Nortel adds Accela application to muni Wi-Fi platform

Government enterprise software firm Accela Inc. reported a partnership with Nortel Networks Ltd. to deliver municipal wireless network products and services.
Calif.-based Accela said its mobile inspection management application, called Accela Wireless, will be included in Nortel’s muni Wi-Fi solution. Accela explained that its mobile government software extends processing capabilities to the field for land use and asset management activities including inspections, investigations, code enforcement, work orders and service request.
More than 60 U.S. cities and counties have implemented Accela Wireless, including Cleveland, New Orleans and the state of Michigan, said Accela.
Nortel said in August that it intends to chase down Wi-Fi contracts in small and medium-sized markets and university campuses, leaving the large markets to its competitors.
“The business case for large-scale metro projects just doesn’t make sense,” said Angela Singhal Whiteford, director of Nortel’s Municipal Wireless Solutions unit. “Bigger cities put out RFPs for almost no-cost for service providers. They look to make their payback within 24 months. But medium cities are willing to sit with you and negotiate. They help find anchor tenants, and they help build customer momentum. The smaller cities need broadband the most, they’ve been neglected. They are definitely easier to do business with.”
However, Nortel is under contract to deploy Wi-Fi networks in some major markets, including Moscow and Taipei, Taiwan. In the United States, the company has won contracts to unwire Annapolis, Md.; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Waukesha County in Wisconsin, along with several university campuses, including The University of Arkansas and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.