Reliable Business Internet Solutions from unWired Broadband
unWired Broadband provides high-speed fixed wireless internet to businesses and residents in California, specializing in reliable connectivity for rural areas.
Overview
Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Fresno, California, unWired Broadband is a leading provider of fixed wireless internet services. The company was established to bridge the digital divide in California’s Central Valley, specifically targeting underserved rural and suburban areas where traditional telecommunications infrastructure is either non-existent or underperforming. Over the past two decades, unWired has expanded its footprint to cover over 14,000 square miles across 15+ counties, including Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, and Tulare.
unWired primary serves two distinct segments: residential customers seeking a reliable alternative to satellite or DSL, and commercial clients ranging from small local businesses to large-scale agricultural operations and government entities. Their service portfolio is centered on high-speed internet, but also includes specialized solutions such as data center colocation and custom transport circuits.
With a network comprising over 170 tower sites, unWired has established a dominant market presence as the region’s premier fixed wireless operator. The company has maintained a consistent focus on infrastructure investment, upgrading its radio technology to support increasing demand for bandwidth-intensive applications. By owning and operating their own network from end-to-end, unWired maintains complete control over service quality, positioning itself as a critical infrastructure partner for the region’s economic development.
Positioning
unWired Broadband positions itself as the "Reliable Alternative" to both the incumbent national ISPs and the limitations of satellite providers. Their strategic positioning is built on three pillars: Local Expertise, Rural Specialization, and Enterprise Reliability.
In their messaging, unWired differentiates itself from "Big Telecom" by highlighting their lack of bureaucratic friction and their ability to provide personalized service. They position their fixed wireless technology not just as a rural necessity, but as a technically superior solution for any business requiring a redundant "Type II" connection to ensure 100% uptime.
Their target market segmentation is precisely defined:
- The Underserved Business: Companies located on the outskirts of city limits that are ignored by fiber providers.
- The Modern Agribusiness: Farming operations that require high-speed connectivity for IoT, autonomous machinery, and real-time data management in remote fields.
- The Frustrated Resident: Homeowners tired of the high latency and data caps associated with satellite internet or the slow speeds of legacy DSL.
By focusing on these segments, unWired avoids direct price wars with urban fiber providers and instead competes on the value of "connectivity where others can't." Their brand is synonymous with the Central Valley, leveraging a deep-seated reputation for being a community-oriented partner rather than a faceless utility.
Differentiation
The primary technical differentiator for unWired Broadband is its sophisticated Fixed Wireless network architecture, which bypasses the limitations of traditional aging copper or cable infrastructure. By utilizing microwave technology and a vast network of over 170 local towers, they provide high-capacity bandwidth to locations where fiber is either unavailable or cost-prohibitive to deploy.
Key product-level advantages include:
- Redundant Network Design: Their network is engineered with multiple paths to the internet backbone, ensuring that if one link experiences an issue, traffic is automatically rerouted to maintain uptime.
- Symmetrical Speeds and Low Latency: Unlike satellite internet, which suffers from high latency, unWired’s fixed wireless solution offers low-latency performance suitable for VoIP, video conferencing, and cloud-based applications.
- Rapid Deployment: Because they do not require extensive trenching or physical line installations, unWired can often activate service in a fraction of the time required by traditional wireline providers.
- Scalability: Their equipment allows for easy bandwidth upgrades via software configurations, enabling businesses to scale their connection speeds as their data needs grow without requiring new hardware installations.
- Enterprise-Grade Service Level Agreements (SLAs): For business clients, they offer robust SLAs that guarantee uptime and performance metrics, a rarity in the rural broadband space.
Ideal Customer Profile
The ideal customer for unWired Broadband is a California-based organization that values reliability and local accountability. Specific profiles include:
- Industries: Agriculture, Manufacturing, Logistics, Healthcare, and Professional Services.
- Location: Businesses located in Central California (Fresno, Bakersfield, Visalia, Stockton, etc.) where terrestrial fiber is either too expensive to build out or unavailable.
- Size: Mid-market enterprises (50-500 employees) and large distributed organizations with multiple regional sites.
