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Estonia & Latvia
Location: Czech Republic
Abstract:
Latvia and Estonia have emerged as world-class leaders in Wi-Fi. Beginning in 1993, Riga built Europe’s first citywide wireless data network to interconnect the University of Latvia’s faculties with one another and with other educational institutions, using 915-MHz and 2.4-GHz equipment and software developed by amateur radio enthusiasts. Detailed documentation online encourages others to create similar projects (see http://www.ltn.lv/~guntis/myweb/radio.htm). Estonia began late, in 2001, but it went farther. Today, more than 85 percent of Estonia’s land area has Wi-Fi coverage — more Wi-Fi hotspots per capita than any other country, and almost as many as Russia (which has 100 times more people). After gaining independence in 1991, Estonia set its sights on becoming an Information Society. In 1997, the government launched Tiger Leap, to connect every school to the Internet. In 2000, Estonia’s parliament proclaimed Internet access a human right. But it was the private sector that embraced Wi-Fi, and license exemption proved more of a stimulus than state sponsorship.
Website: http://www.openspectrum.info
Practitioner Name: Robert Horvitz
Practitioner Tel: n/a
Practitioner E-mail: horvitz@vol.cz
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Everett, WA
Location: USA
Abstract:
To better protect the city’s 100,000 permanent residents, the City of Everett Police Department had adopted a wide range of technology initiatives, including extensive intranet and Internet law enforcement tools running on the city’s Cisco Systems network. But P.D. had identified a problem with the time that police officers spend in-station examining records or searching for outstanding warrants and other information. The solution was to make those network-based police tools mobile, and help enable every officer on the beat to be more efficient and do the same work from their car that they would normally do at the station.
Website: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns621/networking_solutions_customer_profile0900aecd801c0b49.html; http://www.boydbryant.com
Practitioner Name: Boyd Bryant
Practitioner Tel: n/a
Practitioner E-mail: boyd@boydbryant.com
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Fredericton, New Brunswick
Location: Canada
Abstract:
In 2004, the City of Fredericton, New Brunswick, won the Judges Innovation Award at the Canadian Information Productivity Awards for its new broadband wireless network. The city of 84,000 had been weary of losing business and industry to larger cities with greater access, and so pursued the opportunity of deploying a high-speed fiber-optic network. In doing so, the City actually formed the Internet Co-op, pooling municipal funds with those of local industry in order to be able to buy wholesale access and pass savings to local businesses. Economically, Fredericton’s network has been a tremendous success; the city has seen an increase in entrepreneurial activity since deployment, while “the connectivity incentive to move way from Fredericton has been successfully dealt with.”
Website: http://www.fred-ezone.com/
Practitioner Name: Don Fitzgerald
Practitioner Tel: n/a
Practitioner E-mail: don.fitzgerald@teamfredericton.com
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Fresno, CA
Location: USA
Abstract:
Officials in the city of Fresno, California, recognized that by enabling officers broadband data access in their vehicles their effectiveness in fighting crime would increase significantly. Fast access to real-time information presented a critical factor and field time could be increased if reports were filed remotely. The solution was a citywide wireless broadband network that would provide always-available, real-time, high-speed connectivity to the city’s fleet of 250 police vehicles. The network would complement the City's aging 800 MHz legacy wireless infrastructure. At first, the heavy tree canopy around the city caused problems, and the Department regrouped and wrote a second RFP, this time identifying needs and telling the broadband-wireless industry what it was trying to achieve. A four-square-mile test area was established to ensure the police department and vendors were going down the same path. The department received responses from eight vendors, and eventually settled on Alvarion’s wireless broadband system network, with an accompanying mesh solution. The large cell radius and advanced Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) capability would overcome the challenges of heavy foliage and geographic difficulties. The addition of IBM’s WECM (WebSphere Everyplace Connection Manager) would support roaming between Alvarion’s high-speed network and the existing one. The network combining BreezeACCESS® VL and BreezeACCESS 900 systems, operating at 5GHz and 900 MHz, was specifically built to accommodate the existing two-way radio network, operating at 800 MHz, resulting in a redundancy for preventing connection failures.
Website: http://www.fresno.gov
Practitioner Name: Patrick Rhames
Practitioner Tel: 559-621-2151
Practitioner E-mail: Pat.Rhames@ci.fresno.ca.us
Presentation: Only registered users can load presentations, please log-in
Vendor Name 1: ALVR
Vendor Title 1: Alvarion-USA
Vendor Name 2: IBM
Vendor Title 2: IBM
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Galt, CA
Location: USA
Abstract:
Galt is an agricultural community forty miles southeast of Sacramento. In 2005, local broadband provider Softcom Internet Communications Inc. began installing a citywide broadband-wireless network through a novel approach. To sidestep lengthy negotiations to access city assets to mount equipment, it offered selected homeowners and businesses a significant discount on their monthly broadband access fees in exchange for permission to install broadband-wirless equipment on their rooftops. More than four square miles were covered with a high-capacity, carrier-grade wireless cloud offering Wi-Fi to over 4,000 homes for $24.95 per month.
