 JKM
join:2009-06-08
Seymour, MO
2 edits | Customers Unhappy With Early Clearwire Launches IMHO, in the US, it is the same problem all ISPs face that makes Clearwire perform poorer than in other countries. I'm not a Clearwire fan and I'm not an expert. But I don't think that any form of broadband can reach it's potential in this great country until we get an infrastructure that will support the last mile deployments. That infrastructure will have to be open and competitively priced to work. It can't be controlled by the privileged few who strive to stifle competition.
In support of this opinion, I respectfully submit this link.
»telephonyonline.com/3g4g/news/cl···ml?imw=Y
EDIT: When a startup WISP has to pay in excess of $300.00 per month per MB, plus tower rental ($350.00 per month) and equipment to backhaul the bandwidth ($300.00-$17,000.00 depending on your upgrade requirements) you can see that the middle mile infrastructure is just not there for anybody. For me, use has to exceed 40 MB per month on a 3-5 year contract to get below $100.00 per MB!
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Begin with the end in mind!
EDIT 2: Keep in mind the costs in the above edit do not include costs for access points or customer premise equipment. No provision for admin or tech support or capex and on and on. The owners of the middle mile infrastructure do not intend to face any serious competition. We can only hope that the excessive spending of the ARRA will bring forth some Middle Mile Providers that will be forced under the terms of the grant/loan to have an open and competitve network. This should in turn force the self-serving providers to lower their prices.
IMHO, even the best intentioned ISP is up against a wall. When you add shareholders, it can only snowball the problem. I'm not sure Clearwire has the best of intentions but I know I do.
I find myself fighting a battle that can't be won, to supply value priced broadband Internet to rural customers in my area. My business plan was born of necessity. I set up a home network 3 years ago and still have dialup. I realized it was an opportunity as many others were in the same situation. As I worked on it more it became a cause. I believe it has been elevated to an obsession now.
Anyway, I'll put up the soapbox. I just don't think the general public understands what a stumbling block the middle mile providers are to the end user. The technology is far ahead of the middle mile infrastructure. I know I would hook everyone up with a big pipe, if I could get the bandwidth at a price that would make resale lucrative to the end user. |
