Wireless Tech Chat

AT&T, EarthLink, and NextWLAN are the three candidates being evaluated by Chicago city officials as to who will best be able to develop and deploy a citywide wireless network. Plans call for a decision to be made by this fall.

After announcing its plans last year and issuing one of the most comprehensive and detailed RFPs in muni WiFi history (if you can couch it in those terms), the Second City seems to be progressing toward making a decision that could make it the bellwether of citywide wireless, even over Philadelphia.

Of course, with all of the difficulties in San Francisco’s proposed network, big cities might be wary of how to address the muni WiFi question, but Chicago seems to have gone about it the right way. There are technical issues to address, including access by residents and businesses who occupy space in buildings above a certain height, but surely the winning bidder will take the necessary steps to close those gaps as much as possible when they sit down and negotiate a contract with the city.

At this point, cities like Chicago who are doing their utmost to “bridge the digital divide” have to prove to the majority of residents and businesses that muni WiFi is an affordable and reliable choice for internet access. We are seeing a paradigm shift whereby the economic feasibility of developing these networks is standing above all other considerations.

[Via Daily Southtown]

Things are not looking so good for the proposed WiFi network for San Francisco managed by EarthLink and Google. Debates over the contract and its terms have delayed this project for months, and now it looks like EarthLink is having some second thoughts over whether they will stay in.

During EarthLink’s second quarter earnings call last week, President and CEO Rolla P. Huff said that his company is re-thinking its strategy regarding muni WiFi and is looking for opportunities where local governments will become “meaningful anchor tenants” so as to provide a foundation for the development and deployment of a citywide wireless network.

That in itself speaks volumes, because the notion of a “free” wireless network has to set aside if the technology/concept is to grow beyond what it is now. The “if you build it, they will come” strategy no longer makes economic/business sense anymore–it costs too much to install the equipment and get the required access to local infrastructure and, frankly, it requires a lot of time and investment to market this service to the masses.

IMHO, it is the municipality’s job to convey to its residents that a wireless network is available at an affordable cost, and not the ISP’s task. Plus, and rightly so, muni WiFi is a privilege and not a right–you don’t have to have it, and the people that are screaming that everything should be “free” are naive, to say the least.

Time will tell when it comes to the San Francisco wireless network, but it wouldn’t be surprising if EarthLink decides to pull out and seek other opportunities.

[Via SFBG.com]

Colorado Springs, Colorado’s second largest city, has a trio of suitors that are seeking to win the bid to build a citywide wireless network.

The vendors include Boulder, Colorado-based Affinity Telecom Inc., Chicago area-based Federal Signal Corp. and Fort Collins, Colorado-based Front Range Internet Inc. What’s interesting is that none of the major players in the muni WiFi sector, including EarthLink and MetroFi, submitted any bids for this potentially lucrative market. There were no indications as to why, but access to local infrastructure could have been an issue.

In any event, the proposals will be reviewed by the city’s Telecommunicaitons Policy Advisory Committee, but there is no timeframe as to when a decision will be made.

[Via The Gazette]

Palo Alto, California, one of Silicon Valley’s most notable locales and home of tech biggies including Agilent Technologies, Hewlett-Packard, and Facebook, is seeking input as to whether a citywide wireless network will benefit its residents.

Local members of the Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Project is set to confer with Craig Settles, one of the leading experts in muni WiFi issues, and will gauge his input as to how the city should proceed with this project, if at all.

One of the issues that will be discussed is whether Palo Alto should be part of the Wireless Silicon Valley project or go off on its own. It goes without saying that city officials will have to determine, after much analysis, if it makes economic and usability sense to develop its own wireless network or join in on the regional one.

Since Palo Alto is one of the more high-profile tech communities in California, if not the U.S., this situation will be one to watch over the next few weeks and months. Despite some criticism, WiFi networks are still proliferating at a healthy rate.

Since the regional network seems to be progressing quite nicely and will boast support from cities of all shapes and sizes within Silicon Valley, it wouldn’t be a surprise for Palo Alto to get on-board, but they could look to stand out from the pack by establishing their own network. My guess is they will join the regional project and go independent within two years.

[Via Palo Alto Daily News]

Nearly a year after the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership launched its free wireless network in the central business district, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is spearheading the effort to bring wireless internet access to the entire Steel City.

