damn wisps

[dominic]

a WISP in an underserviced area is the only exception and I can undertsand that.

Please tell me why there is a WISP antenna on the same hill as iBurst in Northcliff, Edenvale etc etc. Those areas are no-where-near underserviced. I have been to many Wifi sites, and at one site, you can pick up 60 Wifi AP's in the space of 20x20metres, and most are WISP systems hanging off buildings.

Can you name some 100% Legal WISP's? (Power output software etc etc) Can WASPA(?) and put it on an official letterhead stating this? as I have doubts that they will even venture towards paper.

A site check is very easy.

i am able to name some 100% legal WISPs (but wouldn't expect there to be unanimity in this) together with WISPs operating legally in partnerships with local government/other licensees (about which there is general agreement)

WAPA..far from steering away from paper wapa has made written submissions to ICASA, met with Council and will disclose the identity of its members to ICASA; high sites are clearly marked with ownership and contact details

i agree there is an unacceptable proliferation in the face of ICASA's ineffectiveness -my issue is that you would have it that they should all be shut down when what is actually required is regulation - either self- or imposed by ICASA

edit: caught in the editing cross-fire
a WISP using cracked firmware on their equipment....should not be in business

 

[RichardP]

i am able to name some 100% legal WISPs (but wouldn't expect there to be unanimity in this) together with WISPs operating legally in partnerships with local government/other licensees (about which there is general agreement)
....
i agree there is an unacceptable proliferation in the face of ICASA's ineffectiveness -my issue is that you would have it that they should all be shut down when what is actually required is regulation - either self- or imposed by ICASA

You are either legal or not. It should not be open for interpretation.

Yes, the industry need regulation. to stop the exploiting and overuse of the spectrum. Someone needs to control their activities, so we can all play nicely together.

*Note* I did edit my last message, I was a bit harsh I think but you did answer.

 

[dominic]

"You are either legal or not. It should not be open for interpretation."

i know i know but it simply does not work like that (in any area of law)

 

[The_Grog]

Any decent wisp worth his salt knows better than using cracked firmware, amplifiers, etc. If they use any of these, I agree, they should not be in business, and should perhaps even be listed here as a bad wisp. These guys are into it for a quick buck and don’t care about you or anybody else, except their own pockets and the rate they can fill it.

Amplifiers is an indication that the wisp has no idea what he is doing, can’t plan a proper network and as such should not be doing it all.

Cracked firmware and equipment shows that they are operating their network for cheap and you can expect a crappy service from them as well in most cases.

For those that say that they should buy their spectrum from ICASA, if you can get any spectrum, it is very expensive. Last pricing I had is about R800 per 1 MHz simplex per point. So, to supply a client will be at 20MHz R32 000.00 per year, excluding equipment, bandwidth, etc.

Wisps play an important role in connectivity, and are able unlike other providers to provide higher capped services and in some instances totally uncapped. Cost of economics also play a roll in this and is proven by the cost of the equipment in ISM bands.

Any wisp that fires up equipment should do proper planning, interface with other businesses and the public to maximize spectrum usage and efficiency in an area. Once again, if you don’t do that, you shouldn’t be doing it.

Just my two cents, wait, there is no more two cents, my five cents worth.

 

[Xarion]

the rant is about the legality of wisps. If the job was done right, they would get their own frequencies and use them. ISM bands are not meant for commercial purposes and yet the WISPs exploit it as much as they can. Runinng amplifiers that obliterate anyone else in the area. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISM_band) . Also if they were actually doing the job right they would buy propper licences and not save a buck on licences. A licence is R200. (this is for mikrotik RouterOS which is what most of the guys use) As much as i hate Iburst, they are the only ones doing it right, they have the own frequecies and they do what they want on it and nobody has the right to complain.

 

[Plaasjapie]

Get your facts straight first

Xarion and others

You should perhaps go and see how other developed countries go about the usage of unlicensed spectrum (including ISM) in furthering broadband and Internet access penetration to stimulate their economies' growth.

As for Iburst, of course you were not aware that they also use the ISM bands for their backhaul links, as do Telkom and some Cell phone companies? All of these companies have billions available to purchase spectrum.

 

[RichardP]

i am able to name some 100% legal WISPs (but wouldn't expect there to be unanimity in this) together with WISPs operating legally in partnerships with local government/other licensees (about which there is general agreement)

Hi Dominic,

Start your own WISP and earn R50 000 + per month

Technically speaking:
WWISP is licensed and operates under B-Tell’s Telecomunications license for Africa. This means that when you sell the WBB solution you are selling a licensed solution.
What is the JV:
The JV is a license to operate under the WWISP license and sell the solution. You are responsible for the marketing and installing of the solution and WWISP is responsible for everything else.

Yeah... right!

 

[dominic]

i am not sure what you are getting at juxtaposing my post against some marketing drivel

xarion - obtaining frequency is the problem

 

[The_Grog]

i am not sure what you are getting at juxtaposing my post against some marketing drivel

xarion - obtaining frequency is the problem

I have personally tried to secure frequency spectrum without any success. I wanted anything in the 2.3-2.4GHz or 2.5-2.7GHz spectrum.

It seems unless you are a government owned company or have a couple of hundred million rand to enrich the government, you won’t get any. In addition to that, according to the spectrum manager for KZN at ICASA, even if we could buy it, there simply wasn’t any spectrum available for PTMP and only a couple of MHz for PTP.

 

[RichardP]

i am not sure what you are getting at juxtaposing my post against some marketing drivel

I was refering to the legality of Selling off ISM space where there IS NO LICENSE for! Does it have to bite your nose before you see it? Claiming to use someones VANS license (that I am yet to find with ICASA)

www.wwisp.co.za
That marketing blurb is from a WISP selling off a so called "Licensed ISM Product". Ethical? Legal? Fraud? Fly-By-Night? Con-Artist?

 

[dominic]

I was refering to the legality of Selling off ISM space where there IS NO LICENSE for! Does it have to bite your nose before you see it? Claiming to use someones VANS license (that I am yet to find with ICASA)

www.wwisp.co.za
That marketing blurb is from a WISP selling off a so called "Licensed ISM Product". Ethical? Legal? Fraud? Fly-By-Night? Con-Artist?

okay - correspondence closed before i feel the need to send you a mirror on the end of a stick

 

[RichardP]

okay - correspondence closed before i feel the need to send you a mirror on the end of a stick

Fight or Flight .. I think it was a legitimate question. What does WASPA( and others) think about companies selling WIFI under a VANS license (that they dont even own) , and misleading the public to think its a licensed system?

 

[dominic]

ok - last time and it is your phrasing (the nose bit) in the face of some very open answers which pisses me off

i am sure that WAPA (not WASPA) along with the rest of the intelligent world thinks it is a laughable crock of ****

if i state that there are some legal wisps then are you going to go and find every bit of dodgy crap and put it next to that statement?

*kapwing*

 

[RichardP]

ok - last time and it is your phrasing (the nose bit) in the face of some very open answers which pisses me off

i am sure that WAPA (not WASPA) along with the rest of the intelligent world thinks it is a laughable crock of ****

if i state that there are some legal wisps then are you going to go and find every bit of dodgy crap and put it next to that statement?

*kapwing*

No, What I am going to ask is what WAPA/ICASA can do to protect "Legal" WISPS if this "Croc of ****" starts operating, degrades the service quality for all WISPS? The legal wisp (if that exists) gets the bad name 'cos "mr fly-by-night" wants a quick buck.

Or should I just put up a transmitter next to his and take the law in to my own hands