Americas

Location(s)

The San Mateo Police Department (SMPD) uses a wireless broadband network to aid them in their duties. Before the wireless network, the SMPD, like most law enforcement agencies of its size, had used a mobile data radio system. While this was useful for computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and text-only incident information, this kind of system is slow (9.6 Kbps), much slower than dial-up. Access to a high speed network throughout the city saves police officers time, and trips back to headquarters, as they can now perform vital tasks such as report filing, database access, photo-lineup generation, and other investigative activities from Wi-Fi enabled PDAs and laptop computers while on the road. The SMPD has 35 patrol cars and more than 110 police officers.

Learn More:

Metro-Scale Wi-Fi for Public Safety. San Mateo Police Department. Tropos Networks Case Study. July 2007. www.tropos.com

Location(s)

Corpus Christi, TX is a pioneer of wireless applications for municipal services. Planned and operational network applications include, for example, automated meter reading, in car video policing, and mobile emergency web operations. While not the original priority of the network, wireless internet services are now also available. Corpus Christi initially formed a non-profit corporation, called Corpus Christi Digital Community, in order to sell wholesale capacity to private service providers on the city-owned wireless network. Later, the city began working with Earthlink to manage the wireless network, and finally sold the network to Earthlink in March 2007. It remains an open network, meaning that Earthlink will sell wholesale access to other ISPs that want to deliver Internet service over the network. In addition, Earthlink and Corpus Christi have an ongoing relationship. The company will purchase wholesale access to the city’s backbone for $340,000 a year and the city has a $500,000 yearly commitment to buy back network services from Earthlink as an anchor tenant.

Learn More:

CC Digital Community Development Corporation
http://www.ccwifi.org/ccdcdc/

Earthlink Wi-Fi
http://www.earthlink.net/wifi/

A Perfect Match: How the Marriage of WiFi and AMR Could Transform Meter Reading. A. Perlman. Muniwireless Newsletter, p. 18-27. March 2007. www.muniwireless.com/reports/MW005.pdf

Corpus Christi, TX List of Wireless Applications
www.cctexas.com/wifiportal/wirelessapplicationssummaries.pdf

EarthLink will deliver Internet access on Corpus Christi citywide network. Esme Vos. Muniwireless. March 7, 2007.
http://www.muniwireless.com/article/articleview/5767/1/23/

Is Corpus Christi EarthLink's Model for the Future? Carol Ellison. Muniwireless. August 10, 2007.
http://www.muniwireless.com/article/articleview/6310/1/23/

EarthLink Dedicates Wi-Fi Network In Corpus Christi. W. David Gardner. InformationWeek. August 10, 2007.
http://www.informationweek.com/internet/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=2014...

FON is a company that aims to make free Wi-Fi available around the world by building a grassroots network; by 2010 it hopes to have one million hotspots. The company was founded in Spain in February 2006 by Martin Varsavsky, a successful telecommunications entrepreneur. Shortly after, FON received funding from Google, Skype, and two well-know venture capital firms.

FON users agree to share one (home, business, etc.) internet connection, in exchange for free access to all other users’ connections around the world. This means that, while the cost of joining FON is free, users must pay for one local internet connection, and a FON router (about $50). The FON router helps make sharing an internet connection secure. Non-FON members can also connect to FON hotspots for a daily fee ($3), for which the FON member may receive 50% of net revenue.

While there has been concern that ISPs would forbid their users from using FON to share their connection, so far no ISP has publicly said they will penalize users for doing so. In fact, some ISPs, including Time Warner Cable, are partnering with FON.

Learn More:

FON
http://www.fon.com/en/

FON on del.icio.us and Wikipedia
http://del.icio.us/foneros
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FON

FON: Wi-Fi for Everyone. New Telephony. February 14, 2006.
http://www.newtelephony.com/news/62h14134813.html

Zuckerman, Ethan. FON, and why sharing WiFi’s a cool technology for Africa. February 5, 2006. http://ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=363

Wong, M., & Clement, A. (2007). Sharing Wireless Internet in Urban Neighborhoods. In Steinfeld, C., Pentland, B. T., Ackerman, M. & Contractor, N. (Eds.), Communities and Technologies 2007: Proceedings of the Third Communities and Technologies Conference. London: Springer-Verlag. www3.fis.utoronto.ca/iprp/cracin/publications/pdfs/WorkingPapers/CRACIN%20Working%20Paper%20No.%2019.pdf

Location(s)

Île Sans Fil (“island without wires”) is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization committed “to the development of a free communication infrastructure to strengthen local communities in the greater Montreal region.” The group has a number of projects, including acting as an enabler and coordinator of free-to-the-user wireless hotspots throughout Montreal, building a city rooftop-to-rooftop wireless mesh network, and developing technology for community networking (see article below on Wifidog). ISF also aims to create online space for local content and new media art.

