City buys wireless tech.
Keith Hobin
Issue date: 1/15/10 Section: News
The City of Philadelphia has taken control over the municipal wireless network that was formerly controlled by Earthlink.
According to a press release, the city plans to use the network for enhanced public safety, improved government efficiency, and to reduce operating expenses. Residents and visitors of Philadelphia will also be able to use the network to access the Internet for free.
The wireless network was originally set up by Earthlink in 2006, as a project to provide city-wide Wi-Fi access with a low cost subscription model and free hotspots scattered throughout the city in public areas. Earthlink then pulled out of the project and sold the network to Network Acquisition Co. in June 2008 for $2 million. The city of Philadelphia is now taking ownership from Network Acquisition Co. for the same price NAC paid Earthlink.
The city still plans on having free Wi-Fi available to the public in some locations; however, the city intends to use the network principally for official business. Examples of such uses include public security cameras and the ability for city workers to submit paperwork while out of the office.
The city is planning on investing approximately $17 million into network improvements between 2011 and 2015 so that the network, both fiber backbone and wireless, can handle the increased traffic of business use, as well as increasing the range of the wireless network. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, if the city were to build out the network from scratch, it would cost them upwards of $30 million.
"We're effectively getting a lot of valuable equipment in a fire sale. This was a no-brainer. It's worth more than $2 million even as scrap," Allan Frank, the city's chief technology officer said in an interview with the Inquirer on Dec. 17. Earthlink originally invested $17 million into the network.
According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, the city expects to start using the wireless network in a trial phase as early as spring 2010. Residents and visitors can already use the public Wi-Fi for free by connecting to a "Wireless Philadelphia" hot spot, but that may change as the city takes over the network.
According to a press release, the city plans to use the network for enhanced public safety, improved government efficiency, and to reduce operating expenses. Residents and visitors of Philadelphia will also be able to use the network to access the Internet for free.
The wireless network was originally set up by Earthlink in 2006, as a project to provide city-wide Wi-Fi access with a low cost subscription model and free hotspots scattered throughout the city in public areas. Earthlink then pulled out of the project and sold the network to Network Acquisition Co. in June 2008 for $2 million. The city of Philadelphia is now taking ownership from Network Acquisition Co. for the same price NAC paid Earthlink.
The city still plans on having free Wi-Fi available to the public in some locations; however, the city intends to use the network principally for official business. Examples of such uses include public security cameras and the ability for city workers to submit paperwork while out of the office.
The city is planning on investing approximately $17 million into network improvements between 2011 and 2015 so that the network, both fiber backbone and wireless, can handle the increased traffic of business use, as well as increasing the range of the wireless network. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, if the city were to build out the network from scratch, it would cost them upwards of $30 million.
"We're effectively getting a lot of valuable equipment in a fire sale. This was a no-brainer. It's worth more than $2 million even as scrap," Allan Frank, the city's chief technology officer said in an interview with the Inquirer on Dec. 17. Earthlink originally invested $17 million into the network.
According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, the city expects to start using the wireless network in a trial phase as early as spring 2010. Residents and visitors can already use the public Wi-Fi for free by connecting to a "Wireless Philadelphia" hot spot, but that may change as the city takes over the network.
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