Financial Assessment of Citywide Wi-Fi / WiMAX Deployment

Abstract: There are several ways by which a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) can deliver city wide wireless broadband services. However, it is necessary to determine a profitable business case and at the same time a cost-effective service model, which is affordable to all types of users and different classes of society. This paper proposes a service model (both data and voice) that uses two emerging wireless technologies (Wi-Fi and WiMAX) to deliver cost-effective broadband services. Wi-Fi / WiMAX have not only the potential to compete on a cost-per-megabyte basis with cable and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), but also make ubiquitous broadband a reality. If engineering and economics are correctly applied, a Wi-Fi network can be built around an entire city with a WiMAX backhaul, instead of providing limited coverage for hotspots. On the other hand, internet telephony over a Wi-Fi network is the public access version of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): users can enjoy the handiness of a cell phone-like service, while avoiding the cost of traditional cellular carriers. This paper focuses on the techno-economic modelling of Wi-Fi hot zones into a WiMAX infrastructure mesh while addressing Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi) issues. Our study demonstrates that low-cost broadband services can be offered, while remaining economically advantageous for service provider