Three-tier wireless ISP architecture combining Tarana G1, CBRS 3.5 GHz, and Ubiquiti LTU for the Mendota solar tower. Interactive capacity planning, bandwidth distribution, and backhaul modeling.
Every subscriber gets real broadband speeds. No more 25/5 Mbps plans.
Configure each tier independently. Adjust subscriber counts, plan speeds, and pricing to model different scenarios. Watch sector utilization to avoid overloading.
5 GHz (interference-canceling)
6 GHz AFC (unlicensed, empty spectrum)
3.5 GHz (licensed via SAS)
5 GHz (unlicensed)
60 GHz V-band (unlicensed)
Five bands across four tiers, plus 60 GHz for in-town. Each operates independently with zero co-channel interference between tiers.
Tarana handles its own interference cancellation. LTU requires clean channel separation with GPS sync.
| Sector | Channel | Frequency | Band | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North | Ch 36 (40 MHz) | 5180-5220 MHz | UNII-1 | Clean |
| East | Ch 52 (40 MHz) | 5260-5300 MHz | UNII-2 | DFS - radar detection |
| South | Ch 100 (40 MHz) | 5500-5540 MHz | UNII-2e | DFS - radar detection |
| West | Ch 149 (40 MHz) | 5745-5785 MHz | UNII-3 | Clean |
1,200 MHz of brand new spectrum. 160 MHz channels = 4x the bandwidth of 5 GHz 40 MHz channels. No DFS, no radar issues. AFC (Automated Frequency Coordination) database ensures no incumbent interference.
| Sector | Channel | Frequency | Band | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North | Ch 1 (160 MHz) | 5955-6115 MHz | UNII-5 | Clean — no DFS required |
| East | Ch 65 (160 MHz) | 6275-6435 MHz | UNII-6 | Clean — no DFS required |
| South | Ch 129 (160 MHz) | 6595-6755 MHz | UNII-7 | Clean — no DFS required |
| West | Ch 193 (160 MHz) | 6915-7075 MHz | UNII-8 | Clean — no DFS required |
150 MHz of spectrum managed by SAS (Spectrum Access System). PAL licenses purchased at FCC auction give priority access. GAA (General Authorized Access) available without license but lower priority. Rural LaSalle County PAL licenses are cheap ($1-5K).
14 GHz of unlicensed spectrum (57-71 GHz). Massive bandwidth but oxygen absorption limits range to ~500m. Perfect for in-town last-mile. No license, no coordination needed. Self-interference is minimal due to narrow beams and short range.
| Tier | CPE Unit | Subscribers | CPE Total | Base Stations | Tier Total CapEx | Payback (months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarana G1 | $500 | 96 | $48,000 | $14,000 | $62,000 | 7 mo |
| Cambium ePMP 4600 | $250 | 160 | $40,000 | $8,000 | $48,000 | 4 mo |
| CBRS (Baicells/Cambium) | $300 | 200 | $60,000 | $10,800 | $70,800 | 5 mo |
| Ubiquiti LTU Rocket | $199 | 200 | $39,800 | $1,796 | $41,596 | 4 mo |
| MikroTik wAP 60Gx3 | $75 | 72 | $5,400 | $2,400 | $7,800 | 2 mo |
| TOTAL | 728 | $193,200 | $36,996 | $230,196 | 5 mo |
Fiber primary with wireless PtP backup ring. BGP multi-homing across two transit providers for automatic failover. Model different fiber options and backup link configurations.
Dark fiber on the I-80/I-39 corridor is the best long-term play. 10G optics today, upgrade to 100G by swapping a $300 SFP module.
Rockford (80km N)
Fiber POP (metro)
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| -- disabled --
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Sterling (53km W) MENDOTA DeKalb (46km NE)
Fiber POP TOWER NIU Fiber POP
/|\ |
---+----- AF5XHD 750M ----
| |
| v
| Chicago/Naperville
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AF5XHD 1G
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LaSalle-Peru (23km S)
Lumen CO Fiber POP
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v
Peoria (via relay)
===== PRIMARY =====
[Dark Fiber Pair (Zayo/Lumen)]
10G-100G (your optics) | $2500/mo
Route: I-80 / I-39 corridor to tower siteMendota sits near I-80 and I-39 - both major fiber corridors. Zayo, Lumen, and i3 Broadband all have infrastructure nearby. Dark fiber is the best long-term play.
The real cost of getting fiber to a tower site. Engineering, permits, boring, optical equipment, and tower installation are the bulk of the CapEx — not the monthly lease. This is what people underestimate.
Route survey, bore plan, utility locates, permit submittal drawings. Cost scales with run distance and jurisdiction complexity.
County/township road bore permits, railroad crossing permits (if applicable), IDOT permits for state road crossings.
Horizontal directional drilling. $15/ft in open farmland, $25-35/ft for road crossings, rock, or congested utility corridors. 3-mile run = 15,840 ft.
Single-mode 12-strand in duct. Pre-connectorized ends add cost. Armored cable for direct burial adds ~$0.50/ft.
Fusion splicing at each end + splice enclosures. Mid-span splice points add $2-4K each.
Bi-directional OTDR testing on every strand. Required for acceptance. Includes as-built documentation.
Armored fiber riser cable from ground vault to equipment shelter to tower top. Includes ice bridge, cable tray, weatherproofing.
Certified tower climbers to mount all radio equipment (4 tiers × 4 sectors + antennas), run cables, ground, align. 3-5 day crew depending on tier count.
Optical mux/demux at each end of fiber. Ciena 6500 or ADVA FSP 150 for managed wavelength services. Simpler: skip this and use direct SFP+ optics for 10G ($600/pair).
10G SFP+ LR: $300/pair. 100G QSFP28 coherent: $3,000/pair. Start with 10G, upgrade optics as needed.
Range is wide because boring cost dominates and varies by terrain. Open farmland with no road crossings = low end. Multiple road/rail crossings, rock, or congested utility corridors = high end. Existing conduit availability can cut boring costs 60-80%.
Redundant point-to-point links to separate fiber POPs. Each link terminates at a city with its own fiber presence, creating multiple independent paths to the internet. Toggle links to model different build phases.
Bond multiple fiber links for more capacity and redundancy. ECMP (Equal-Cost Multi-Path) distributes traffic across links automatically.
Cache Netflix, YouTube, and software updates locally. Major content providers ship you hardware for free — you just provide rack space and power.
All links up, traffic via primary fiber
Fiber bore damaged (construction, weather). Traffic fails over to LaSalle PtP.
Fiber cut AND LaSalle link failure (unlikely but plan for it).
Volumetric attack or upstream congestion on primary transit.
Major fiber along I-80 corridor. Most likely source for dark fiber near Mendota.
Has fiber infrastructure in LaSalle County. CO presence in LaSalle-Peru confirmed.
Illinois regional provider, expanding aggressively in central IL. May partner on last-mile.
State-run fiber backbone. May have POP in LaSalle-Peru. Worth investigating for transit.
Each PtP backhaul link destination becomes a potential tower site with its own WISP deployment. The Mendota tower is the junction hub - the first node in a regional backbone.
Each relay site replicates the mixed-architecture model: tower + WISP + carrier leases. Revenue compounds as the network grows. The backbone pays for itself through subscriber fees while the carrier leases are pure profit.