Rise Broadband is the largest independent fixed wireless internet service provider in the United States. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, the company was established with the mission of providing high-speed broadband to rural and suburban areas where traditional cable and fiber-optic providers have limited or no presence. Currently, Rise Broadband operates across 16 states, primarily in the Midwest, Rocky Mountain, and Southwest regions, serving hundreds of thousands of residential and commercial customers.
The company’s core service offering revolves around Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), a technology that delivers high-speed data via radio waves from a tower to a fixed antenna at a customer's location. In recent years, Rise has aggressively expanded its portfolio to include fiber-optic internet, recognizing the increasing demand for symmetrical gigabit speeds. Their business services suite includes high-speed data, cloud-based phone systems (VoIP), and enterprise-grade networking solutions designed to support the digital transformation of small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in non-metropolitan markets.
Since its inception (originally as JAB Broadband), the company has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions of smaller regional ISPs. This consolidation has allowed Rise to build a massive, interconnected network infrastructure that provides a reliable alternative to slow DSL and high-latency satellite services. Today, Rise Broadband is a pivotal player in the telecommunications landscape, focused on bridging the digital divide by delivering "big city" internet speeds to rural communities.
Company Differentiation
Rise Broadband distinguishes itself through a "rural-first" business model and a commitment to closing the digital divide in areas often neglected by major national carriers. While many ISPs focus on high-density urban markets where infrastructure is easiest to deploy, Rise Broadband’s company philosophy is built around the technical and operational challenge of serving the "last mile" in suburban and rural America.
Their culture is rooted in a customer success approach that emphasizes local presence; they maintain a significant workforce in the regions they serve, ensuring that technicians and support staff understand the specific geographical and environmental challenges of their customers. This local-centric model is a key differentiator from massive, centralized telecom conglomerates. Furthermore, the company’s business model is characterized by agility and rapid deployment. By utilizing fixed wireless technology, they can bypass the multi-year timelines required for trenching fiber or copper, allowing them to bring high-speed connectivity to underserved communities much faster than traditional wireline competitors. Their organizational focus remains steadfast on providing a viable, high-performance alternative to satellite and DSL, positioning them as a critical infrastructure partner for rural economic development.
Rise Broadband categorizes its offerings based on the level of performance and support required:
Business Broadband: "Best-effort" high-speed internet designed for small offices. Offers high download speeds with lower upload speeds, ideal for general web browsing and email.
Enterprise Active: A more robust tier with enhanced support and more consistent throughput, designed for businesses that rely heavily on cloud applications and VoIP.
Dedicated Internet Access (DIA): The premium offering featuring 1:1 contention ratios (bandwidth is not shared), symmetrical speeds (same upload and download), and a comprehensive SLA.
Managed Wi-Fi: An add-on service where Rise manages the internal wireless access points for the customer's office.
Voice/VoIP: Integrated cloud-based phone systems that run over the Rise connection, providing a unified communications solution.
Product Differentiation
The primary product differentiation for Rise Broadband lies in its sophisticated use of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technology, supplemented by a growing fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) footprint. Unlike satellite internet, which suffers from high latency due to the distance signals must travel, Rise Broadband’s fixed wireless technology utilizes local towers to beam signals directly to a receiver at the customer’s premises. This results in significantly lower latency and higher reliability, making their service suitable for real-time applications like video conferencing, VoIP, and online learning.
Key product advantages include:
* **Low Latency Performance:** By keeping the signal path terrestrial and localized, Rise offers a "fiber-like" experience in areas where physical cables are unavailable.
* **Rapid Installation:** Their infrastructure allows for significantly faster deployment times compared to traditional cable or fiber builds, which is a critical advantage for new business sites or remote residential developments.
* **Scalable Business Solutions:** For enterprise and SMB clients, Rise provides dedicated internet access (DIA), managed Wi-Fi, and multi-line hosted voice services (VoIP) tailored to the bandwidth needs of rural commercial hubs.
* **Hybrid Infrastructure:** Their strategic transition toward a hybrid model—utilizing fiber for backhaul and direct delivery while maintaining a robust wireless edge—ensures they can offer competitive speeds (up to 1 Gbps in select areas) that rival urban internet standards.
Media
Rise Broadband Software Details
Rise Broadband: High-Speed Fixed Wireless & Fiber Internet
