Towerstream's Five Nine Uptime Guarantee

by James Gaskin

May 30, 2006 —

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Everyone has a few favorite technologies and companies, and one of my favorites for both is Towerstream and their use of pre-standard WiMAX. I believe WiMAX will make wireless broadband affordable, and that Towerstream leads this market.

Towerstream's recent announcement about a new service in New York City helps cement what I like about both the company and the technology. Are you familiar with data access pricing in crowded cities? Would you think $600 per month for a T1 in New York City is a good price? I'm thinking that's a great price, especially after hearing complaints from Verizon customers. T1 for $600 and you bypass Verizon? Some customers would pay more just to bypass Verizon, and here they get a T1 for much less with Verizon bypass thrown in as a freebie.

That handles the affordability portion of WiMAX, but doubters ask about reliability. Say hello to the other part of Towerstream's announcement, a guarantee of 99.999 percent uptime. Yes, five nines uptime for wireless broadband. That means a downtime number of about one minute per month.

Towerstream calls this their High-Availability T1+ (HI-VI T1+). Clunky name without much marketing appeal, perhaps, but data managers understand the term "high availability" and won't need extra names like Turbo or New and Improved to be excited. So far, this service is only available in New York City, but will spread to other Towerstream locations (they now support New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco/Oakland, Boston, Providence and Newport, R.I). Didn't know Rhode Island was a hotbed of wireless technology? That's home for Towerstream.

Big players in the WiMAX Forum, I believe Towerstream is the first of many companies that will provide wireless broadband service at reasonable prices. The last mile delivery price breaks many budgets, and WiMAX may be the best option. Sure, if you're in a downtown building with plenty of fiber in the basement, you don't care. But if you have to light up remote offices, you know that last mile struggle.

If you're in one of the Towerstream service areas, give them a call. If you're not, give them a call and start begging for service. Put a Towerstream brochure on your desk and invite your current provider in for a chat, and let the service competition begin.

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