I was recently traveling in New York City to speak at the Morgan Joseph Conference. Realizing I hadn’t yet booked a hotel room, I made a pit stop at a coffee shop to refuel and search hotels.com on my 3G-enabled iPad. Generally, I love the freedom associated with making plans on-the-go, thanks to modern technology. But alas, the page wouldn’t load. I must’ve pressed “Refresh” ten times before finally accepting that I just couldn’t hold a session on AT&T’s 3G network. This was worse than dial-up! I needed an alternative, and fast before the better hotel rooms were snatched up.

As some of you may know, Towerstream has been experimenting with Wi-Fi deployment in New York City, so I was able to quickly hop onto the Towerstream network and book a hotel room in seconds. The difference in speed was remarkable. Since I just bought my new iPad, this was my first real experience with the 3G network congestion problem that many seem to be experiencing daily.

With four times more iPhones sold than other smartphones and iPads flying off shelves, AT&T’s network problems are four times as bad. It seems everyone who knows anything about wireless is quickly realizing that it is impossible for ISPs to get ahead of the data thirst by using traditional mobile technologies. Moreover, I discovered that my downtown New York coffee shop was positioned in an understated area of the city, another reason I experienced a deadspot in connectivity. This begs the question: Is Wi-Fi the future of mobile Internet? As more mobile devices launch and data usage continues to surge, will Wi-Fi become a more logical contender in coping with traffic? And if so, how do you build and power a ubiquitous Wi-Fi network? We would love to know what you think of all this or if you have a similar anecdote — Add comments below or tweet us @Towerstream.

Just saw my guest blog post go live on Technically Philly, Philadelphia’s online source for news, people, companies, and events that affect their growing technology community. I finally put together a list of my favorite reasons to choose 4G when considering office Internet connectivity. Historically, businesses had been tied down by wired Internet connectivity, but 4G broadband is one of the most recent developments in wireless Internet, with higher speeds and faster connections than previous solutions.

Check out my Technically Philly blog post here. What do you think?

Regards,
Jeff Thompson, CEO

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iPhone, iPad all day all night coverage. You can’t get away from it, you can’t deny it, consumers and businesses want their data and they want to move around with it. The old adage, “If you build it they will come” apparently fell on deaf ears in this case. In spite of every analyst predicting it, in spite of the immediate success of the first iPhone, all these new great devices coming to market are stilled choked by an obsolete 2G, 3G and fledging 4G network.

Anyone who has an iPad can tell you that when on a Wi-Fi network, it is a simple thing of functional beauty. If you do not have access to a Hi-Speed Wi-Fi network, it becomes a paperweight. The defining moment of the limitation of these devices is when Steve Jobs himself was left holding his pride and joy 4G iPhone useless as a WiFi gaff left his newest creation helpless.

When are the carriers going to understand the feasibility, scalability and cost effectiveness of a robust Wi-Fi network? You will hear all kinds of reasons why it can’t be done; “Wi-Fi is not secure”, “Wi-Fi has limited Quality of Service”, “Wi-Fi uses unlicensed spectrum”, “Wi-Fi has limited range”, the excuses are never ending. Let’s dispel some of these conceptions. Wi-Fi is secure, if it was not, it would not be in just about every internal corporate environment. The newer Wi-Fi units on the market have QoS built in for voice and video. Higher end Wi-Fi units can easily go 1500 feet in an outdoor environment and have excellent wall penetration characteristics in an indoor environment. Antenna technology has come a long way. MiMo and other “Smart Antenna” technology has not only increased ranges and penetration but has mitigated the high noise floor concerns of unlicensed spectrum. Simply put, a Wi-Fi network can be as reliable as the best cell network when built properly.

Is there an opportunity for a small company to make a significant contribution to solving this problem— we think YES so stay tuned. What do you think? We encourage you to comment below or reach out on Twitter @Towerstream.

To speak more on the latter, it’s interesting that FaceTime is dependent on Wi-Fi connection. Much like the Wi-Fi only iPad, Apple is putting a lot of cards in consumers having access to a wireless network. If FaceTime is going to revolutionize the way we communicate with each other, the way Apple says it will, we better have strong wireless infrastructure in place to support it.

Additionally, AT&T also announce new iPhone data plan policies, which essentially eliminates unlimited data. Although many say that the new tiered model covers the majority of cell users’ current data usage behaviors, there is a risk that these caps could reduce excitement and innovation for developers. The bigger pitcure, of course, is that more and more consumers (and developers) will be accessing apps and the Web through Wi-Fi networks whenever possible, to keep their data bills low. This means that more attention needs to be paid to ensuring that wireless networks are up and running throughout home, office and travel destinations.

In other news, I’m proud to share our recent award by TMC, honoring Towerstream with an Internet Telephony 2010 WiMAX Distinction award. These awards are granted to companies who exhibit a commitment to innovation in the WiMAX space. TMC is a global, integrated media company and leading source of news, articles, and conferences for the communications and technology industries. Congratulations Towerstream!

