CALABASSAS, Calif.—Mesh network gear-maker Strix Systems Inc. announced that its Access/One outdoor wireless system will be used by Citi WiFi Networks Inc. for its deployment of a Wi-Fi network in Dunedin, Fla., a city with about 38,000 residents located 20 miles north of St. Petersburg.
Strix said the network is expected to provide wireless broadband Internet access to city offices and the town’s marina. The network is being funded by both private and public funds, the company said. The network is reportedly 25 percent complete, and is expected to eventually cover 10.4 square miles.
“We believe that the advantages of Strix’s approach boil down to containing the cost per square mile, which allows for cost-effective deployment of services and enables us to capture the maximum possible service revenue per square mile,” said Frank McCarthy, president of Citi WiFi Networks. “If you want to deploy broadband service now and add IP, multimedia and [Voice over Internet Protocol] applications in the future, you have to build a network today that can deliver the throughput and low-latency to support such applications tomorrow.”
Strix points out that the Dunedin network is unique in that Citi WiFi entered into an agreement with Progress Energy to place the Strix nodes on utility poles owned by the private power company.
Strix’s equipment is expected to be used in several other Florida locations. Citi WiFi, headquartered in St. Petersburg, said it has plans to create ubiquitous Wi-Fi coverage in Pinellas County, where Dunedin is located, as well as all over the Tampa Bay area and other areas of the state.
“We’re working with several cities in Florida and recently ranked first in West Palm Beach’s invitation to negotiate for a wireless mesh network,” McCarthy added.
In early February, Strix won a contract with NeoReach Wireless to construct a 72-square-mile municipal Wi-Fi network in Chandler, Ariz. The network is expected to offer Wi-Fi access to about 19,000 businesses and 240,000 residents in the area, while another separate network would serve municipal employees, the companies said.
NeoReach Wireless, a subsidiary of MobilePro Corp., is already using Strix’s mesh technology in nearby Tempe, Ariz., where it is building a 40-square-mile municipal Wi-Fi network.
Strix also announced the availability of its new Edge Wireless System 100, high-speed hardware that extends the reach and mobility of Strix’ Access/One mesh network indoors. The company said its “plug and play” product connects multiple in-house devices to the mesh network, providing roaming for voice and data between inside and outside.
