BelAir Networks CEO Bernard Herscovich: "Massive Shift in the Mindset of CIOs" By Peter Orne  Wireless Government

Wireless-industry veteran Bernard Herscovich is the founding president and CEO of BelAir Networks in Kanata, Ontario. According to the Dell'Oro Group, BelAir is now the worldwide wireless mesh node market leader based on revenue in Q3 and Q4 in 2007. In December 2007, the company received a new round of financial backing from its investors. And on March 11, 2008, Minnesota-based USI Wireless is expected to announce the completion of its Wireless Minneapolis network, which uses BelAir radios, supports a citywide public-access business model with thousands of subscribers, and played a critical role after the bridge collapse last August. It’s an excellent moment to check in on a CEO whose equipment and market mindset going forward suggest that rumors of "muni Wi-Fi's" death have been greatly exaggerated — and that its use for a broad range of both government and popular objectives will continue to proliferate. More

Published electronically every Thursday, the W2i Government Broadband Wireless Report (The W2i Report) explores the issues surrounding the planning and implementation of broadband-wireless infrastructures, applications and services for cities, communities and regions. The W2i Report features commentaries and interviews with CIOs, wireless field practitioners, industry experts, and local-government association leaders, as well as a dozen independent bloggers. It includes data bases on leading case studies, business opportunities (RFPs) and headlines. All broadband-wireless stakeholders — from local-government officials and IT managers to the ecosystem of equipment and application vendors and systems integrators — are encouraged to subscribe.