Bluebird Broadband Services® is a wireless internet service provider (WISP) ... to work with American Tower on expandin
Case Study Bluebird Broadband Services® is a wireless internet service provider (WISP) based in the Shreveport and Bossier City area of Louisiana. It serves North and Central Louisiana, Northeast Texas and parts of Arkansas and Oklahoma. For over 10 years, Bluebird has primarily served business customers with fixed wireless, metro ethernet, hosted PBX VoIP, data center and cloud computing. Recently, the company has experienced a major rejuvenation of its wireless consumer business, driving Bluebird to work with American Tower on expanding their network.
Challenges ›› The densely wooded canopy in Bluebird’s region severely limited wireless performance of its network. In their push to encourage customers to “cut the cord” for online video streaming, many rural customers were deeply unhappy with the performance of the network’s throughput. ›› Bluebird acquired an Educational Broadband Service (EBS) license to bring steaming-quality service to residential customers in a 70-mile circle around Van Buren and Ft. Smith, Arkansas. With this license, Bluebird needed to use towers for a 4G LTE network and required rapid deployment to seize the business opportunity. ›› As a WISP servicing rural markets, Bluebird was leery of the costs, permitting process and operational complexity of leasing space on a third-party provider’s towers.
i FOR MORE INFORMATION To learn more about American Tower's 4WISP program and our leasing opportunities, please contact:
877-409-6966 leasing@americantower.com
americantower.com Bluebird Broadband Services® is a registered trademark of Bluebird Wireless Broadband Services, L.L.C.
Case Study : Bluebird Broadband Services
Solution ›› American Tower’s 4WISP program provides access to an extensive portfolio of communications sites, customized structure to meet the unique needs of WISPs and experienced, hands-on help in efficiently getting customers on air. ›› Bluebird contacted American Tower, which had seven towers positioned precisely where needed for their new LTE network, and, in order to meet Bluebird’s deployment deadline, American Tower committed to an aggressive timeline to get their network on air. ›› For capital control, Bluebird opted to have its personnel trained as American Tower-approved tower climbers for equipment installation and maintenance, which enabled a lower lease rate for the first two years while ramping service.
Results
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Bluebird completed equipment installations on one tower every 10-14 days. Once completed, each site immediately went live with microwave backhauls to headquarters. The full solution was completed on time and nearly on budget, with only a minor variance for trenching and conduit at each tower site. Bluebird is now selling more internet connections at a more rapid pace than ever before, with better customer retention. The model of securing an EBS license and working with American Tower for the best sites has worked so well that Bluebird is actively pursuing licenses in other areas to continue boosting consumer business, and it plans to work with American Tower again.
“American Tower sought our business, supports us well, and sees us as a valid partner no different from a national carrier. It’s all about attitude and American Tower’s attitude is right where it needs to be.” — Tony Downs, General Manager, Bluebird Broadband Services
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