlicePartners, to team with other wireless solution providers in offering consulting, integration and installation services for hot-spot customers.

"The idea with Slice is to provide a common platform so that users can roam across different providers' networks," Larsen says. "Interoperability is the key."

Larsen says there's no reason why more VARs can't make the transition into wireless services and integration. "There's not a lot of difference between provisioning outdoor wireless and indoor hot spots," he says. "We just need to concentrate on back-end integration and get more installations going in the channel."

Unwired For Safety
Security concerns continue to haunt prospective wireless adopters, but more than a few government agencies are cutting the cords and rolling out strategic wireless deployments. Flow/P Consultants, a solution provider based in Vienna, Va., says wireless technology and mobile solutions are quickly becoming popular in the government market, especially with departments or agencies that have remote employees in the field. "We're primarily building ad-hoc wireless LANs for government agencies in emergency services and public safety, such as the Department of Homeland Security," says Ben Licodo, vice president of strategic initiatives.

Flow/P has teamed up with Ascentry Technologies, a Tacoma, Wash.-based wireless tech vendor, to build mobile solutions for government clients. The federal government's increasing efforts to enhance its IT infrastructure is helping to push new business, according to Mark Kotzer, vice president of marketing at Ascentry.

"The most critical types of solutions we deliver are ones that allow interagency wireless communication with security and reliability," he says.

A typical engagement for Ascentry and Flow/P would be an emergency that involves multiple state, local and federal agencies. For example, a serious fire could involve fire departments, emergency medical technicians, state and local police forces, HAZMAT teams and even U.S. National Guard and FEMA personnel. Keeping up with the different acronyms is difficult enough, let alone communicating and tracking various government officials and emergency workers.

Thus, Ascentry developed a software platform that helps connect different systems and infrastructures through various agencies and departments. The platform, called the Fusion software suite, is designed to securely integrate wireless communications for mobile technology. In addition, Flow/P provides security measures to lock down wireless networks, such as VPN and encryption technology, Licodo says. "People [hear] a lot of horror stories about wireless security, but I tell them that those companies didn't take the simple, basic steps to protect their networks," he says.

In fact, Kotzer says integration and connectivity issues--not security concerns--are the obstacles for wireless adoption. "One of the biggest challenges with emergency-response personnel, such as firefighters, is communicating and keeping track of people during a crisis," he says. "We're kind of the glue that brings the different pieces and vendors together."

In addition, Licodo says wireless is gaining more acceptance in various verticals. "Hotels are beginning to embrace wireless more by providing in-room service and wireless access points," he says. "It's picking up more and more momentum."

The arrival of new technology from a host of vendors is also helping to move the market, Licodo says. Ascentry, for example, features a standalone mobile network, dubbed Recon, that's designed to be deployable anywhere, while Panasonic recently introduced "rugged" notebooks with Intel's Centrino mobile processors. "Innovative wireless products have been coming out all over the place in the past eight months," he says.

Telecoms may continue to spend much of their time promoting phones with digital cameras, but as more vendors roll out new applications and enterprise solutions, the opportunities will increase for VARs, according to Larsen.

"The wireless market really needs more VARs that can take customers off of older, expensive T-1 lines," Larsen says. "The ISPs don't want to work with the telecoms; they want to work with VARs."