Fixed Wireless is the difference maker: Diversity beyond traditional fiber connectivity by Robert Bianco

Robert Bianco, Windstream

At a recent real estate event in New York City, I had the opportunity to speak with some of the city’s top property managers and building owners. After we covered topics like our kids and retirement investments, the discussion turned to work. I found myself wanting to know what keeps them up at night. It did not take long for a few common themes to emerge: How do we attract new customers and foster stronger, long-term relationships with tenants all while managing costs and earning a profit? These themes did not come as a surprise. In fact, they are rather common, and not just important to real estate firms and building owners, but equally important to the companies these New York City real estate business leaders are trying to attract and retain. 

After several very similar discussions, I began to put the pieces of the “up at night” puzzle together: Without redundant and diverse network solutions as well as business continuity, property owners and managers cannot consistently attract and retain tenants. Why? Because just like any other business, New York City building owners and property managers can’t afford operations and productivity to slow down, or worse yet—stop. Buildings that provide a redundant, reliable and secure infrastructure stand a greater chance of maintaining a strong tenant base and, better yet, attracting new businesses.

The key is providing diverse telecommunications options that ensure the customer’s communications systems are always on. This requires diversity beyond traditional fiber connectivity. That’s where Fixed Wireless access is the difference maker. In fact, Windstream is the only major enterprise telecommunications carrier providing Fixed Wireless access for voice, MPLS and Internet services. Fixed Wireless serves as an alternate high-bandwidth access method that provides redundancy and diversity in addition to scalable bandwidth. It’s also a fully managed solution that minimizes upfront investments. This diversity supports the ever-changing needs of the property and the businesses it serves.

Here’s how Windstream’s Fixed Wireless answers the call:

• Ensures high-availability for your network by using physically diverse last mile routes;

• Installs fast—usually within 30 days;

• Supports the same enterprise Service Level Agreement (SLA) as fiber for high-quality service and high-performance metrics;

• Provides scalability to address additional bandwidth demands; and

• Offers 99.99% network availability SLA and 24 x 7 support.

Financial services, government, healthcare, professional services, engineering, retail, hospitality and manufacturing are among the industries with the greatest need for redundant, secure, high-bandwidth services because of the types of applications they use, the way those applications rely on the cloud, and the regulatory requirements they must maintain. Because of the existing fiber- and wire-based infrastructure in New York City, companies, at times, struggle to obtain and maintain the telecommunications services they need. In many cases, these companies should consider adding redundancy and diversity to their telecommunications services portfolio. Adding Fixed Wireless access to buildings improves network resiliency and provides additional confidence that operations remain up and running at all times.

Think your building is a good candidate for Fixed Wireless? Evaluating it is simple. Building superintendents or engineers likely know the building best. They can help determine if deploying Fixed Wireless on existing masts or utilizing non-penetrating mounts is the best option. Additionally, the system typically uses a building’s existing riser system to deliver services to its tenants.

For New York City to continue its quest of becoming the “Tech Capital of the World,” it requires a concerted effort on behalf of all parties. Local government, building owners, leasing brokers and telecommunications companies, like Windstream, must work together to meet the growing tenant-driven demand for better reliability, security and performance of the telecommunications infrastructure. Investing in higher bandwidth connections to accommodate New York City’s ever-expanding business economy will help the city keep its competitive edge and retain its position as one of the best places in the world to do business. It should also help building owners and property managers sleep a little more soundly.

To learn more about Windstream’s Fixed Wireless solution, visit our website.

Robert Bianco is a regional director for Windstream, New York, N.Y.