- Technical Maturity: Organizations that understand the risk of a single point of failure and are seeking "path diversity" for their internet connectivity.
- Budget: Companies that prioritize uptime and support over the "lowest possible price" found with residential-grade cable providers.
Best Fit
unWired Broadband excels in the following scenarios:
- Rural & Underserved Locations: When your business operates in areas where cable or fiber providers refuse to build out infrastructure, unWired provides high-speed access via fixed wireless technology.
- Redundancy & Business Continuity: For enterprises that cannot afford a minute of downtime, unWired serves as an ideal secondary circuit. Because it is delivered over the air, it is immune to "backhoe fade" (accidental fiber cuts).
- Rapid Deployment Needs: When a business needs to be up and running in days rather than months, unWired bypasses the lengthy construction permits and trenching required for terrestrial circuits.
- Localized, High-Touch Support: For California-based businesses that prefer a regional partner with local network ownership over a massive, impersonal national carrier.
Offerings
- Business Internet: High-speed internet with various tiers (e.g., 25Mbps to 100Mbps+) designed for standard office operations.
- Dedicated Internet Access (DIA): A premium service with 1:1 contention ratios, guaranteed symmetrical speeds, and the highest level of SLA for mission-critical data.
- Redundancy Solutions: Specialized backup packages designed to sit dormant or in a load-balanced state until the primary carrier fails.
- Custom Point-to-Point (PTP): Private wireless bridges to connect two customer locations (e.g., a main office to a nearby warehouse) without using the public internet.
- Multi-Site Networking: Solutions for connecting various regional branches back to a central headquarters or data center.
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Introduction
Welcome to the unWired Broadband Buying Guide. In an era where digital connectivity is the lifeblood of business operations, finding a reliable internet service provider (ISP) that reaches beyond the limits of traditional fiber and cable is a common challenge. unWired Broadband specializes in Fixed Wireless internet, providing high-speed, microwave-based connectivity across Central California and beyond.
This guide is designed to help IT directors, facility managers, and business owners evaluate unWired Broadband as a primary or redundant internet solution. You will learn about the unique advantages of fixed wireless technology, the specific business requirements for installation, and how unWired compares to traditional wireline carriers. Whether you are looking to connect a remote packing house, a suburban office, or a multi-site enterprise requiring a diverse backup path, this guide provides the technical and operational insights needed to make an informed decision.
Key Features
- Fixed Wireless Technology: Utilizes microwave signals to deliver high-speed data without the need for underground cables, making it resilient against physical line breaks.
- Symmetrical Speeds: Offers balanced upload and download speeds, which is critical for businesses using cloud backups, video conferencing, and VoIP.
- Low Latency: Engineered for enterprise performance, providing the low-ping responses necessary for real-time applications and remote desktop protocols.
- 99.99% Uptime SLA: Enterprise-grade Service Level Agreements ensure that the network is reliable enough for mission-critical operations.
- Local Network Ownership: unWired owns and operates its own towers and data centers, ensuring faster troubleshooting and more direct routing than resellers.
- Scalability: Bandwidth can often be increased via a simple software configuration change without needing new hardware or construction.
Use Cases
- Agriculture & Food Processing: A large Central Valley packing house uses unWired to maintain a high-speed connection for inventory management and real-time shipping logs in an area where fiber is unavailable.
- Healthcare Continuity: A regional clinic uses unWired as a secondary "Air-Gap" connection. When a local utility project cut the primary fiber line, the clinic stayed online via unWired, ensuring uninterrupted access to Electronic Health Records (EHR).
- Construction Site Offices: A developer uses unWired for temporary job-site trailers, providing immediate high-speed access for blueprints and project management software without waiting for permanent utility build-outs.
- Multi-Tenant Commercial Buildings: Property managers partner with unWired to provide "Instant-On" internet options for new tenants, increasing the building's value and occupancy speed.
Pricing Models
unWired Broadband utilizes a contract-based pricing model tailored to business needs:
- Monthly Recurring Cost (MRC): Driven primarily by the selected bandwidth (Mbps) and the specific SLA required.
