Starting a Rural ISP
| Warning: I have not actually done this. But here is some common-sense advice that I think will still be helpful. |
A lot of the email I receive nowadays is from people in remote areas - whether rural communities or other countries - who need Internet access and therefore need to start an ISP. This will give you a few common-sense hints that you might not have thought of.
Starting a rural ISP is a daunting task. AOL and the other big guys haven't come to your area, most likely because it would be horribly expensive for them. What this means is that it would be horribly expensive for you, too.
So how do you start your ISP anyway? And what alternatives might there be?
Find Business Customers. Business customers are generally willing to pay lots more money than residential customers. They will normally want to have access brought to them in their offices. If you can get a bunch of direct connection customers, even if they need only a 56k, you're well on your way to being able to afford to set up your ISP. These local companies may also wind up pitching in some initial investment capital, in the form of setup fees, if nothing else.
Consider your local school. Schools are under a lot of pressure to get Internet access, but for many of them it's just too expensive. If you cut your local school in on the venture, you might be able to form an agreement that helps both parties.
Consider Satellite Access instead of hardwired. This eliminates the telecommunications cost associated with a leased line, which is by far the most expensive part of becoming a rural ISP.
Consider Internet companies in nearby communities. If you have a good local ISP a few miles away from you, you may want to sponsor a remote Point of Presence (POP) instead of an ISP of your own. Or you may want to hook up with them as your upstream provider.
Consider Frame Relay access. Frame Relay is often a statewide system that will let you hook up with a distant provider for little more than a standard local loop to one close by.