How to Start Your Own ISP

Back to Blog  •  Posted on June 3, 2021 by admin


There are areas all over the United States and the rest of the world that do not have reliable access to high-speed, broadband internet. This can be extremely frustrating when trying to download or stream content. In order to circumvent this frustration, many people have turned to setting up their own ISP.

Get the Funds and Legal Help
It’s extraordinarily expensive to lay down miles of fiber optic cable underground. Occasionally, rural areas will offer grants with the hopes that people will start an ISP, but these will not actually defray the costs. Because starting an ISP is like starting a business, many people will also qualify for small business loans, as long as there is a clearly considered business plan. If needed and if affordable, a person can hire the services of a lawyer to help walk him or her through the process of setting up a business. The lawyer will also be able to help sort out any contracts that are needed to use people’s phone lines and create the service agreements once the ISP has been set up.
Find a Location for the Routers
A room needs to be located where the ISP data centers can be stored. It should have floors that have been raised off the ground to make it easier to route cables.Obtain the Data Center Equipment

Next, all of the UPS units that will make up the data center, the HVAC units to keep the data center cool, and the power generators need to be purchased and installed. The power generators should be diesel powered.

Sign a Peer Contract to Work with Two or More Internet Providers
In order for the ISP to have connection to the Internet, it is necessary for the owner of the ISP to enter into a peer agreement with one or more Internet providers. Most private ISP owners will be in five peer agreements in order to achieve a high level of connection speed.

 

Purchase the Fiber Optic Cables
The next step is to buy the fiber optic cables. They should be designed to transmit data as quickly as possible. The can be purchased from a telecommunications company online or locally.

 

Purchase the Rest of the Equipment
Next, the customer end of the equipment needs to be purchased. These are the routers, the switches, and the computers. This is the part of the ISP that will allow the Internet to reach their homes. It is important to get enterprise-grade routers in order to ensure speed and quality.

Set up Customer Agreements
Offer the service to those locally and come up with service contracts.