Learn More:

Île Sans Fil
http://www.ilesansfil.org/tiki-index.php

Articles on Île Sans Fil
http://www.ilesansfil.org/tiki-index.php?page=Press

McCallum, D. (2007). An Interview with Michael Lenczner. Vague Terrain.
http://www.vagueterrain.net/content/archives/journal06/lenczner01.html

Lenczner, M. (2005). Wireless Portals with Wifidog. Linux Journal, 140. http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8352

Rocha, R. (2007). Pioneering Wi-Fi Cities Face Budget Hiccups. The Gazette. September 6, 2007. http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/business/story.html?id=45da17....

Powell, A., & Regan Shade, L. (2006). Going Wi-Fi in Canada: Municipal, and Community Initiatives. Government Information Quarterly, 23(3-4), 381-403. (For Île Sans Fil profile, see p. 390.)
www3.fis.utoronto.ca/research/iprp/cracin/publications/pdfs/final/powell_shade_wifi_giq.pdf

Location(s)

The Austin Wireless City Project (AWCP) is a non-profit group that aims to “improve the availability and quality of public free WiFi in Austin.” The group is run by volunteers, which help local businesses set up wireless hotspots. The businesses pay for an internet connection from an ISP, but connecting the wireless node is free for users. There are also a number of AWCP hotspots at Austin public libraries. The article listed below by Fuentes-Bautista and Inagaki gives a detailed introduction not only to AWCP, but also to the other players in Austin’s wireless environment. It discusses some of the benefits and drawbacks to community hotspot models, especially in terms of their ability to help bridge the digital divide.

Learn More:

Austin Wireless
http://www.austinwirelesscity.org/

MacKinnon, Rich (2004). Austin Goes Wi-Fi Too. Government Technology. March 2, 2004. http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/89576

Fuentes-Bautista, M., & Inagaki, N. (2006). Reconfiguring Public Internet Access in Austin, TX: Wi-Fi's Promise and Broadband Divides. Government Information Quarterly, 23(3-4), 404-434. www.utexas.edu/research/tipi/research/fuentes_inagaki_wifiaustin.pdf

Location(s)

In Philadelphia, Wireless Philadelphia (a city government-chartered nonprofit) has signed an agreement with Earthlink to build, manage, and maintain a citywide wireless network. The city has granted Earthlink the rights to use the city's streetlights for the operation of the wireless network. The project was initiated by Philadelphia, and from the city’s perspective, has a strong focus on closing the digital divide. As one of the earliest big-city wireless projects, it has received a lot of press. Before going forward with the project, Philadelphia conducted an in-depth feasibility study (see the Wireless Philadelphia Business Plan), and the contract requires Earthlink to meet certain quality and coverage standards (see Proof of Concept Acceptance).

Learn More:

Wireless Philadelphia
http://www.wirelessphiladelphia.org/

Wireless Philadelphia Business Plan. Wireless Philadelphia Executive Committee. February 9, 2005. http://www.phila.gov/wireless/pdfs/Wireless-Phila-Business-Plan-040305-1...

Wireless Philadelphia RFP. 2005.
www.phila.gov/rfp/pdfs/WP%20RFP%204-5-05%20rev%20v4-CLEAN.pdf

Wireless Philadelphia, Proof of Concept Acceptance.
http://www.wirelessphiladelphia.org/blog_detail.cfm/blog/19

Can Governments Create Universal Internet Access? The Philadelphia Municipal Wireless Network Story. Jain, A., M. Mandviwalla, et al. E-Government Series, IBM Center for the Business of Government. 2007. www.businessofgovernment.org/pdfs/JainBankerReport.pdf

Location(s)

Boston has formed a nonprofit organization that will construct, own and operate a citywide wireless broadband network. The nonprofit will need to raise between $16 and $20 million to fund the network's construction and initial operations. The City of Boston will grant the nonprofit access to necessary infrastructure to build network, but no city funds will be used in this project. The network will operate on an open access model, meaning that multiple providers can provide services over the network. This should encourage competition, and, ultimately, better services and prices for users. The network’s proposed architecture is remarkably forward-thinking in terms of openness and neutrality. See the Wireless Task Force report for a detailed overview of the business model, and results of the city’s feasibility assessment.

