Public-Access Wireless Networks on the March
Thu, 06/30/2005 - 07:44
Communications
Wireless data networks are continuing their march to ubiquity. A recent article in the Houston Chronicle detailed how the city is studying parking meters that communicate through a municipal Wifi network. Once the infrastructure for this is in place then not only will the city administrate the meters remotely, but they may also open up this Wifi network for public Internet access.
This is exactly the kind of public-utility network that gives carriers like Verizon absolute fits. The initial cost estimate for the project was $1M, but that has since dropped to one fourth of that. There are still open questions as to whether or not the city will charge for access, and it is not a done deal that the network will be opened up at all, but the economics of it are practically a no-brainer. Once the network is in place over a wide area then a flood of dedicated systems can join into it.
The most interesting thing about this article is the information about the lobbying efforts taking place at the local, state, and national levels. The carriers are trying very hard to outlaw efforts like this to turn Internet access into a public utility, but it sounds like they are not having much success.
An even more ambitious network is being built in West Hollywood. This one is anticipated to be built around mesh networking designs, which should self-scale up to handle increased traffic.Perhaps laptop-toting drivers stuck in L.A. traffic can look for parking spaces available in Houston...
Larry Mittag
This is exactly the kind of public-utility network that gives carriers like Verizon absolute fits. The initial cost estimate for the project was $1M, but that has since dropped to one fourth of that. There are still open questions as to whether or not the city will charge for access, and it is not a done deal that the network will be opened up at all, but the economics of it are practically a no-brainer. Once the network is in place over a wide area then a flood of dedicated systems can join into it.
The most interesting thing about this article is the information about the lobbying efforts taking place at the local, state, and national levels. The carriers are trying very hard to outlaw efforts like this to turn Internet access into a public utility, but it sounds like they are not having much success.
An even more ambitious network is being built in West Hollywood. This one is anticipated to be built around mesh networking designs, which should self-scale up to handle increased traffic.Perhaps laptop-toting drivers stuck in L.A. traffic can look for parking spaces available in Houston...
Larry Mittag
