Ever heard of TowerStream (TWER)? Most likely not. This company just came public back in January, recently listed on the NASDAQ and currently isn't followed by any Wall Street analysts. But this is a company facing a serious opportunity as a dramatic technology shift to a much higher speed, much lower cost wireless alternative to cable modems and DSL emerges. TWER is a wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) that uses WiMAX technology.

TowerStream installs fixed WiMAX transmitter/receivers (transceivers) on tall buildings in major cites, connects them via a mesh network and sells access to them only to businesses by undercutting the local phone company's prices and offering more features. Their business model is simple and elegant: Negotiate control of the tops of tall buildings, use the DirecTV/Dish installers to put antennas on the customer premises and offer software-upgradeable services at a discount.

Right now TowerStream's transceivers are live in eight cities, including New York, Boston, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles. In January, they acquired from Speakeasy the famous Seattle WiMAX installation that was the first city-wide installation in the U.S. They'll be in 10 cities by the end of this year, 20 by the end of 2008 and 30 by the end of 2009.