Municipal WI-FI

New Scientist (subscription required) writes about municipal WI-FI - the payback (free or cheap WI-FI access to small businesses, students, mobile employees) and the challenges ( few standards around mesh WI-FI networks, protests from telecom companies, perception issues – if they cannot run our schools well, why will they run a high-tech project well? Response to last one – many are partnering with private companies like EarthLink to provide the service).

Politics aside, the deployments are expected to explode. Today less than 1,500 square miles are serviced by municipal mesh networks. By 2010 over 120,000 square miles are expected to be blanketed from Taipei to Toronto. The wireless dial tone.

Update: Om provides update on Google/Earthlink in the San Francisco deal and elsewhere.

Further update: May be the telecom industry will not be so hostile to municipal WI-FI based on this change in stance

Comments

[Brian Phipps]

I think this will put companies much closer to their customers. Google/Earthlink has a deal to deliver free baseline WiFi in San Francisco in the near future (with broadband speeds for a fee). Even at sub-broadband speeds that would increase the potential value of everyone's time just by being in the city.

Also works as a big selling point for SF's critical convention biz. Other convention cities will have to match, or drop behind.