What is needed, from a legal & technical perspective to start a WISP

Hi guys

I have a few questions, which I hope someone could share some info on.

WE want to / need to setup a small WISP in a small town in the
Freestate. There's no iBurst, ADSL, or 3G / GPRS.

So, I was thinking, run a diginet line to there, from the nearest larger
town (45KM's), and then setup a wireless tower or two, which could cover
the area. Money isn't really the objective here, but more the
how-do-I-stuff?


1. So, does anyone know what the current regulations is in terms of
starting up a ISP / WISP. Do we still need a VANS license, and who do we
get it from? Phoning Telkom and trying to explain to them what we want
todo yielded no results.

2. I know Orinoco has decent antenna's for this purpose, and my thought
is to setup a hotspot router, which will then connect to three antenna's
which could cover a few KM's, on a very high mast. Something like what
Vodacom / iBurst etc. is doing already.

3. Has anyone done something like this before? What do we need?
Routers?
Servers? (DNS / DHCP / Proxy / SMTP / POP3 / firewalling / etc)

Your input in this matter will be greatly appreciated.

45Km link

You could also put in a 45km 5.8GHz link.. high speed... PM me if you need help...
Way cheaper than the monthly Dedicated Telkom Link - and quicker.
The rest can hang off the end of the links.

We have some long distance links running - no problem.

Your Idea 2 won't work so lekker - it's a tad more complex - but needn't be more expensive.

Idea 3 fits the plan.
Speaking of plans.. have you done a business plan?? I have a model if you require one. Again - PM me...

Fun Fun..!!!

According to ICASA - they're NOT issuing VANs Licenses until further notice..

Hope you're not scared of heights..!!