Wireless Possibilities
By Daniel Strauss - Nov 17th, 2008 at 9:50 amThe idea of creating free wireless networks for major cities has been much discussed, but for one reason or another–usually the logistics of installation or the cost–hasn’t happened.
The Next American City, however, reports that a new attempt just might work:
For just $10,000, towns can offer free wireless over one square mile to its residents and businesses. Meraki, the company who’s bringing free Wi-Fi to San Francisco, is offering a package deal to municipalities, neighborhoods and business districts around the world to Wi-Fi one square mile for just ten grand. And the company is offering a 60-day money-back guarantee, to boot.
Called the Main Street WiFi Starter Pack, this wireless mesh networking solution can jumpstart businesses and create new jobs, an attractive feature in these times of economic uncertainty, said Paul Loeffler, spokesperson for Meraki.
Now, using Meraki’s service to cover small towns isn’t a problem, but with larger ones like D.C. or Chicago (which is over 12,000 square miles), the plan is still on the pricier side. That’s why big cities don’t need to cover the whole city, they could just copy D.C.’s DuPont Circle and offer free wireless in specific areas like public parks and commercial districts. This would make the cities more attractive, which in turn increases revenue by bringing in more people and businesses at a relatively cheap price.
Take Chicago (disclaimer, I’m from Chicago and love it dearly): I estimate the major downtown area can’t be bigger than 10 square miles. At Meraki’s $10,000 per square mile, that’s only $100,000! Compare that to an earlier go at installing wireless in San Francisco which had an estimated cost of about $6 million. I may be getting overly excited here but it sounds like a good deal to me.
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