Website: n/a
Practitioner Name: Kevin M. Triplett
Practitioner Tel: 209-482-6285
Practitioner E-mail: kevin@softcom.net
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Gotland (GEAB), Sweden
Location: United States
Abstract:
The Swedish Government’s 2003 National Broadband initiative aims for 100% broadband availability for the entire nation. In an effort to comply with this initiative the Swedish isle of Gotland began to investigate how broadband could most quickly and cost-effectively be provided to its entire population of 60,000. The GEAB (Gotlands Energi AB), responsible for providing energy and broadband services to the island, had already begun to build a DSL network that could only cover 65% of the population. The GEAB, under the direction of the Gotland government, decided to deploy a Broadband Wireless Network using a combination of Alvarion’s technologies. Appointing UpGrade Communication AB, a successful distributor of broadband infrastructure products in Scandinavia, they embarked on a survey and evaluation process that led to the decision. They chose the Alvarion’s BreeseACCESS® OFDM, a Non-Line-of-Sight solution capable of delivering wireless access to population segments that were previously unreachable. In flatter areas where direct line-of-sight is available, Alvarion’s BreezeACCESS XL products would be used. Gotland was the first community in Sweden to deploy a wireless broadband network, in March 2004, increasing broadband availability to 99.8% of the population.
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Website: www.gotlandsenergi.se/
Practitioner Name: Lars Samuelsson
Practitioner Tel: 0498-28 50 00
Practitioner E-mail: kontakt@geab.vattenfall.se
Vendor Name 1: ALVR
Vendor Title 1: Alvarion-USA
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Gran Chaco, Paraguay (Mennonite Community)
Location: Paraguay
Abstract:
The Mennonites of Gran Chaco, a densely forested region in Paraguay, maintains a unique lifestyle of agricultural-based independence and isolation. Nevertheless, they are not shy about the use of technology and their value of education and information drives the desire for high-speed broadband access. Telecel, the local cellular operator needed to find a way to provide broadband services to the community. The rollout of landline infrastructure was not feasible and a wireless broadband solution was required. Alvarion’s BreezeACCESS® operating in the 3.5 GHz band was selected as the best cost-effective solution to offer high-speed IP service. The 10,000 Mennonite settlers now take advantage of broadband Internet access to purchase goods and sell produce, use voice-over-IP and enjoy video conferencing.
Website:
Practitioner Name: International Corporate Headquarters
Practitioner Tel: +972 3 645 6262
Practitioner E-mail: corporate-sales@alvarion.com
Vendor Name 1: ALVR
Vendor Title 1: Alvarion-USA
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Granbury, TX
Location: USA
Abstract:
On March 1, 2006, the City of Granbury, Texas, launched a mesh network to increase the efficiency of local government agencies, enhance the availability of information for the local police, fire and emergency services departments, and provide affordable and accessible broadband for the local community. ISP RedMoon was charged with proving the reliability of the new mesh network, while the city secured the contracts and manpower to mount network assets. In 2007, Granbury purchased the Wi-Fi network from RedMoon and redeployed the assets to better fit its needs and those of its citizens.
Website: http://www.granbury.org/index.asp?NID=456
Practitioner Name: n/a
Practitioner Tel: n/a
Practitioner E-mail: tull@granbury.org
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Grand Haven, MI
Location: USA
Abstract:
With support from a progressive mayor, Ottawa Wireless began deploying a Wi-Fi mesh network in Grand Haven (pop. 14,000) in the summer 2003. The network uses a single fiber connection that is spread across the city and surrounding waterways via several hundred Wi-Fi radios strategically located upon the city’s infrastructure. Estimated costs for building out the network were $40,000 per square mile in an area with a lot of trees. Customers can get point-to-point dedicated VPN connections, wireless video surveillance, and high-speed access for boaters up to 20 miles offshore.
Website: http://www.grandhaven.org/
Practitioner Name: Les Lewis
Practitioner Tel: 616-842-2763
Practitioner E-mail: info@azulstar.com
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Grand Rapids, MI
Location: USA
Abstract:
Grand Rapids (pop. 200,000) covers 45 square miles in western Michigan. In January 2007, the City Commission executed an agreement with mobile-WiMAX network provider Clearwire to bring broadband-wireless service to the city’s local-government mobile workforce, businesses, residents and visitors. The contract is the first of its kind between a local government and Clearwire. This is also the first truly cost-neutral arrangement between a municipality and a wireless provider. The city expects the network to be the first large-scale, municipal mobile WiMAX deployment in the US. Project drivers include public safety, digital inclusion, and economic development. Discounted service will be available to low-income residents. Public safety workers previously had a less-than-desirable infrastructure; the new network should enable capacity to initiate Amber alerts, video streaming, wanted-persons alerts, field reporting, and delivering floor plans. The City expects that the network will be available by the end of 2007.
Website: http://www.wirelessgr.com
Practitioner Name: Thomas McQuillan
Practitioner Tel: 616-456-3068
Practitioner E-mail: tmcquill@ci.grand-rapids.mi.us
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