Municipal wireless broadband networks taking off in Spain

Municipal wireless broadband networks are really taking off in Spain. Last year I wrote about Cass?† de la Selva in the province of Girona (Catalunya) as one of the first municipalities to provide community-wide wireless broadband access to its residents. I asked Sergi Baulida, who was in charge of deploying that network and was city councillor of Cass?† de la Municipal wireless broadband networks are really taking off in Spain. Last year I wrote about Cass?† de la Selva in the province of Girona (Catalunya) as one of the first municipalities to provide community-wide wireless broadband access to its residents. I asked Sergi Baulida, who was in charge of deploying that network and was city councillor of Cass?† de la Selva to write a guest commentary.

Sergi wrote to me last week with an update on Cassa’s network and a list of communities in Girona that are being unwired.

Here is Sergi’s update:

“The Cassa network has already 450 houses connected, that means approximately 20% of the population have signed up. In May 2005. the project will be 2 years old, and it’s great to see how people have responded. Now people treat it as if the network “has always been there”. That’s an excellent sign that people consider municipal Wi-Fi networks to be “normal”.

I want also to let you know that I’ve been participating in other
municipal Wi-Fi networks during the past year. Towns like Sant Hilari, Fla??üa, Begur, Sant Jordi, Angles, Verges, Sils, and Canet have already installed their own networks. I think almost 100,000 inhabitants of the Girona province have already municipal Wi-Fi coverage, and that’s almost 20% of province’s inhabitants. Only the biggest town, Girona, the capital, has not launched any initiative, because of technical problems. The physical configuration of the city of Girona, with many tall buildings, makes it much more difficult to roll out a citywide Wi-Fi network.

The province of Girona is located north east of Spain, and it is one of Spain’s wealthiest provicnes. Nowadays Girona is leading municipal wi-fi expansion in Spain. There are also other 12 towns where I have not participated that have already installed municipal Wi-Fi networks. That means more than the half of Girona’s towns between 1,000 and 10,000 inhabitants have installed or have planned installations of municipal Wi-Fi networks.

Municipal Wi-Fi networks are spreading, like an “oil spot”, in Girona. And that makes me very proud of my province.

Below is a list of communities in Girona that have deployed or are now actively deploying municipal wireless broadband networks:

Cass?† de la Selva
Fla??üa
Sant Jordi Desvalls
Sant Hilari Sacalm
Begur
Canet d’Adri
Angles
Sant Joan les Fonts
Verges
Sils

Caldes
Bordils
Quart
Sant Andreu Salou
Fornells
Besal??
Celr?†
Llagostera
Arb??cies
Sant Gregori
Bellcaire
Ll??via

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If you know of any other citywide wireless broadband projects in Spain, please email info [at] muniwireless.com.