MetroFi -- one of the pioneers in building out municipal WiFi networks -- is rolling out the 'second phase' its MetroFi Free Portland network.
One would assume that a project as large as the Wireless Silicon Valley wireless network initiative would take many months, maybe a couple of years, to get underway. The way things are going, that assumption would be wrong.
According to project leader Brent Grotz, the network will be launched by this April. In addition, several pilot cities will have one-square test areas set up within a few weeks, including Palo Alto, San Carlos, and Santa Cruz.
The team expects to complete 90 percent of the project within 24 months, which is a pretty amazing time frame when you look at its entire scope. All in all, over 40 cities will comprise the network.
This is a pretty impressive project, and one that may be the standard-bearer for all future regional wireless networks to come.
It's been an interesting week here at The Wireless Report. Here are our top 5 stories of the past seven days. Enjoy!
The city of Troy, Michigan is the largest municipality in Oakland County to launch a wireless network service.
The city will be introducing a service that will cover roughly 7 1/2 miles and allow residents to access the network for free. Enhanced service will be available at a monthly fee.
This is part of the ambitious initiative to connect all 910 square miles of the county to a wireless network. Six other cities will be launching service over the next few months.
We are seeing many more counties or groups of cities coming together to develop and deploy wireless networks throughout the country. As we've discussed here before, this will cement the growth of municipal WiFi outside the big cities.
Sparkplug has gained a decent $22.5 million in new funding through investors, which will allow the wireless broadband Internet provider company to try and reach new businesses for which it can sell its services.
Are you a fan of WiFi in public places? Most of us are, and WiFi mesh networks are now even blanketing some of the larger cities here in the U.S.
The city of Toledo, Ohio has just issued a RFP for the eventual development and deployment of a citywide wireless network.
According to city officials, the deadline for proposals to be submitted is February 20. Estimates are that the winning bidder will spend about $10 million to hook up the city and will have exclusive rights to the "Wireless Toledo" brand. In addition, the city is requiring that service be free for all local governmental departments as well as emergency personnel.
Nassau and Suffolk counties on New York's Long Island have just issued a RFP this week to further explore their options in having a wireless network cover both areas.
The deadline date is March 19, and it would be a good guess to assume that a number of vendors will be submitting proposals to develop and deploy a network here. The counties are densely populated, giving it a huge tax base, so you can bet that the possibility of having hundreds of thousands of users signing up (and paying) for wireless network service could mean a lucrative revenue stream for the winning bidder.
The counties are hoping this wireless network will stimulate business as well as giving residents better access to education and governmental services. It should be interesting to see how this all progresses.
After a long period of negotiations, the city of San Francisco recently agreed to a deal with EarthLink and Google to develop and deploy a municipal wireless network. However, the contract still needs to be approved by the city council, and an EarthLink executive has been quoted as saying that approval is not a guarantee.
Don Berryman, EarthLink's head of its municipal networks division, said that as far as he can see, out of the six votes needed for the contract to be ratified, there are at least four and possibly five council members he believes will vote for the deal. He believes three are against it, and another three to four who are undecided.
Berryman believes that there is opposition to the deal by some city supervisors because they believe the city should be the rightful owners of the network, and not an outside company. In response, Berryman is out gathering public support for the project, and Mayor Gavin Newsom, a strong, early supporter of citywide wireless, is also lending a hand.
Although Berryman may be overstating the case when it comes to the level of opposition to the network, there is still some cause for concern. There have been issues regarding user privacy, and no one knows yet with any certainty as to whether citywide wireless networks will prove beneficial economically and socially for a given municipality.
In any event, the contract is up for a vote in February, and it appears that the motion will pass. There is too much momentum at this point for muni WiFi, and it would be considered an embarrassment for San Francisco, one of the technology bellwethers in the U.S., to turn down the opportunity to get into the wireless network game.
We've seen more attention paid to WiMax over the past few months, and with industry biggies like Intel, Motorola, and Clearwire clearly attempting to put their stamps on the marketplace, it looks like a clear alternative to WiFi is on the way.
In areas such as Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington, WiMax is the focus of quite a bit of development and deployment. Clearwire has made WiMax available in parts of Oregon and Washington, as well as various other markets around the country. If all proves well, we will certainly see a wide-spread offering of service, and we also will see other vendors getting into the mix.
While the development of both fixed and mobile versions of the WiMax spec still need some tweaking, the fact of the matter is that 2007 should shape up to be a very good year for the technology.
Well, not exactly. Associated Press reporter Geoff Mulvhill interviewed me last week with regard to the move by Camden and Gloucester Counties in New Jersey to jointly explore the development and deployment of a wireless network. Among the things we talked about were my expectation that this network will bridge the "digital divide" and give those folks who have not had the opportunity to access the internet to now have that chance.
We also discussed the idea expressed by many cities and regions that a wireless network will be a boon economically to these areas. While it will be some time before we see any tangible effects a network will have on a local economy, these same networks are poised to streamline government services, which should save the taxpayers some money. We shall see soon enough.
My thanks to Geoff for contacting me and here's hoping we'll see some positive effects from these networks in the near future.
Officials in New Jersey's Burlington County are not exactly jumping on the muni WiFi bandwagon, at least not as of yet.
Neighboring Camden and Gloucester counties are teaming up to create a wireless network for their respective residents, and they were hoping to bring Burlington County into the fold, but a county spokesman says that because his area is more rural and spread out (826 square miles), they would rather see how it all shakes out first before getting involved.
Of course, cost is an issue as well, but wouldn't it make sense to at least sit in on a few meetings or put together a request for information rather than sitting it out and waiting to see what happens later on? It seems a bit short-sighted to say that they'd rather sit on the sidelines and watch instead of getting into the game.
It's been a hectic week of wireless news and information, and here are five stories we think will keep you plugged in to the action. Enjoy!
OK Philadelphians, now is your chance to see what this citywide wireless thing is all about.
EarthLink is announcing that those interested in checking out the muni WiFi network it is building for the city can access the network for free until January 21. Anyone within the vicinity of the 15-square-mile area east of Broad Street and north of the Vine Expressway can log on to the network.
According to the company, routers have been placed onl light poles throughout the area and download/upload speeds should reach up to 10 Mbps. Once the free trial period ends, users can sign up for the service at a montly fee of $21.95.
This has been a long time coming, and now the opportunity to see how a wireless network can function in a large city has finally arrived.
The beautiful city of Prague in the Czech Republic is taking steps to bring wireless internet access to its residents.
As of now, plans to develop and deploy a citywide wireless network won't be coming to fruition until sometime in 2008. However, Irish company Anacapa will be offering a system for cafes and hotels and other facilities to provide a free, ad-supported wireless service to customers. The first hotspot will be up and running later next week, with a few hundred more to be established over the course of the year.
Obviously, one may surmise that residents would want the opportunity to connect to the internet from virtually any location within a municipality, but until Prague (or any other city) can get its act together to form a network, giving outside vendors the opportunity to assist others in accessing the wireless web is a smart way of going about it.
< Previous Page | Next Page >
