RSSAT&T, MetroFi Bid to Build Wi-Fi Network
By Ed Oswald | Published July 21, 2006, 1:28 PM
AT&T joined the municipal Wi-Fi fray Friday by submitting a joint proposal with MetroFi to operate a wireless network in Riverside, Calif. Free access would be provided by MetroFi throughout the city with 500kbps downstream and 256kbps upstream according to the proposal.
To support the network, advertising would be inserted into every Web page that the user visits. Those who wish to have an ad-free service would have an option to subscribe to a 1mbps pay service for USD $19.95 through AT&T.
The network would cover about 65 square miles and joins 12 other cities where MetroFi currently offers service. The company recently won contracts to provide service in Portland, Ore. and Aurora, Ill., and already runs an ad-supported network in Sunnyvale, Calif., and subscriber networks in Cupertino and Santa Clara, Calif.
MetroFi was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. Although early on the company lagged behind apparent sector leader Earthlink, in recent months it has become more aggressive in pursuing new contracts.
Some analysts see the partnership as an important step forward for the industry. "The deal could have major impact on the whole muni wireless space," web pundit Om Malik said.
"First of all it validates the MuniFi movement, which so far has been vehemently opposed by the incumbents," he explained. "Secondly, it also puts a serious crimp in the plans of others, namely Earthlink, which have been counting on the MuniFi business to future proof themselves."
The reasoning for municipal Wi-Fi differs from city to city. Some see it as a way to attract more high-tech businesses to their cities, while others, such as Philadelphia and Baltimore, see it as a way to close the so-called "digital divide."
Great. More useless wi-fi networks created at great cost for just one city.
Forgive me if I don't get excited about local news in a city on the other side of the country.
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It's to bad we don't have a President and Congress that would propose a Nationwide WiMax network for everyone.
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No, it isn't. The less government bothers with the internet, the better for you and I.
Let current cable and DSL providers set up WiMax networks. They'll do it faster and cheaper than the government would.
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Its the city next door to me. I would be able to connect from my home, and will report back once I test it.
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That isn't always true.
Governments have done some things better than private entities, namely I can think of private utility takeovers across the nation: in general the customer was better off with the government monitoring and running the show.
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Government doing alright at handling infrastructure is a given. But utilities are handled by local governments--we're talking about the federal government here.
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Can't wait for the cracks to show up on this advertising model within hours of it's release. They are doing the same thing here in Portland.
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you know...why don't these turds do something that would be really Wi-Fi. Like putting up a network of very high altitude blimps (Stratilites) over the CONUS and offer broadband speeds that would match the higher speed DSL and Cable internet methods?? That way you could reach all the rural areas as well the populated areas as well... These monopolies always amaze me how small their thinking is...
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advertising would be inserted into every Web page that the user visits.
Would this not, if a page were copyrighted, violate the rights of the copyright holder?
Modification of the original without the consent of the owner?
Yeah.....bright idea, AT&T. Someone check the bulb, I think it's gone out.
perhaps if you had to download a specific plug-in that inserted an ad into the *browser*, and not the content, but inserting it into the content (page) is idiotic.
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