MetroFi gets another city: The Wi-Fi unwirer, which uses SkyPilot gear, will add service to Foster City. Their model is advertising-supported free access or monthly rates for avoiding ads. Municipal use is part of the deal.
Siemens may get Lompoc bid: Lompoc was unhappy with its first Tropos deployment from the winning bidder for the city's wireless network. They put out a new RFP, and Siemens is the likely winner. Siemens apparently also rescued an early, poor deployment in Chaska, Minn., the fallen poster child for city wireless. The RFP calls for 100-percent coverage. But, as we know, you kinna change the laws of physics!
Farmers Branch rolls out first Wi-Fi zone: The city contracted with MobilePro (which is using Cisco equipment, apparently, not Strix) to deploy service across 12 square miles with some free areas. The first phase creates the free zones, which the city hasn't yet defined. The service will be used for meter reading and municipal purposes, as well as paid public access.
Longmont signed with MobilePro: The company will use the city's existing fiber-optic network and charge for access to a city-wide Wi-Fi network. They hope to have the network running by the end of the year. While Colorado prohibits municipal-offered service, it allows private companies to be contracted. The network will feature 600 nodes and cost $2m to build. Longmont has a massive fiber-optic network (17 miles long) that's underutilized; it was paid for by a power utility.
Glenn,
I would like to point out that the Chaska network was certainly not a poor deployment, nor do I consider it a "fallen poster child". The Tropos based network in Chaska continues, as it has in the past, to operate very well! Customers are happy as shown by more than 2300 of them paying for ths service, which by the way represents more than 30% of the households in Chaska.
Siemens with their enormous resources was able to provide enhanced customer support and network monitoring 24 hours a day which Chaska was simply unable to do given their staffing limitations. It certainly was not a "rescue" by Siemens, rather an enhancement to a fantastic effort by Chaska.
Glenn, I would welcome direct dialog with you to clarify these negative portrayals you are fostering towards Chaska and the network built there.
Your headline is misleading for readers. The City of Longmont is in contract negotiations for use of City owned facilities with MobilePro. The City is not in a partnership; rather, conducting business as usual with a Company that is coming to our City providing services to our residence and businesses.
[Editor's note: I didn't write that there was a partnership. You're confusing my note on this site wit hthe coverage in The Daily Times-Call which writes, "Longmont is partnering with MobilePro, a private company, to offer the fee service to residents and businesses."--gf]