The Economic Advantage of 802.11

Every information technology (IT) manager and manager of any alternative service provider must carefully weigh both the return on investment (ROI) and the net present value (NPV) of a new technology when deciding on investing in new platforms. Is a wireless network less expensive to purchase and operate than a wired network? What about the convergence of voice and data on one network? What about apparent intangibles such as worker productivity on wired versus wireless networks? This book offers practical examples of ROI and NPV problems to help solve these dilemmas.

For service providers, wireless technologies pose a potential cost-effective solution in that they do not require right-of-way across private or public property to deliver service to the customer. Many businesses cannot receive broadband data services as no fiber-optic cable runs to their building(s). The cost of securing permission to dig a trench through another property and running the requisite cable is prohibitive. With 802.11b and its associated technologies, it is possible to merely beam the data flow to that building. This solution carries over to the small office/home office (SOHO) market in that the data flow can be beamed to homes and small businesses in places where no fiber-optic or other high-bandwidth service exists.