[IP] The citywide Wi-Fi reality check
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From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: May 29, 2005 1:32:56 AM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] The citywide Wi-Fi reality check
Reply-To: dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
The citywide Wi-Fi reality check
By Marguerite Reardon
<http://news.com.com/The+citywide+Wi-Fi+reality+check/
2100-7351_3-5722150.html>
Story last modified Fri May 27 04:00:00 PDT 2005
Philadelphia is venturing into the Wi-Fi frontier and liking what it
sees. The big question is, will it feel the same way two years from now?
The city's experiment to blanket its 135 square miles with wireless
high-speed Internet access has been hailed by supporters as one of
the most innovative projects in the country. But some experts caution
that significant technical and business issues must be hammered out
before citywide wireless networks can become a reality.
Large cities such as Philadelphia and San Francisco see wireless
broadband technology as a low-cost solution to providing broadband
access to low-income residents.
They also believe that these Wi-Fi networks can help them save
millions of dollars in operational costs by providing broadband
connectivity for public-safety and other agencies within city
government. Many believe the networks will help boost economic
development by drawing more people to the city.
Philadelphia, which plans to have its citywide Wi-Fi network up and
running by summer 2006, is the poster child of the municipal wireless
movement.
While several smaller cities, such as Chaska, Minn., have deployed
citywide Wi-Fi, the technology has not yet been tested in large
metropolitan areas. Philadelphia will be the first major city to
complete its network. Other large cities, including New York and San
Francisco, are also looking to build their own Wi-Fi networks.
While supporters applaud Philadelphia for its vision, some experts
warn that deploying Wi-Fi in dense urban areas may not be as easy as
it sounds.
"Setting up a citywide network is definitely not as easy as putting
up access points all over the place," said Doug Schremp, chief
technology officer of BTS Partners, a consulting firm that designs
and deploys networks. "There are some technical issues that need to
be addressed, and cities really need to look at the operational and
business issues that come with building and owning their own network."
[snip]
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