May 29, 2019

WISP Blog Series: High Quality Doesn’t Have to Mean High Cost

For new entrants and smaller WISPs, cost is often the major factor in infrastructure procurement. However, many WISPs who used to be in those categories are today enjoying significant growth, prompting them to rethink infrastructure investments as part of their overall business plan.

For those WISPs, Aviat Networks offers an exceptionally smart choice for rugged, high-performance, future-ready solutions at an overall cost of ownership that is surprisingly competitive—even when compared to the lowest cost equipment available. For some new WISP entrants as well, planning for high-value, low-cost-of-ownership infrastructure can be a smart move.

The many cost and quality advantages of Aviat’s WTM 4000 all-outdoor backhaul solutions argue against the lowest-purchase-price impulse:

• Superior overall reliability, performance, and range. Advanced capabilities make cost-per-bit cheaper than lower quality solutions.
• Reduction in the total cost of ownership of the backhaul network. By incorporating the latest in microwave technology in a compact, all-outdoor design, operators can deliver next-generation, future-proof access services cost-effectively.
• Low DC power consumption. At a typical all-outdoor site, power requirements are reduced from 3 kilowatts to half a kilowatt.
• No hidden expense to expand service. For links significantly longer than average, low-quality radios are simply not high-powered enough to maintain reliability, particularly when time-in-high-capacity needs are great. The expense of a repeater link is a high hidden cost.
• Much easier service provisioning. Our WTM 4000 is IP/MPLS-ready and can be software-upgraded, with no additional hardware or site trips. Lower-quality solutions will need expensive upgrades and site trips to achieve more advanced service provisioning.
• Automated design. Tools such as Aviat Design and Aviat Store let you produce link designs in a few clicks, cutting turn-up time significantly. These tools can be purchased online, saving you money while letting you work directly with experts.

The more WISPs rely on low-quality infrastructure, the more challenging it will get for them. It’s well known that the total cost of microwave backhaul network ownership is significantly lower than fiber, due to lower implementation cost per mile. Not as well known, but just as real, are the low ownership cost and quality benefits to WISPs of all-outdoor backhaul.

While cost is key for newer WISPs, they also receive the same Aviat benefits as their more established competitors. We offer industry-leading features and materials quality. We’ve earned trust in our expertise over decades of superior customer service. Our systems have been hardened for government, public safety, and carrier networks. Aviat backhaul performance really shows its stuff under two conditions that WISPs will find increasingly familiar: at long link distances and when time-in-high-capacity is critical. With Aviat, high quality doesn’t have to mean high cost. Don’t trust your critical backhaul to a low-price-leader with low-quality products.