Corpus Christi, Texas (pop: 277,454), is putting the finishing touches on the first large-scale citywide wireless network to be implemented in the United States, says GovTech. The $7 million network will provide Internet broadband coverage throughout 147 square miles within the city.
To celebrate the completion of this network, Corpus Christi and the Public Technology Institute (PTI) are hosting the seminar “Wi-Fi Done Right,” December 4-5, 2006 in Corpus Christi (pdf).
What began in 2003 as part of an automated meter-reading capital-improvement project has grown into a network that:
- Gives first responders access to video and location information
- Allows transfer of mug shots to patrol cars
- Will allow officers in the field access to criminal history and to do field crime analysis
- Lets building inspectors file reports from the field from tablet personal computers
- Will allow seniors to file information about their health and prescriptions so emergency personnel have it on hand
- Will allow telecommuters to work on their laptops anywhere in the city
- Will allow wireless access through competitive vendors all over the city
- Enables police to do cost-effective video surveillance
- Can allow 24-hour schooling
- Will provide an Internet marketplace for local businesses.
Their network uses Tropos 5110 outdoor mesh routers, primarily in the downtown area. Tropos has a case study (pdf). The city leverages its existing fiber optic network running to each traffic signal. Access Points are often mounted near the traffic lights.
Pronto’s Wi-Fi management system enables the network to be separated for public and private use. Their public safety departments can be on one network, its municipal systems on another, and residents and visitors on a third, all sharing the same infrastructure. The automated meter reading (AMR) project will cost another $18.5 million over a five-year period.
Meanwhile, Wireless Philadelphia is up and running. They are planning a party (pdf) on 30 November to celebrate.
Free access will be available in certain public spaces such as parks and public areas. These include Love Park, the Historic Square Mile, Penn’s Landing, Cobbs Creek Environmental Center, Hunting Park, Wissahickon Environmental Center, Pennypack Environmental Center, FDR Park and Penn Treaty Park. In addition, each district councilperson will name a public space within his/her district where citizens can go for free access.
Wireless Internet access through EarthLink and Wireless Philadelphia will be priced beginning at $21.95/month (discounted start-up packages may apply) for retail customers and a Digital Inclusion rate of $9.95/month for those who qualify.
Cole Reinwand, vice president for EarthLink’s municipal networks business unit says it costs cellular operators about 25 cents to deliver a megabyte of data over the 3G network, while the citywide Wi-Fi network can deliver a megabyte of data for half a cent.
“We think we’ll have a very compelling offering and we’ll make a decent amount of money in that space,” he said.
EarthLink will also make money by wholesaling wireless network access to other access providers and is negotiating with a large player that wants to sell service through the Philadelphia network. He wouldn’t name the company, but numerous reports have indicated that it’s AOL.
“I expect them to fail,” said Michael Balhoff, managing partner of Balhoff & Rowe, a think tank and advocacy firm focused on the telecommunications industry. And with that failure will come risk to taxpayers, Balhoff added.
Esme Vos, editor of MuniWireless.com, disagrees, claiming that muni Wi-Fi opponents, the incumbent telecommunications companies, just want to protect their business interests.
DailyWireless has more on the Corpus Christi Cloud and other Metro WiFi Clouds.
