AT&T and MetroFi are working together on a bid for a citywide WiFi network in Riverside, Calif (pop. 300,000, 86 square miles), reports C/Net. Currently, Riverside’s Wireless Mall provides free WiFi to the Main Street Pedestrian Mall (map). Conceived to attract business and improve the quality of life in downtown Riverside, the WiFi project will encompass 35 city blocks when complete following the final Phase IV expansion.
The RFP is sponsored by SmartRiverside, a 501(c)3, which will operate the Digital Divide Program and serve as a High Technology Economic Development attraction.
The companies submitted a proposal (Riverside Purchasing Dept) to build and operate the wireless broadband network on Friday. The proposed network would provide free Internet access throughout the city with download speeds of 500Kbps and upload speeds of 256Kbps. In exchange for free access, the company will include a persistent advertisement on every Web page.
According to the proposal, MetroFi would build the entire Wi-Fi network and operate it throughout the 65 square miles of the city that will be blanketed with Wi-Fi.
In addition to the free service, AT&T has proposed offering a paid service to Riverside residents. If the MetroFi/AT&T proposal is accepted by the city, residents will be able to subscribe to a 1Mbps download broadband service for roughly $19.95 per month.
The company’s founder and chief executive officer, Chuck Haas, said that partnering with a company that is the size of and has the brand recognition of AT&T should help it win more business in the long run.
“MetroFi is a 4-year-old start-up,” Haas said. “We’re a leader in designing and building Wi-Fi networks, but what we lack is brand recognition and the financial resources of a larger company like AT&T, which we could use to market the service. So really the partnership is very complimentary.”
AT&T has submitted proposals to build Wi-Fi networks in other cities, but so far has not won a contract. MetroFi, by contrast, has already won bids to build citywide Wi-Fi networks in 12 cities, including Portland, Ore., Santa Clara, Calif. and Aurora, Ill.
Yesterday, VeriLAN CEO Clive Cook told DailyWireless that they had also submitted a proposal for Riverside. VeriLAN also has bids out for Long Beach, Santa Monica, and the huge, 1,500 square mile wireless Silcon Valley project.
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