Let’s try an Iron Lotus. — Blades of Glory
The Philadelphia Inquirer asks itself a question — will municipal wireless succeed?
Philadelphia is working out on the cutting edge with its wireless initiative. Much as its critics anticipate a meltdown, there is still more reason to be upbeat than not.Construction of the city’s municipal wireless network is moving along well. The Wireless Philadelphia agency reports that the Internet signal now reaches about half of the city’s 135 square miles and that the project is on track for completion by year’s end.
In being among the first with its Wi-Fi deal, the city is fortunate in that it did not commit to being the network’s anchor customer. That was a stumbling block in Chicago, where city officials recently shelved plans to cover 228 square miles with a Wi-Fi signal rather than pay for the Internet access accounts that the city would utilize.
The city’s Wi-Fi service will retail at a monthly cost of $19.95 after an introductory $6.95 offer expires. Low-income households can qualify for a permanently discounted rate. City Hall, meanwhile, will be provided with 3,000 free accounts for use for municipal services. A free wireless signal has been available for months in several downtown public squares and around the Convention Center.
Would it be better if the service were even cheaper? Of course. But long before the municipal network was under way, city consumers of Comcast and Verizon began benefiting from discounts on phone- and cable-based Internet service enacted in the face of new competition.
Now, the $64,000 question is whether the city’s Wi-Fi service will attract enough paying customers.
Are city-wide WiFi networks viable? Opinions differ. DailyWireless has always had our doubts about using Wi-Fi for really large-scale projects — that’s what WiMAX was designed for.
But there’s reason to be optimistic. Technology gets faster, cheaper and better. And the market grows. Solutions will evolve. Will “free” ad-driven networks succeed? Who knows.
Each municipal wireless case is different — but demand goes up while costs go down. It’s a good trend. I especially like the WiMAX/Wi-Fi pairing.
Many are declaring municipal wireless dead. I think it’s just begun.
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