This week, I guest blogged for Technically Philly, Philadelphia’s online source for news, people, companies, and events that affect their growing technology community. Towerstream began providing service in Philadelphia in December 2009, and we’re enthusiastic to become more involved in this market, sharing with locals the emerging trends that excite us at Towerstream. This week, I waxed poetic on the migration of businesses embracing cloud computing. No longer just a buzz word, cloud computing is becoming de rigueur for many businesses as a means of cutting costs, increasing efficiency and collaboration. As Gartner reported from this year’s annual survey of Chief Information Officers, cloud computing is the number two priority in 2010. Over the past 10 years of being a provider of high-speed wireless Internet for businesses, we have heard time and again from our clients that cost and reliability are the most important things that they consider when considering any type of infrastructure or technology update.

Check out my Technically Philly post for insight and advice on what to consider when moving to the Cloud.

To reach Towerstream’s Empire State Building rooftop infrastructure, you must crawl through a window onto a platform 1000 feet above the streets of midtown. This sort of real estate was tricky to acquire; after two years of extensive negotiation, we finally signed our Empire State Building contract and began installation in 2004. There, we’ve set up wireless radios and antennas that provide a point-to-point wireless connection via 4G technology to the other rooftops of our clients’  offices. The wireless traffic surrounding the Empire State Building routes into fiber running down through the building to the ground, connecting to the Internet or telephone network.

You’ll notice that we share our space with the flood lights used to brighten the building at night, celebrating holidays or NYC home sports games indicated by the colors schemes.

Observing the radios up close, I always get a thrill considering how they contribute to the daily functionality of businesses throughout the city — supporting schools’ access to educational information, connecting companies with their customers, keeping offices running smoothly.

Here I am pointing you to other Towerstream radio cluster set-ups, on top of the Citi Corp. building in Long Island City or a brooklyn skyscraper, creating wireless redundancy to better ensure seamless connectivity.

Hope that didn’t give you vertigo! Stay tuned for other rooftop tours around our 11 market cities.

I couldn’t resist and bought an iPad a few weeks ago and I’m seeing my own computer habits begin to change. I spent most of last week traveling and while I may not write the great American novel on my iPad, I definitely won’t be dragging my laptop through airport security anytime soon. I find the potential for innovation — across multiple verticals — inspiring and it reminds me of several other significant milestones in technology: my first laptop, the early ethernet cards, the evolution from dial-up to 4G.

Our industry is on the brink of real, substantive change and you could feel it among the participants, panelists, analysts and media. Between the national broadband plan, developments in technology and a much better understanding of the possibilities of 4G wireless technology, the anticipation and sense of community was palpable.

There were several significant threads that ran throughout the conference that I thought were particularly compelling.

• WiMAX and LTE. While there’s significant interest in positioning WiMAX and LTE as competitors, I remain firm in my stance that WiMAX and LTE are sibling technologies. As we say here in New England, “all boats rise in high tide.” We believe that increased developments in LTE are good for WiMAX and vice versa. The most important takeaway is that the public, investors and developers are actively interested and monitoring the progression of wireless innovation and 4G progress. How can that be bad?
• The Smartphone Revolution. There’s no question that the Smartphone revolution is underfoot. There is a wealth of opportunity that has emerged over the past year as we’ve very quickly passed the early adoption phase. The applicability of the interest in Smartphones, in addition to the demand by consumers for a wireless system to support it, are huge and will continue to be dominant themes in the minds of investors, the media and the industry as a whole. We’re actively monitoring these developments at Towerstream and look forward to seeing how the industry responds when new products, such as the iPad hit the mainstream market.

Overall, this is an exciting time to be in telecommunications, which is significant when you consider the roller coaster that the economy has taken the past few years. There was a larger feeling of community between software, programmers, infrastructure and developers as we discussed new possible entrants into the market. Between the debates about whether LTE will live up to the hype, to the Stimulus Plan, to the ambitious Broadband plan, well, these are heady times! We’ve felt this kind of excitement at Towerstream. We are continuing to grow and have a number of new initiatives planned for 2010. It’s a great time to be in wireless!

What did you think of CTIA? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @Towerstream.

Towerstream’s Chief Revenue Officer Mel Yarbrough was there to speak on a FierceWireless panel addressing “How to Differentiate Your 4G Data Offering,” which covered the differences between 4G and 3G and the role that applications, devices, and network coverage will play in the upcoming future. Mel will be contributing a guest blog post with some of his thoughts from the conference, as well as top trends and insights and we look forward to hearing his wrap-up.

In the meantime, I’d like to share an interview with Mel that was conducted on the floor of CTIA by Dan Jones, Site Editor of Light Reading Mobile. In this interview, Mel and Dan talk about LTE, our recent announcement to acquire Sparkplug, and the effects of the Broadband Plan.

We’re looking forward to expanding our Chicago market as well as establish ourselves in Nashville. Our first acquisition in company history, this transaction will be accretive once fully integrated and moreover, reflects our company philosophy to explore opportunities in line with our business model and mission to enhance shareholder value. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of Q2.

Now, what exactly does this mean for Towerstream? Here’s what I’m most excited about:

• The Chicago acquisition will make Chicago our third largest coverage area, increasing the local customer base by approximately 150 percent, annual revenue by approximately $1.3 million, and network coverage area by about 45 percent.
• Nashville joins as our eleventh market nationally.

Or are you a local Chicago or Nashville dweller, and looking to connect your business? Let us know, you can tweet to us at @Towerstream. We think you’ll like being part of our community.