On August 1, the city will be issuing a request for information for all parties interested in developing and deploying a citywide wireless network. Plans are for a formal RFP to go out later this fall, but in the interim, city officials want to get a general idea of how to go about expanding wireless network coverage to all residents and businesses within the city.

The mayor is making it plain that he wants the entire city blanketed–he is not in favor of setting up different networks for different neighborhoods, or allowing for various entities to provide service (such as Boston). He basically wants the traditional “one service by one provider” set-up.

This approach is the one that municipalities like to use in order to “bridge the digital divide” within their community, but as the linked story indicates, wireless providers are interested in profits, and they are beginning to step away from the free network model and are more interested in setting up tiered-service levels which, by the way, is the right way to about it, IMO.

[Via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

In a bold and fairly risky move, Sprint Nextel has decided to build a wireless network based on WiMax technology while leveraging its existing airwaves.

The company has teamed up with Clearwire, which has made a name for itself since launching back in 2004 by providing WiMax-enabled services in a number of markets throughout the country. Both companies are seeking to bring WiMax to the masses and forgoing the opportunity to bid for airwaves in an upcoming auction.

As part of the agreement between Sprint and Clearwire, customers will have the ability roam on each other’s service while they continue to build and shape the new network. The service will be introduced in Baltimore, Washington and Chicago by the end of the year, and plans are in place to make it available to 100 million customers by the end of 2008.

Critics say that WiMax has still not proven itself on a grand scale, but a number of smaller networks have proved fairly successful both in the U.S. and abroad, so this deal certainly may be the make-or-break point for the technology, with billions of dollars riding on it.

As has been noted in a number of news stories and blog postings regarding this deal, could this portend the beginning of the end for muni WiFi? I personally don’t think so yet, only because cities are still just beginning to learn what the potential of wireless network access may mean for their particular locales, and it would seem a bit of a stretch for them to make the quantum leap to WiMax. However, if this Sprint Nextel/Clearwire network has a succesful beta testing period followed by launch, things could change rather quickly, since it would be economically more feasible to deploy WiMax-enabled access points, which have a far greater range than WiFi-enabled ones.

[Via Washington Post]

OK, OK, with all of the hubbub over the iPhone comes word of an “accusation” from Duke University, who says that the proliferation of iPhones in and around the campus are jamming part of its wireless network.

According to the university, it seems that about 100 to 150 iPhones have been registered on the wireless network, and it appears that their use has been freezing the system for up to 10 minutes at a time.

It’s gotten so that Duke has contacted Apple to analyze the problem, and the company says it will look into the situation and advise the university as to how to correct it. The device accesses through AT&T’s Edge network or through a WiFi signal. When a hotspot is unavailable, it automatically switches to the Edge network but continues to check for a hotpsot.

Adjustments may be made on the network to accommodate the iPhone which, no doubt, a fair number of Duke students have already purchased (or will be purchasing) before classes start next month.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another…

[Via Yahoo! News]

A free wireless network that covers a (roughly) 15-mile stretch along the River Thames in London has just been established as of last week.

The network, which is being managed by the free-hotspot.com group and MeshHopper, is being offered to both businesses and the general public. The term “free access” is defined in this instance as users agreeing to view a 15- to 30-second advertisement every 15 minutes online. Users can opt to pay either an hourly or monthly fee to avoid seeing these ads. In addition, the paid service operates at 500 Kbps, while the free service runs along at 256 Kbps. Not exactly blazing fast, but manageable for most users.

Plans are underway to expand the network by next month.

[Via BusinessWeek]

This is getting both monotonous and ridiculous. Just when you thought the proposed San Francisco wireless network managed

by EarthLink and Google was about to move forward, it takes a couple of steps back when EarthLink asked for a delay on a vote by the Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Finance Committee because of more concerns expressed by a number of members.

Some of the issues raised include the fact that users would likely have to buy additional equipment for their own computers to access the wireless network, plus guarantees that the network would be functional in all areas of San Francisco. Plus, there were concerns regarding the contract length (16 years) and privacy issues, which were raised last year.

The chances are good that the wireless network will be approved eventually, albeit with changes. However, this process has taken much too long–San Francisco is one of the bellwethers when it comes to technology in this country, and the fact that a wireless network is STILL not in place is embarrassing to the technology’s supporters, to say the least.

There just has been way too much political posturing here. Granted, city officials have to look out for the interest of the citizens, but usage of this network would be voluntary–no one is shoving this down anyone’s throats. If people want to use it, fine. If they don’t, they don’t. Yes, public monies are going to be spent one way or another, but there is enough support here for this network to have a good chance of succeeding. Plus, the people deserve the opportunity to test it out to see if it works for them. ‘Nuff said.

