Wisper Covers 600,000 Midwest Locations (and Counting) with Tarana-Powered, Fiber-Class Internet
Wisper Internet, a rural internet service provider, and Tarana, the creator of next-generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA) broadband technology, today announced their substantial progress on an upgraded network that is delivering up to 400 Mbps internet service to rural and underserved communities throughout 9,500 square miles in the US Midwest.
“It really was a struggle. I had to pick my poison — did I want my colleagues to see or hear me that day? I couldn’t have both.”Post this
Of the more than 200 operators in 21 countries that have now embraced Tarana ngFWA, Wisper was the first US service provider to adopt the technology in 2021. Since then, the team has significantly ramped deployment, now delivering reliable, high-speed internet from 310 Tarana-equipped towers, with plans to install on an additional 180 towers in 2024.
While the deployment began as a Connect America Fund (CAF) II project, Nathan Stooke, Wisper’s Founder and CEO, noted, “This network is a catalyst for delivering fiber-class broadband to far more people than just the 80,000 CAFII locations we set out to cover. When we’re done next year, we will have passed a total of 1.2 million homes.”
With the unprecedented capacity and scaling capabilities of ngFWA, Wisper’s full build requires 300 fewer towers than their initial network plan outlined — saving a total of nearly $5 million in operating expenses each year. “No other wireless solution has ever allowed us to scale like this, and the cost is far lower than what it would take to reach all these areas with fiber. I’ve said it before, but Tarana ngFWA is truly a game changer.” said Stooke.
Not only has Tarana changed the game for Wisper and hundreds of service providers globally, but also for end-users on upgraded ngFWA networks. Laura Love, a resident of Jefferson City, Missouri, had been waiting on quality broadband service in her area for 18 years before she discovered Wisper in January of 2023. With no clear line of sight (LoS) to a communications tower from her home — just one mile outside of city limits — other providers could only manage to deliver her 1.5 Mbps service.
Given a fully remote job plus a husband and four children at home also needing connectivity, Laura was regularly forced to drive to local restaurants to find reliable internet where she could run work reports or take virtual meetings. She reminisced on those times saying, “It really was a struggle. I had to pick my poison — did I want my colleagues to see or hear me that day? I couldn’t have both.”
Despite surrounding foliage that blocks LoS to Wisper’s nearest tower, the Love family now has over 200 Mbps of reliable service through Tarana technology. Their four TVs (all of which exclusively use streaming applications), two laptops, an iPad, and three mobile phones all connected to Wi-Fi at one time are no match for their new ngFWA broadband service. Laura can run her monthly reports and join virtual meetings, her husband can stream TV, and her kids can play online video games — all at the same time, entirely lag-free on every device.
Basil Alwan, Tarana CEO, added, “We love to hear success stories like the Love family’s. Wisper’s growing ngFWA network is helping thousands of families join today’s connected world, and we are proud to support their progress on the digital divide. It’s very rewarding to see them and their subscribers realize the many benefits that this new generation of wireless broadband technology enables.”
About Wisper Internet
Wisper is a rural internet service provider to residents of Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, and Illinois. We love to provide service to rural communities where other providers can’t or won’t. Our service is fast and consistent with unlimited data which is perfect for streaming all your favorite shows. For more information or to inquire about service in your area, please visit https://wisperisp.com/.
About Tarana
Tarana’s mission is to accelerate the deployment of fast, affordable internet access around the world. Through a decade of R&D and over $400M of investment, the Tarana team has created a unique next-generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA) technology instantiated in its first commercial platform, Gigabit 1 (G1). It delivers a game-changing advance in broadband economics in both mainstream and underserved markets, using either licensed or unlicensed spectrum. G1 started production in mid-2021 and has since been embraced by more than 200 service providers in 21 countries. Tarana is headquartered in Milpitas, California, with additional research and development in Pune, India. Learn more at www.taranawireless.com.
