Introducing the ISP bible for the networking and telecomm industry. To put it mildly, cyberspace business is booming. There are presently more than 6,000 Internet Service Providers worldwide, and about 600 new providers are springing up each quarter. However, the ISP business is still very young and without precedent-no how-to manual or foolproof start-up recipe exists for those who want a piece of the action. As ISPs mount an ambitious challenge against phone companies for control of the $300 billion telecommunications market, they need a step-by-step planning guide to creating, developing, and profiting from a solid service provider business. Networking pioneer Geoff Huston describes the technologies, business practices, and policies required to be a formidable player in the ISP business, covering architecture principles, network management, infrastructure, business models, public policy, future growth, and much more. ISP (Internet Service Provider) companies provide access for end-users to the Internet. ISPs range from small, regional providers to larger, well-known companies like America Online and Sprint. The Wiley Networking Council's mission is to fill an important gap in networking literature by publishing books that put technology into perspective for decision makers who need an implementation strategy, a vendor and outsourcing strategy, and a product and design strategy. It is comprised of four of the most influential leaders of the networking community: Lyman Chapin: Founding trustee of the Internet Society; chief scientist of BBN, a division of GTE Internetworking. Scott Bradner: Trustee of the Internet Society; Director of the Harvard University Network Switching Test Lab; Network World columnist. Vinton Cerf: Founding trustee of the Internet Society, often called the "Father of the Internet;" Senior Vice President, MCI/WorldCom. Ed Kozel: CTO and Senior VP for Product Development, Cisco Corporation,

The key marketing strategies everyone must know to compete in the worldwide ISP business New ISPs are popping up all over the place and the competition for market share is fierce. In fact, there are over 8,100 ISPs worldwide with a predicted growth rate of 20% for the next five years. Despite this explosive growth, there is a significant lack of information and guidance on how to develop a winning marketing strategy. Written by a pre-eminent ISP marketing expert, this book focuses on the specific issues unique to the ISP business and provides a proven plan to start and grow your ISP. From determining the value of your business and finding your niche to developing an effective marketing campaign and running promotions, you'll find everything you need to know to get up and running. Throughout the book, Knight examines such hot topics as branding, pricing, advertising, service strategies, selling and pricing, and acquisition. He also includes a comprehensive, customizable marketing plan that is ready to be implemented. And, with the help of detailed information, real-world examples, and turnkey models, the author shows how to successfully apply the material to develop your ISP business. This book shows you how to: * Raise your ISP's market value * Determine what makes your ISP unique * Increase the number of new subscribers * Develop a great marketing campaign * Reach and find your target audience * Attract, retain, and train the best customer service staff * Acquire new subscribers via acquisitions of other ISPs As a value-added feature, a complete ISP Business Plan Sample by Jason Zigmont of HowToSell.net is included.

Ensure that your WAN can handle the latest technologies with this must-have strategy guide If a Wide Area Network (WAN) isn't set up properly, it won't be able to meet the needs of the applications being used in the Local Area Network (LAN). And with the emergence of new technologies such as VPNs, multi-service networks, and the mobility of corporate users, the costs involved with running a WAN have changed dramatically. Written by an expert on WAN design, this book provides a comprehensive strategy for choosing the best technologies available for your WAN. It includes analysis of business requirements for WANs, end-user and service provider requirements, and the capabilities and tradeoffs of the available technologies. The book also covers the realities and limitations of QoS, security, multi-service networks, virtual networks, VPNs, multi-homing, roaming, and mobility.

It's a jungle out there, (in ISP LiabilityLand) but your capable jungle guide, Tim Casey, takes you safely and firmly into and out of what would otherwise be very complex and potentially dangerous territory. Bring a camera.-Vinton Cerf Governments around the world are establishing laws and regulations that will have a great impact on the way Internet Service Providers (ISPs) do business. With existing and ongoing efforts to regulate the Internet, ISPs are in desperate need of expert guidance to sort out which laws apply to them. This is precisely what author Timothy Casey offers in his new book. As the preeminent technical legal counsel for MCI WorldCom and one of the framers of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Casey shows you how to protect yourself in this volatile market. This valuable guide gives you: * Detailed explanations on the varying laws and how their technical features impact running a liability-free ISP * Critical considerations for adopting effective policies and procedures that enable you to best structure your operations * Valuable insight on the important issues to consider when contracting with users, vendors, and sales channels to accommodate the laws and maximize your profitability Networking Council Books put technology into perspective for decision-makers who need an implementation strategy, a vendor and outsourcing strategy, and a product and design strategy. The series advisors are three of the most influential leaders of the networking community: Visit our Web site at www.wiley.com/compbooks/ Visit the Networking Council Web site at www.wiley.com/networkingcouncil

"A critical guide through the tangled thicket of hype, assumptions, and facts about Quality of Service in IP Networks." - Scott Bradner, Senior Consultant at Harvard and Transport Area Director, IETF The next wave of Internet services will include voice and video as well as data. Supporting this will be the next generation of multiservice network platforms. This technology guide provides a comprehensive examination of the tools used to construct multiservice Internet networks, and provides up-to-the-minute solutions that deliver accurate services. Detailing every part of this important topic, this book covers the latest in standards work, Quality of Service architectures, detailed evaluation of performance-tuning tools, and design guidelines for achieving optimum performance from Internet networks. With this book, you'll gain an unprecedented look at the key issues that arise when engineering Internet networks to deliver defined levels of performance and learn how to fully utilize the wide array of service performance tools that are available in current Internet networks. Networking Council Books put technology in perspective or decision-makers who need an implementation strategy, a vendor and outsourcing strategy, and a product and design strategy. Series advisors are three of the most influential leaders of the networking community: Visit our Web site at www.wiley.com/compboo ks/ Visit the Networking Council Web site at www.wiley.com/ networkingcouncil

"Between phones, networks, equipment, and vendors, being a telecom manager can be a difficult task. Using four companies' actual experiences as case studies, The Telecom Manager's Survival Guide presents an easily understandable method for lining up the best possible services, putting the right tools in place, and saving the business money. The book takes a practical approach, providing a proactive system for: * Project management for the implementation of new services * Trouble resolution for equipment * Billing audit and reviews * Strategic planning for the future The Telecom Manager's Survival Guide is an important resource for anyone taking charge of their organization's telecommunications initiatives."