MuniWireless

Firetide, Inc. and ICEL, partners in the massive deployment of Singapore’s Wireless@SG outdoor-indoor Wi-Fi network, share tips on managing large-scale municipal deployments.Ksenia Coffman, marketing manager of Firetide, told me the deployment, which is expected to be complete in September, will be finished in 10 months‚Äö?Ñ?Æa remarkably fast deployment for one of such size.

She attributes the quick turn-around to the clear business model Singapore had in mind. Singapore’s approach was to manage the deployment across the entire island country by apportioning it into zones, each with its own set of contractors. Beyond providing Internet access, voice and mobility applications with multiple levels of security were called for.

The need for a clear business model tops the list of tips that Firetide learned from the experience, followed by provisions to future-proof the network by including plans for applications that add value to the network.

The Singapore roll-out, said Bo Larsson, CEO of Firetide, “has reinforced the need for flexible, multi-service infrastructure that is capable of supporting not only Internet access, but video and voice ‚Äö?Ñ?¨ with or without mobility.”

Other lessons learned include:

Click here to read Firetide’s news release.