- Installation Fee (NRC): A one-time cost covering the site survey, mounting hardware, and labor. This may be waived or reduced with longer contract terms.
- Contract Terms: Typically available in 12, 24, or 36-month increments. Longer terms generally offer lower monthly rates.
- Add-ons: Costs for additional Static IP addresses, managed router services, or enhanced priority support.
- Tiered Packages: Options range from "Small Business" tiers to "Enterprise Dedicated" circuits with guaranteed throughput.
Technical Requirements
- Line of Sight (LoS): A clear, unobstructed path between the customer's roof and one of unWired’s broadcast towers is mandatory.
- Mounting Structure: A stable location (roof sled, eave mount, or dedicated mast) to secure the radio antenna.
- Power: A standard 110v AC outlet is required near the indoor equipment to power the PoE injector.
- Cabling: CAT5e or CAT6 cabling from the roof to the MDF/IDF (usually provided by unWired during install).
- Network Hardware: A router or firewall with an available WAN Ethernet port to receive the handoff.
Business Requirements
To successfully implement unWired Broadband, organizations should consider the following:
- Site Access: Property management or building owner approval is required for the installation of a small radio/antenna on the roof and the routing of a CAT5e/CAT6 cable to your server room.
- IT Infrastructure Readiness: A clear understanding of internal bandwidth requirements (VoIP, Cloud Apps, VPN) to select the appropriate speed tier.
- Stakeholder Buy-in: Facility managers must be involved for roof access, while IT leads must coordinate the handoff to the internal firewall or router.
- Change Management: If using unWired for redundancy, the IT team must have a failover strategy (SD-WAN or BGP) configured to utilize the connection automatically during a primary outage.
Implementation Timeline
The implementation of unWired Broadband is significantly faster than traditional fiber:
- Phase 1: Site Survey (Days 1-3): A technician visits the site to confirm "Line of Sight" to a local tower and determine the best mounting location.
- Phase 2: Proposal & Contracting (Days 3-5): Finalization of speed tiers and service level agreements based on survey results.
- Phase 3: Installation & Setup (Days 5-10): Mounting the radio, running the cable, and installing the Power over Ethernet (PoE) injector and indoor handoff.
- Phase 4: Testing & Go-Live (Day 10): Speed tests and latency verification are performed on-site to ensure the connection meets contract specs.
- Note: Timeline may vary based on roof access permits or extreme weather conditions.
Support Options
- 24/7/365 Local Support: Access to a California-based Network Operations Center (NOC) rather than an overseas call center.
- On-Site Technical Support: Local field technicians are available for hardware repairs or realignments if environmental factors affect the signal.
- Dedicated Account Management: Enterprise clients are often assigned a specific point of contact for billing and scaling needs.
- Online Portal: Tools for viewing invoices, monitoring data usage, and opening support tickets.
- Proactive Monitoring: The NOC monitors tower health and individual link status to identify issues often before the customer notices.
Integration Requirements
Integration with unWired Broadband is straightforward, as it follows standard networking protocols:
- Physical Handoff: Typically an RJ-45 Ethernet connection.
- IP Addressing: Support for both DHCP and Static IP assignments (Static IPs are recommended for hosting local servers or VPNs).
- Hardware Compatibility: Works with all major firewall and router vendors (Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto, Ubiquiti, etc.).
- SD-WAN Integration: Seamlessly integrates as a transport layer for SD-WAN appliances, allowing for hitless failover and traffic steering.
- Network Monitoring: Compatible with standard SNMP monitoring tools for tracking uptime and throughput.
Security & Compliance
- Proprietary Wireless Protocols: Uses advanced encryption at the radio layer to prevent unauthorized interception of data over the air.
- Physical Security: unWired towers and data centers are secured with restricted access and monitoring.
- DDoS Mitigation: Infrastructure is designed to absorb and mitigate common volumetric attacks to keep clients online.
- Data Residency: As a regional provider, data is routed through local California-based data centers, assisting with certain localized compliance needs.
- Compliance Ready: While the ISP provides the "pipe," the connection supports the transport of encrypted traffic necessary for HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and SOC2 compliance.
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