Thats the big thing government forgets to realize, that the costly part of
FREE wifi to deliver is End user infrastructure and support, not deployment
of the transport network. Thats why I believe many Government projects will
not be successful. I can give you a perfect example. I almost had some
contracts for broadband to street cameras in DC, and my intent was going to
broadcast FREE wifi from every camera location. The broadband to camera
contract revenue would have justified the cost for me to pay for the
Wireless deployment, and did not require the full bandwidth of the radios
for the project. It was only going to cost me an extra $110 per site (one
time) to add a SR2s to layer on top the WiFi capabilty portion. Where the
real cost was, was the end user CPE or Outdoor antenna, tech support, and
buying computers, etc. The plan was maybe I'd set up a 900 number for the
support, or pre-paid support hours via the web portal. Politically it would
have also been good, maybe even press worthly, "those annoying fines from
traffic cameras, now gives back to the commmunity with FREE Wifi."
What the government should be doing is providing grants or loans for free
end user equipment. Then Third Party WISPs would flock in grand numbers, to
provide the transport network.
Or tax credits for builders thatinclude structure wiring, or allow easements
for central wireless backhaul to the building. What doesn't add up to me on
Free Wifi is the Governement tries to find a Internet provider to pay for
it, through the benefits of advertising or access to eye ball traffic. But
if a Marketing company were to give PCs to the End user, what better way
would there be to control eye balls of the end user. The ISP doesn't need to
control the transport network to control the end user, if they control them
via the PC. I think they are making the wrong partnerships. There are also
many assets that are needed such as assets of the property owners, and that
isn;t available unless property owners/managers are included in on the deal
somewhere.
Tom DeReggi
Peter R. wrote:
Most RFP's I have reviewed including Atlanta are hot for someone to come
in and give away free wi-fi, especially to schools and the under-served
sections of town.
There are a couple of problems:
1) How do you monetize that?
2) Most of the under-served don't have computers
The only real threat to the telcos and cablecos is that the cheap users
will use the free system, so some of their revenues will decrease. But so
will support costs. And I am sure at some point they will stop
maintaining and/or upgrading low revenue facilities, furthering the
Digital Divide. But that won't stop them from collecting USF monies.
There are monies available to build these networks if the governments
could get it together:
Quality of Life grants; Homeland Security funding; USF monies for
libraries and schools - and those are just the ones off the top of my
pointed beanie.
It's all coming to a head. Between now and 2009, lots of turbulence to
come. Much of it hangs on the lame telecom re-write and how much of a
push-over Martin will be. If he gets a spine, it could be a great
economic revival.
- Peter
Dawn DiPietro wrote:
All,
As quoted from the article;
"“The competitive impacts of municipal broadband will be especially
threatening to incumbents to the extent that muni nets can be cost-
justified
by increased efficiencies, cost savings and other ‘internal’ or social
benefits captured by local governments, schools, and other public
institutions,”
the report states."
While some understand the cost savings these networks can bring others
are still focused on the "free wifi cloud" for the population in these
areas. There needs to
be more focus on the fact that there are so many other benefits to these
municipal networks such as water meter reading, public safety
communications etc. For
these applications to work a robust network has to be built with the
following in mind low latency, 99999 reliability, high capacity, and so
on. Cost savings for
local government, businesses and residential should also be factored
into the equation for services such as telecommunications times X number
of phone lines just
for government offices and broadband access for all schools. I
understand that this is only the tip of the ice burg and there are so
many other applications and cost savings for these networks. My point is
that the network has to be built robust enough to be able to support it
all including a wifi cloud.
Thanks to Jack for bringing this article to the list. :-)
Regards,
Dawn DiPietro
http://www.telecommagazine.com/newsglobe/article.asp?HH_ID=AR_2244
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