I'd been hearing for weeks that the contract wasn't signed: The details have now been settled and the city council must approve the terms of the 10-year deal before EarthLink signs it. This isn't seen as a stumbling block, however.
This AP article notes that wholesale access will be sold by EarthLink for $9 per month, and mentions the 15-square-mile test network that the company must build and show works as expected before deploying citywide. The entire network would be finished by spring 2007.
Will Earthlink have the option of changing Mesh Systems vendors in this Trial? Is this a proof of concept (for system vendor as well as cost effectiveness)and as such will there be an opportunity for other Mesh providers to run a side by side.
In short was it Eathlinks decision to select the winning Mesh provider or where they required to work with Tropos here??
This is something we all need to watch closely.
Jacomo
[Editor's note: EarthLink has inked contracts for five cities with Motorola and Tropos, thus it might be quite difficult unless Tropos's gear doesn't meet the spec at all--which I suspect they've tested.--gf]