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APconnections solves Internet Colorado's Wireless QoS Problem
By TED GLANZER
TMCnet Communications and Broadband Columnist
Due to geographic realities, Internet Colorado, a Western Colorado-based Internet service provider, has been involved in the wireless game for seven years. The ISP's major wireless bugaboo, however, has been quality of service (QoS).
As defined in the networking realm, QoS is the schema by which IP packets are tagged and identified to network elements so the data can be prioritized based on the importance of the application.
"We've been doing wireless since 1998," Jason Swenson, president of Internet Colorado, told TMCnet in an interview today. "Quality of service was a killer that we needed to solve."
Indeed, Internet Colorado had been through a number of equipment providers to shore up the QoS issue, only to be disappointed with the results.
Enter APconnections and its AirEqualizer, a self-contained power-over-Ethernet wireless access point with built-in NetEqualizer technology, that enabled Internet Colorado to control network congestion at 30 access points, ensuring high-quality wireless connectivity for its more than 50,000 voice over IP (VoIP) and other priority Internet households across the state.
Judging by Swenson's comments, the QoS issue has been addressed.
AirEqualizer is "one of the best products I've ever seen," said Swenson, who added that "[AirEqualizer] is one of the most reliable products that I've ever seen. It's the most stable."
"Shortly after signing up for Internet Colorado's wireless access program, we were shocked by the almost immediate return on our investment," said Keith Brenise, of The Valley Insurance, in a prepared statement. "Not only were we able to lower our costs and operational expenses, but our team has been able to offer an even higher level of customer service. Advanced functionality, great wireless Internet connectivity and a high return on our investment � Internet Colordado's program has it all!"
Pretty heady stuff when you consider the challenges of delivering Internet access to the households that Internet Colorado serves.
"We're up in the mountains," he said. "Back in 1998, people were still connected to party lines." Indeed, wiring Western Colorado would have cost $1,300 per line, compared with $500 for a line in Denver.
Swenson said that Qwest was instrumental in building out a state-of-the-art fiber backbone.
So far, Internet Colorado is sticking with providing VoIP (which it has been offering for just a year and a half), high speed broadband access over T1 lines and wireless in between, and video teleconferencing.
Plans to offer Triple Play services, however, are not in the works.
"We have been asked about IPTV," Swanson said, "but we won't mess with that for a couple of years. . . It depends on the demand."
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Ted Glanzer is assistant editor for TMCnet. For more articles by Ted Glanzer, please visit:
http://www.tmcnet.com/tmcnet/columnists/columnist.aspx?id=100033&nm=Ted%20Gl
anzer
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