It’s critical for cities to assess thoroughly the needs of people who will be using the municipal wireless network. This means conducting a thorough study of what municipal departments want, and what residents and businesses, including visitors, will most likely do on the network. With just about anything you do, whether it’s building a house, writing software, or deploying a municipal wireless network, you must have a firm grasp on the needs of potential users to ensure success. This point was brought up several times through case studies that various city officials presented at the recent MuniWireless conference in Dallas.
For example, Bob Phelps, Mayor of Farmers Branch, Texas, mentioned that their city has about 25,000 residents and nearly 100,000 business workers. You can’t focus only on the residents. Also take into account the
Even before issuing the RFP, perform a needs assessment to get an idea of the approximate number of potential users, what applications they plan to use, and whether or not they need mobility. Keep in mind, however, that some potential users may not understand what a municipal wireless network can do for them; therefore, it’s worth explaining applicable benefits. In addition, some people may not know yet what applications that they plan to use. For example, consumers may not realize that IP phones may be available for use on the municipal network at much lower service fees (or free) as an alternative to cell phones. So, you might want to include this type of information in the needs assessment surveys.
By completing a needs assessment prior to the release of the RFP, all bidders will have the same information and can offer solutions that fully meet the needs of users.
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