McGhie runs his business on his own, with help from contractors; he works out of the home he shares with his wife and five children. He is one of 65 wireless competitors in the region, according to Comcast. Nationally, there are around 1,800 wireless Internet access providers, called Wisps, said Robert Hoskins, publisher of Broadband Wireless Exchange, an online magazine focusing on the wireless Internet industry.

"There's still a huge pent-up demand from people who do not have DSL or cable modem in their neighborhoods," Hoskins said. A typical wireless Internet service provider, he said, has 10 to 20 employees and 300 to 500 customers; most of the activity is in suburbs with affluent neighborhoods.

But there are larger wireless competitors in his area. One is Broadband Solutions, which serves 800 residential clients and 600 businesses along the Wasatch Front. The business customers pay $110 to $500 a month, depending on the access speed, which is sometimes less than that of comparable service from the telephone company. (The cable industry has not traditionally focused on the business market, but is increasingly catering to small and medium-sized companies.) The cost of installation, with a two-year agreement, is around $50.

One customer is the American Express satellite office in Salt Lake City, which pays $225 a month for Internet access at 512 kilobits per second, about double the speed of residential DSL.

Marianne Buie, the office manager, says service has been so good that she would like wireless at home. But she can't have it, because the antenna would be blocked by the surrounding oak trees. And she cannot get broadband from anyone else, even though she lives near downtown Salt Lake City.

It's frustrating, she said, because dial-up access is slow, particularly when she is trying to download or send pictures, or when her husband is downloading upgrades for his handheld organizer.

"I'm waiting for Comcast, or anyone who comes to my neighborhood," Buie said. "I'll go with whoever gets there first."