Mayor C. Ray Nagin announced that The City of New Orleans will extend a wireless network throughout New Orleans. Most of the equipment was donated by three companies: Intel Corp., Tropos Networks and Pronto Networks.

The Boston Globe reports the city will deploy a municipally owned wireless Internet system that will be free for all users, part of an effort to jump-start recovery by making living and doing business in the city as attractive as possible. The system will also will be used by law enforcement and for city government, such as speeding approval of building permits.

While much of the equipment was donated by firms, the Washington Post says New Orleans will own and operate it. The system which uses devices mounted on streetlights, is scheduled to be operational today in the central business district and the French Quarter and to be expanded over time. New Orleans plans to outsource the network eventually, but until then, the city’s plan is to build and run the network.

New Orleans installed a city-wide wireless network earlier using Tropos gear (case study). It supports interactive cameras throughout the city. Verge is also using mesh in the New Orleans Warehouse District network and providing roaming via Boingo.

Chris Drake, operations manager for New Orleans, said while first responders will still communicate over a radio-band network, the WiFi network can relieve pressure on the radio system for background checks and other police functions.

Before the hurricane, the city had deployed a wireless “mesh” network with video cameras for anti-crime surveillance cameras in parts of the city.

The city uses a Tropos Wi-Fi connection that operates at 1.5 Mbps. The outdoor mesh Wi-Fi network provides communications for the cameras, said Drake.

“We use high-bandwidth, point-to-point wireless to feed bandwidth to omni-directional hot zones powered by outdoor Wi-Fi access points,” he continued. “Each point gives about a one-third mile radius. We can put three to four cameras anywhere in that zone and connect wirelessly through the Tropos unit, back through the ‘bandwidth injection’ point-to-point connection.”

The New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits is using Accela’s laptop/tablet software for automating permitting, inspections, workflow, project management, plan review, code enforcement, and other critical functions. The application hosted off-site by Accela.

Meanwhile, Bell South announced in October they will provide a “pre WiMax” service using Navini gear.

Louisiana is one of those states, prohibiting any locality from offering Internet connection speeds of more than 144 kilobits per second. But a lawsuit by BellSouth, Verizon or SBC might backfire. The city is undertaking one of the most massive rebuilding projects in history and the service would be classified under emergency provisions. Baton Rouge may have no such luck.

Nagin, who was Cox Cable’s top executive in New Orleans before his election in 2002, said the city system would be “just one of several options” residents would have to get Internet service.

Related DailyWireless articles include; Katrina Telecom, Clouds for Fat Tuesday, The Battle of Lafayette, Live From New Orleans, Ham Radio, WiMax: Trial By Fire, Intel On Katrina, BellSouth/Navini in NewOrleans, 700 MHz On The Line, More News Maps, New Orleans wireless network, Solar Electric to Go, FCC Talks Katrina, Pronto Managing Katrina Network, Georgia COWs, Mobile COWs & COLTs, Hurricane Frances Lineworkers, Earthquake First Responders, Hurricane Help, Public Service Bands, and Corpus Christi Cloud.

Posted by Sam Churchill on Monday, November 28th, 2005 at 9:13 am.