Guide to Wireless Internet Service Providers

Laptops are getting lighter and work is going mobile. Your neighborhood Starbucks some mornings can look more like call center than a coffee shop.

Get ready for an explosion of roving Internet users. Wireless Internet service is rapidly spreading in popularity and dropping in price in order to compete with its location-specific predecessor, known as Wi-Fi. The big difference is range. Wherever your cell phone works, you can log on with a wireless Internet service.

In this guide to wireless Internet access:

1. Major wireless Internet providers
2. Regional and rural wireless Internet access
3. Handheld devices that use wireless Internet service
4. What's coming from wireless Internet service providers



Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done




Understanding wireless Internet service basics
Wireless Internet access is, in this case, not the same as seeing a Web page or e-mail on your phone. Instead, wireless Internet here means a true broadband connection to a laptop or desktop computer via radio or cellular signals.
I recommend: Why bother? Well, a couple of years ago, wireless Internet was slow and trouble to use. Now, thanks to technological advances, getting on the Web from literally anywhere in cellular range really works. Naturally, big cellular companies are piling on, including Verizon, Sprint-Nextel, Cingular (now AT&T), and T-Mobile. See more Internet service providers at Business.com.

Wireless Internet got its start as an alternative for rural users
Since the phone companies weren't in a hurry to build out DSL and cable was slow off the market to compete, a lot of smaller, regional wireless Internet providers spring up in the Midwest and Western states. You might get a better deal on rates if you compare.
I recommend: Some key vendors of wireless Internet access include MobilePro, Clearwire, Speednet, Plateau Meganet, Midwest Wireless, Mesa Networks, Commspeed, Ama Techtel, Prairie Inet, and Camvera. See a directory of wireless internet service providers at Business.com.


Wireless Internet access is not limited to laptops
While nothing can really beat the robustness of a nice strong laptop for most office use, the fact that wireless Internet access is being realized over cellular networks has given new life to the moribund handheld computer, or PDA, category.
I recommend: You can easily do much of your wireless Internet activities like e-mail and basic Web browsing using devices from Blackberry or a smartphone from Motorola, Samsung, Nokia and Sony Ericsson device.


What wireless Internet providers will do next
Think of wireless Internet service in stages: Wi-Fi connected us in so-called hotspots like hotel lobbies, then wireless Internet service reached out through cellular. Next up is Wi-Max, a Wi-Fi standard that can reach for miles and through natural obstacles like buildings.
I recommend: It's in development, but Wi-Max is already being rolled out in some key markets by wireless Internet providers. Laptops will have to go through re-engineering, too, but take full advantage, but it won't take long. Follow developments at the Wi-Max Forum.



Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

If you expect to use your laptop to surf the Web using a wireless Internet provider, you will first need a PC card, which fits into a side slot on most laptops and picks up the cellular signal. Your wireless Internet service provider should sell this to you cheaply.
"Broadband" is a slippery concept, but your wireless Internet service connection speeds should be many times over the dial-up but might slightly lag compared to your office connection.
Pricing for wireless Internet service has been higher than household DSL or cable, but look for prices to drop once businesses accounts have been served and wireless Internet providers have no one left to sell to but home users.

Guide to Sample Business Plans

Need to create a great business plan, fast? Hey, why reinvent the wheel! Unless your business plan is something never before conceived of, there's probably a free sample business plan for precisely what you need that you can adapt as your very own. You won't have to worry about what components to include in your business plan, or how long to make it. Just fill in the blanks (well, maybe not quite that simple, but you get the idea).
According to Tim Berry, a business plan guru and founder and CEO of Palo Alto Software, every successful launch starts with a good business plan. Using business plan software to help you is a good idea, too. And starting with a good business plan sample will help you write a business plan in record time. Some of Berry's keys to business plan success include these:

1. Is the business plan simple? Is it easy to understand and to act on? Does your small business plan communicate its contents easily and practically?
2. Is the plan specific? Are its objectives concrete and measurable? Does it include specific actions and activities, each with specific dates of completion, specific persons responsible and specific budgets?
3. Is the business plan realistic? Are the sales goals, expense budgets, and milestone dates realistic? Nothing stifles implementation like a business plan with unrealistic goals.
4. Is the plan complete? Does it include all the necessary elements? Have you tapped the right business plan resources, including free sample business plans and business plan software? Requirements of a business plan vary, depending on the context. There is no guarantee, however, that the plan will work if it doesn't cover the main bases.

Business.com's "What Works for Business" blog is a great way to keep up with the latest solutions, trends and strategies for small and medium business -- including business plan competitions and startup resources.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate sample business plans specific to your business or industry
Many free sample business plans are available online, along with expert help to write a business plan.

I recommend: Bplans.com is a terrifically useful site that offers free sample business plans for 60 different types of businesses, from artificial flower importing, to wedding consultants. If you purchase their best-selling business plan software Business Plan Pro, it comes with over 500 plans that you can make your own.

See real-life sample plans in a business plan archive
View actual business plans of past and present businesses online.

I recommend: I recommend: Business Plan Archive is an online repository for real business plans. Webmergers.com and the University of Maryland's School of Business built the site to collect business plans for posterity. BusinessPlans.com has samples to view. Or download free business plan templates for a startup or established business from SCORE.

Get a ready-made business plan software template
Not quite a sample business plan, but a track-tested business plan template that has been used by many startup entrepreneurs can also be a big help.

I recommend: Business Plan Success is business plan software that delivers a professionally written business plan template that you can use to quickly write a business plan that succeeds.

Go short for your sample business plan
Get a sample short-form business plan for a quick company overview or presentation

I recommend: AllBusiness has a sample short form plan you can purchase and download for $15.


Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

* The most standard type of business plan is a startup plan, which lays out the steps for a new business. It describes the company, product or service, market, forecasts, strategy, implementation milestones, management team, projected sales, profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, and more.
* The plan always starts with an executive summary and ends with appendices showing monthly projections for the first year.
* Internal plans are not intended for outside investors, banks, or other third parties. They might not include detailed description of company or management team. They may or may not include detailed financial projections that become forecasts and budgets. They may cover main points as bullet points in slides (such as PowerPoint slides) rather than detailed texts.