Minnetonka, Minn.-based US Internet beat out more than 80 other companies for the city of Minneapolis’ contract to build a 54-square-mile citywide Wi-Fi network, beating out notable EarthLink Inc. and its suppliers Tropos Networks Inc. and Motorola Inc.
Some Wi-Fi watchers have concluded that US Internet’s intent to use BelAir Networks’ multiradio equipment helped it win the deal. The company’s gear is considered high-end in Wi-Fi circles because it packs multiple radios and antennas into its access points. BelAir’s Wi-Fi networking equipment has been deployed in London and Toronto.
Tropos and Motorola each recently added multi-radio/multi-antenna access points to their portfolios, signaling that the marketplace is asking for equipment that lends itself to upgrades, as was the case in Minneapolis. The city said it wants to be able to upgrade to WiMAX eventually, and BelAir’s modular components allow for such an upgrade without switching out entire base stations. However, the city also will need spectrum to launch any sort of WiMAX service.
Construction is set to begin soon and is expected to take about a year, though a square-mile pilot network is already up and running. Karl Kaiser, chief information officer of Minneapolis’ city government, said the city was pleased with the performance of US Internet’s pilot network featuring BelAir’s Wi-Fi technology.
US Internet said Wi-Fi access to the Minneapolis network will cost residents and businesses about $20 per month for 1 megabit-per-second speeds, and the pricing is guaranteed for 10 years. The company also indicated that a digital-inclusion program is being developed to offer certain qualifying residents discounted Internet access.
The agreement spells out that the city will pay US Internet $2.2 million upfront and $1.25 million a year so that the city’s facilities, as well as police and fire emergency services can become anchor tenants on the Wi-Fi network.
To the west, a larger muni Wi-Fi project moved forward as a consortium that includes IBM Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. was selected to bring free Wi-Fi to 2.4 million Silicon Valley residents.
Silicon Valley Metro Connect beat out several other bidders, including VeriLAN and MetroFI, for the task of unwiring 38 cities in California’s San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda and Santa Cruz counties.
SVMC said the 802.11b/g-based Wi-Fi network will be built using mesh wireless equipment from Cisco and network design and integration services from IBM. The network is expected to be up and running in some areas by next year. However, it will take several years for the network to be fully built out, as it will include thousands of access points covering 1,500 square miles.
Azulstar Networks will act as the network and service operator, though cities can also work with other providers if they wish. California-based SeaKay, a nonprofit firm that works to provide Internet access in low-income areas, is set to spearhead digital inclusion programs that will customize the network to meet local needs.
SVMC’s proposal provides 1 Mbps data speeds for free alongside a fee-based service with higher throughput speeds, video streaming and voice over Wi-Fi. SVMC said the network eventually could be used by first responders and other government bodies. Additionally, the consortium said it may also add WiMAX capabilities to the network at some point, though, as in Minneapolis, it’s not clear where the spectrum needed for a WiMAX network will come from.
Google has already launched free Wi-Fi service in its hometown of Mountain View, which is located in Santa Clara County.