[Via SFGate.com]

The city of my birth, Jersey City, New Jersey, is among a number of Hudson County communities that may be looking at establishing a muni WiFi network in the not-too-distant future.

City officials say before they actually begin the investigation of the process, and way before authoring a request for proposals, they are investing over $200,000 line-of-sight wireless network between some city buildings that will eventually help Jersey City stop leasing data lines and the purchase of costly phone service. Once this is accomplished, the city will then turn to the process of the eventual development and deployment of a wireless network for its residents.

As we’ve seen over the past year, the citywide wireless network movement is progressing beyond the big cities and is finding niches in smaller and more urban environments. Projects like this will determine whether or not a muni WiFi network will truly “bridge the digital divide” as supporters like to say when selling its benefits.

[Via NJ.com]

New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) says it is moving forward to authorize cellular service in all of its 277 underground station within New York City. Plans call for a contract to be signed in the next few months.

This whole process began nearly two years ago, but negotiations with a number of wireless providers have been stop-and-go,
but things should get on the right track (pardon the pun!) fairly soon. It remains to be seen who may end up as the premier
service provider, but we should have a better idea in the near future.

[Via New York Post]

Although the citywide wireless network has touched just about every corner of the country, it seems that it may never find its mark in The Big Apple.

I’ve written many times in the past that New York City was the “big enchalida” when it comes to citywide wireless. If the city had ever announced plans to develop and deploy a muni WiFi network, ISPs of all shapes and sizes would be tripping over themselves to respond to the mother of all RFPs.

However, it doesn’t look like there are plans coming forth to build a network. About a year ago, there was some discussion in a city council committee, but nothing seems to have emerged since then. At this point, it appears that residents are content to stay with whatever internet connection they may already have. In addition, city officials may feel that a wireless network will not provide that much of an economic or social benefit to an already-existing major hub of business and culture.

So, for at least the forseeable future, it looks like the muni WiFi train will pass by New York City. However, as we all know, things can change in an instant, and if someone can produce a plan that can outline the benefits of a network to a city as large as this one, opinions can certainly shift very quickly.

[Via New York Daily News]

This week is the big one as far as the proposed citywide wireless network for San Francisco is concerned. The network, which will be managed by Google and EarthLink, has undergone its share of controversy over the past year-and-a-half ever since the deal was first announced. Privacy concerns, questions over who has the ultimate control over the network and how much it really will be used by residents, and costs have been debated ad infinitum.

However, it looks like the agreement is on track to be voted on by the city’s Board of Supervisors after it considers a proposal from the San Francisco Neighborhood Antenna Free Union (SNAFU) to review the environmental impact the placement of over 2,000 wireless antennas around the area. If the board enacts the proposal, this review could take about a year and, frankly, this would likely drive the stake through the heart of the Google/EarthLink network.

At this point, Mayor Newsom and other supporters of the network must step up to the plate and prove that the Google/EarthLink network will deliver on its promises. There have been way too many delays and debates over it, and it is time to act, whether it be to enact the agreement or not. The constant pondering by some in this city, as well as others, is hurting the development and deployment of this technology, and residents are being denied the potential benefits of a wireless network.

[Via Examiner.com]

I’m currently sailing on a cruise ship to Bermuda. However, as I and many other passengers have done, I brought along my laptop so I can stay in touch via my e-mail and keep up with what’s going on in the world. (You can only watch so much CNN in your stateroom between meals and hanging out at the pool.)

Anyway, I was interested to see how good the wireless connections are on this cruise ship, as many cruise lines have (or are in the process of) installed WiFi antennas in certain locations around the vessel. It’s an add-on that more passengers want to have, since many of us just can’t seem to let go of our laptops or other WiFi-enabled devices, even for a few days.

So far, the wireless connection is fairly stable; however, speed is a bit lacking. I would say it’s about 1-1/2 times faster than an old-fashioned 56k dial-up modem. I don’t plan on staying online for long stretches, so I can put up with it, at least for now. Hopefully in time, cruise lines will recognize the need for speed and will make sure their WiFi connections are faster.

But for now, I’m content with what I have. Anyway, it’s nearly time for lunch, and then it’s off to the casino! Maybe I can win enough cash to buy me one of those new-fangled iPhones!