Hartford Launches Free Wi-Fi Program
Hartford announced Friday that it is launching a $1 million pilot program to test a free municipal wireless network in two city neighborhoods. __The idea is to give lower-income families access to information on education, health care and jobs.
From WCBS-TV New York, October 27, 2006
Three providers competing to provide Wi-Fi in Milpitas
Earthlink Inc. plans to have a citywide, fee-based Wi-Fi system in place by the end of this year. Mountain View-based MetroFi Inc. has signed a contract with the city of Milpitas to provide a free, advertisement-backed Wi-Fi service by 2007. Then there is MetroConnect, the coalition of IBM Corp., Cisco Systems Inc. and others to create one gigantic, Silicon Valley-wide Wi-Fi hot zone that would include Milpitas.
From Silicon Valley/ San Jose Business Journal, October 23, 2006
New Orleans to Unplug Wi-Fi Network
The City of New Orleans will give up its hard-fought battle for a free city-provided wireless Internet network once EarthLink Inc. finishes building out its initial wireless system, according to the city and EarthLink Inc.
From Times-Picayune, October 19, 2006
Where MetroFI Gets Its Funding
CEO Chuck Haas even told us yesterday that the company quietly raised a series B round of $6 million in funding from the Sevin Rosen Fund and August Capital in June to bring the company's total funding to $15 million (the website still says $9 million series A).
From GigaOm, October 18, 2006
AT&T Builds Wi-Fi Network for Riverside (CA)
Initially companies like AT&T and Verizon resisted deploying the technology, said Roger Entner vice president of wireless telecom at Ovum. "If you can't beat them, join them," he said. "AT&T realizes if they don't provide the service, companies like Google or EarthLink will."
From Information Week, October 18, 2006
Boston Adds Downtown Hot Zone
Mayor Thomas M. Menino turned on wireless hot spots that will give Internet access to anyone with a computer or other WiFi-enabled device in City Hall Plaza, Quincy Market, and the North End's Columbus Park.
From Boston Globe, October 17, 2006
Riverside Citywide Wi-Fi Up for Vote
Riverside would become home to AT&T's first citywide network providing free wireless Internet access under a five-year agreement set for City Council consideration Tuesday.
From Press-Enterprise, October 14, 2006
TV Spectrum to Be Opened for Other Uses
Under pressure from Congress, the FCC took the first step toward allowing fixed wireless devices, such as broadband receivers in homes, to use most of the vacant channels in any given market after the digital TV transition in February 2009.
From Los Angeles Times, October 13, 2006
Report from WiMAX World: Winners and Losers
Intel executive Scott Richardson, vice president, Mobility Group, and general manager of the Service Provider Business Group, suggested, "Whoever owns the lampposts wins." He said that the Wi-Fi and municipal relationships will simply expand into Mobile WiMAX and those players will be the big winners.
From Wireless Week, October 12, 2006
Love Is in the [Bel]Air
London, Toronto and Minneapolis are all real-world examples of cities that have taken the plunge into municipal wireless systems. For the moment, they are based on BelAir's Wi-Fi mesh systems, but have been built with an eye to the future. That future is WiMAX.
From Wireless Week, October 12, 2006