Learn More:

Open Air Boston
http://openairboston.net/

Boston Wireless Task Force – Official Site and Report
http://cityofboston.gov/wireless/

Wireless Task Force Report (2006). Boston for Boston. City of Boston.
www.cityofboston.gov/wireless/Boston%20Wireless%20Task%20Force%20Report%...

Recent Press. Open Air Boston.
http://openairboston.net/press/index.html

Location(s)

The city of Tucson, AZ is considering initiating a citywide wireless network, to encourage new uses of technology, and make sure that residents and businesses are able to access affordable, high-speed broadband. Tucson aims to attract a private sector company to build a WiFi network without direct city investment, or even indirect investment through an anchor tenancy. Nevertheless, the city does anticipate a role for itself in attracting a private provider and setting up the network.

Tucson hired a consultancy, Columbia Telecommunications Corporation (CTC), to conduct a feasibility study, and advise the city on whether and how it should issue an RFP for a network. The study is comprehensive, including detailed consideration of demographic and financial data, and may be a useful model for other communities studying the feasibility of local networks. Even if a community is not interested in a business model similar to Tucson’s, the feasibility study is worth reading because it covers issues common to municipal wireless deployments in such depth, including strategies for getting the right balance between risks and rewards for public and private partners.

Tucson has already begun deployment of a WiFi network to support public safety and other municipal applications, which will remain separate from a wireless network that would provide services to homes and businesses.

Learn More:

Tucson, Arizona Wi-Fi Feasibility Study Published. Esme Vos. Muniwireless. June 1, 2007. http://www.muniwireless.com/article/articleview/6074/1/23

Wireless Feasibility Study, Prepared for the City of Tucson, Arizona. Columbia Telecommunications Corporation (CTC). May 2007. www.tucsonaz.gov/it/docs/CMS1_028045.pdf

Location(s)

Tacoma’s Click! Network is a publicly owned and managed wholesale cable network. It is a project of Tacoma Power, the local power company. To provide broadband, the city wholesales its cable Internet service to three small local Internet Service Providers (Net-Venture, HarborNet, Advanced Stream), which provide service directly to consumers. Tacoma citizens can choose among Click!, Qwest, AT&T for broadband services. This competition has led to lower prices for Tacoma users as compared to users in neighboring regions.

Learn More:

Click! Network
http://www.click-network.com/

Cheaper Cable? Go to Tacoma: in Seattle, Rates Will Jump. Jane Hadley. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. May 29, 2002.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/72341_modem29.shtml

Location(s)

Technology: fiber, Wi-Fi

Fredericton was having trouble getting access to affordable, high-speed internet. In 2000 the city decided that it would be more cost effective to build its own fiber network, than to wait for or work with the private sector options. Based on a strong positive response from the community, Fredericton was able to form a cooperative of 15 organizations, to own and operate, e-Novations, the city’s non-profit telecommunications company, which now provides service to local businesses and institutions. The initial fiber build-out was financed with a city loan of $65,000, which has since been repaid, and contributions from the local partners, who sometimes prepaid membership several years ahead. Since 2003 the city has also been offering free Wi-Fi to residents. The Wi-Fi network runs off the extra capacity on the fiber network. Wi-Fi coverage is best effort; it is not ubiquitous, and does not have a guaranteed quality of service.

Learn More:

e-Novations
http://www.teamfredericton.ca/enovations.asp

Fred eZone
http://www.fred-ezone.com/

Chronicle of e-Novations & Fred-eZone. The Fred e-Chronicles.
www.teamfredericton.ca/documents/Fred-eChronicles.pdf

Exciting New Muni Wireless Business Models. Beth Stackpole. Daily Wireless. May 2, 2007. http://www.dailywireless.com/features/muni-wireless-business-models-0502...