Bargain Shopping for Wireless Backhaul?

I go way back in the point-to-point wireless (microwave) business, having developed the first wireless Internet technology, followed by a string of other firsts and thousands of customer applications. Now given what I've seen, I need to say something about pricing to IT buyers in the enterprise community.

"Resist the urge to bargain shop for wireless backhaul. These days you can buy a PTP link for a song, but though the song seems appealing, it will make your ears bleed."

There are things in life that you can economize on, and others that you wouldn't think that way about. For instance, my son is a lacrosse goalie and when it comes to his helmet and pads, I'm not interested in "a great deal" on protection. I'm looking for the best they've got, and if it's more expensive - within reason, then I'm not ashamed to say that I gain a little confidence in that. And what about finding a surgeon? I've never heard anyone brag that they've found the cheapest one. What you want is a surgeon who's performed the same operation (over and over) on professional athletes and U.S. Senators. 

A corporate data backbone is a main artery of your business, its lifeblood. It's something where you want to know you've got the best of everything - best radios, best installers, best support. Nothing but the best, baby!

Of course you can get a $600 wireless link on the Internet, and in some places they'll kick ass. In other places those same radios might totally choke, whether from congestion, latency issues, path problems or bandwidth constraints. Consider also, that the radio you buy will only be as good as the people verifying your path and performing the installation. A shoddy implementation will kill whatever "high" performance you should be getting.

So IT managers, respect your backbone! Reject calls to build a rice-paper bridge to your remote data network. Build one like a Roman road that will last. When you're in the market for wireless backhaul, be very wary of vendors who make it all about price. They might be desperate and you don't want to catch what they have. Consider what it would cost if your wireless network crashed for a day or two because of some oversight. Be willing to pay more for the things that matter: reliability, security and productivity (throughput). In the end, a solid wireless implementation will save a fortune in recurring charges and never give you a bad day.


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