At current prices, this is a system for business rather than home users. CDPD uses static IP addresses, which are activated as soon as the local cellular antenna recognizes your computer's antenna. CDPD alone is slow. The spec calls for 19.2 Kbps, with a usual throughput of 8 to 12. That's a large variation, caused by varying signal strength.
Signal strength affects packet loss, which in turn affects throughput.
Packets are certainly dropped. Since a cellular network is very centralized, WISP requires few NOCs. WISP claims that modmes on its network achieve speeds of 33.3 to 56 Kbps, and updates will enable speeds of 60Kbps and higher. As WISP's coverage maps show, the company does not have the entire nation covered, but it has reached the major cities. In the past, WISP installed client-server software on mobile devices, but the new version of the software is entirely on the server side.