In some countries the local GSM (cell phone) providers have now superseded the local telephony companies for voice services, and can be used to carry low-rate dial-up data for subscribers. For corporates the microwave links used to reach cell phone towers may be used to carry corporate data traffic.

In others, whilst international access is still strictly controlled, public local wireless circuits are now available offering another route for organisational traffic to reach switching centres, offering a higher reliability.

In difficult locations, and away from reliable cell phone coverage the two major alternatives that allow reliable 24/7 'always on' Internet access are:

• The use of direct two-way satellite links, via very small aperture terminals (VSAT's), to connect to the Internet backbone in Europe or the United States, or to directly link the organisation’s offices
  
• The use of spread-spectrum microwave radio links to connect to a local Internet Service Provider (ISP), or to a site operating a VSAT.

Such systems can be set for a single location, or can be shared amongst many users thus reducing incremental costs per site.