WISPs: The Real Heroes Bridging the Digital Divide

Monday, August 22, 2022

Over the past five years, the number of smartphone users worldwide has grown by 2.5 billion people

With more than 6 billion people using their devices to connect to social media, stream videos, and level up their gaming on apps like Subway Surfers. However, wireless internet access is no longer just a personal luxury.

While many organizations have been exploring remote and hybrid models for several years, COVID accelerated our shift to a new way of working and living. “Next-generation” technology quickly became a reality across industries around the world, and the pandemic highlighted our dependence on secure and reliable internet access – not just for businesses, but also for school districts, healthcare providers, and community organizations.

“With great power comes great responsibility” – Spiderman

Pew Research Center began systematically tracking Americans’ internet usage in early 2000, and found that about half of all adults were online. Now, as many as 93% of American adults use the internet.

People everywhere rely on the internet to connect them to the world in ways previously unimagined: they are going online to access medical appointments, attend virtual classes, join religious services, and connect with friends and loved ones. As a key fiber infrastructure provider, FiberLight is adapting to this unprecedented demand and enabling the true heroes bridging the digital divide, the Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs). In many areas, the local WISP is the true champion bringing broadband to homes and communities.

“I can do this all day” – Captain America

To better understand the outsize role of WISPs in bridging the digital divide, here are a few key stats that illustrate their growing importance over the past few years:

  • The market size of the WISP industry in the US increased faster than the technology sector overall
  • The market size of the WISP industry in the US increased faster than the economy overall
  • The market size of the WISP industry is expected to increase 9.2% this year alone
FiberLight - need for reliable fiber infrastructure rising 9.2% in the WISP industry in 2022

The sustained growth of this specialized industry illustrates the critical need filled by WISPs, and like all true superheroes, FiberLight stands ready to support WISPs in bridging the digital divide.

“I’m the best there is at what I do” – Wolverine

For more than 20 years, FiberLight has been designing, building, and managing high-capacity, state-of-the-art fiber networks. We built our network to be the carrier’s carrier with best-in-class service and unmatched density to meet growing bandwidth needs.

FiberLight has the backbone infrastructure in place that enables WISPs to deploy a multitude of services in their communities. Often, a solution is as unique as the people involved.  Whether the scope of work includes FTTH, Fiber ring topology, Wireless, WAN, local laterals, or other applications, FiberLight has the bandwidth to get you there.

“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.” – Batman

While we are big fans of Batman, we take a slightly different approach. At FiberLight, a big part of our identity is represented by our extensive fiber network, and we distinguish ourselves by how that empowers others.

  • We have the fiber in the ground
  • We have the density available
  • We have the construction teams to build or expand where you need it

Let us be your backbone while you focus on your community.

“There Is A Superhero In All Of Us, We Just Need The Courage To Put On The Cape.” – Superman

WISPs have decisions to make when deploying their network.  Partnering with a trusted fiber infrastructure provider like FiberLight can not only speed up time to market, but it can also provide lucrative savings.

Whether you have government funding, private funding, or personal funding, you want to make the best investments for the future. Instead of investing thousands in building out a network let FiberLight provide the backbone, the fiber ring, the high-capacity infrastructure so you can focus on connecting the people you care about to their lives.

—————————–

Additional resources: