'City-scale' Means A Whole Lot More Than Infrastructure

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The challenges associated with designing and constructing a metropolitan scale fixed and mobile wireless broadband network are significant. The laws of physics are still the primary source of truth in these matters. Economics, politics, social justice and technical innovation are not far behind.

Rolling hills and a canopy of trees are often featured with pride in visitor guides and promotional materials about great cities. These same natural wonders are not featured in the paradise of radio engineer's dreams. Simply locating, powering and preparing adequate and ideally located vertical assets is a major undertaking in most cities. The average municipal, utility and private property owner permitting and approval processes that must be navigated to take advantage of these assets is complicated and time consuming.

Designing and optimizing the appropriate grid of radio devices and linking the grid to robust backhaul strategies is as much an art as a science and quite a lot of work. Add in the intangibles associated with politics and people and, oh yes, cash, and it's no wonder teams are so pleased with themselves when they successfully deliver reliable broadband googletone!

Not so fast, folks. The natural desire to take a well deserved break at this point in the evolution of futuristic municipal infrastructure is ill advised. It is important to remind ourselves at every major milestone why we are doing this in the first place. Broadband access for the purpose of what? That is a key question. How will these networks add value to those who live, work, learn, and play in communities across the globe?

The answer, I believe, is by defining a network's completion as the delivery of reliable, robust broadband services and an integrated offering of municipal, community, public sector, residential, business and visitor applications.

Googletone? A good start.

A network of neighborhood free civic garden portals serving as a community information channel? Better.

Access to on-line municipal applications that allow city workers to streamline the delivery of public safety and non-emergency services? We're getting there.

Customer oriented on-line government to government, government to business and government to consumer applications available seven days a week and twenty-four hours a day? You'd think government is run by people like us.

A network of Community Technology Centers to help people better understand and leverage broadband technologies, devices and applications with a focus on including children, seniors and non-English speaking residents? That would be an investment in our future.

Access to e-learning, tele-medicine, location based information, e-pay parking meters, mobile broadband access on transportation systems and on-line event and entertainment ticketing? What a great place to live.

Telecommuting from anywhere, anytime; cost effective delivery routing and communication systems, the ability to tailor advertising by neighborhood? Micro-economic development on steroids.

Stepping off a plane and signing up for short term broadband that works at the airport, on transit systems, in public spaces, at hotels and entertainment venues, across higher ed campuses and at hot spots throughout an urban landscape? What a great visitor experience.

Constructing city scale broadband networks is a challenge. Doing it right is an accomplishment.

James Farstad is President of rClient in Minneapolis. He moderates the Service Provider Executives and Local-Government CIOs Roundtable at the W2i Digital Cities Convention.