WISP Profile: D.C. Access

Like so many ISPs, it was started by someone who couldn't find an ISP they liked. It now has many business lines, including one vertical market that must be unique.

by Alex Goldman ISP-Planet Managing Editor [November 8, 2005]

Washington, D.C.-based DC Access was founded in 1999 by Matt Wade. "I was unhappy with what was available, and my friends were too," he says. So he became a local dialup provider, and soon added webhosting.

When wholesale access became available, he added a nationwide dialup offering, also under the DC Access name.

Then wireless arrived. "We built out a wireless network in the Capitol Hill area here in D.C. We have three main distribution points, and send the signal into a residential area."

The footprint, he says, has a radius of about a one mile.

The company uses 2.4 GHz wireless, with much of the equipment coming from Maple Ride, British Columbia, Canada-based Tranzeo. "They provide solid equipment, including CPE," says Wade.

We wonder whether the government's a problem in that spectrum, but Wade says that the U.S. Government tends to use licensed spectrum.

The Capitol law
As an urban wireless environment, Washington, D.C. is uniquely easy to operate in. The city has a law dating back to the building of the Capitol itself that says that no building in the city can be taller than the Capitol. There are no skyscrapers. Located in a six storey building, DC Access can see the rooftops of most potential customers. Wade says that he can see 90 percent of customers within half a mile of a distribution point, and 70 percent of those beyond a half mile.

He feels the WISP doesn't need to compete on price because it can compete on service. "People like to know their ISP. They don't like getting caught in phone trees."

The company offers two types of service, symmetrical and asymmetrical, and offers two bandwidth tiers for each type, creating a simple pricing plan. Wade says he chose not to label them as "business" and "residential" and that as much as 10 percent of residential customers use symmetrical service.

Although the equipment is capable of higher speeds, Wade says that the vast majority of customers do not need anything faster than 1.5 Mbps. "We have found the correct price-performance mix for this area. Certainly our equipment is capable of running at up to 5 Mbps, and we have done custom installs at up to 3 Mbps."

Installs are priced at $99, and Wade says that customers understand that DC Access is paying part of the price of an install. "We don't come in like other providers and charge an hourly rate after a certain point."

DC Access will install a home wireless router for $49, including the price of the box and professional installation. We think he could sell this for more, but Wade believes that customers appreciate both the service and the price.

The network
Each distribution point (DC Access currently has three), uses four 90 degree sector antennas. DC Access also distributes wireless in-building, with an AP every floor or two. The network has two geographically separate backhauls: to a T-1 to XO Communications ("they've been great whenever we've had a support issue") and to a higher bandwidth wireless pipe to ISPCON board member and speaker Tom DeReggi's Rapid DSL and Wireless ("he's a great guy").

The business
DC Access entered the webhosting business early in its history, and has grown since 1999. Like many webhosts, Wade says that where businesses used to be content with brochureware, they now require additional services, all of which is good for business.

The company has been the in Multiple Tenant Unit (MTU) business since day one of wireless, when it unwired it first apartment building. It's a powerful niche for any wireless company.

DC Access' unique business stems from the interests of its founder. We believe that any small business should follow the personality of the founder, and DC Access has done that. Wade is a runner, and early in its history, DC Access provided hosting for two running groups that Wade is a member of.

The potential market for this specialization in D.C. alone is immense. "We host running stores, track clubs, and the races themselves. We can go to them and show them what we've done. We can say, 'we know what you need.' In any year, there are hundreds of races, if not more."

An important message to ISP entrepreneurs: follow your hobby to profits.

The WISP future is WiMAX
Like many WISPs, Wade is interested in WiMAX. He's anticipating significant investment in equipment when the products are available, and eager to test something now. "When there's commercial, certified WiMAX equipment, we'll start testing it."

The company, founded on what bankers call "friends and family financing" remains debt free. The company could grow geographically, and could provide faster service with new equipment, if a demand for that arrives.

It's been six years for Wade, but his story reads like a history of the ISP, and of fixed wireless broadband technology. Six years is, after all, an era in Internet time.

And in a few years, the next era begins.

—End