Cisco writing muni broadband’s next chapter?
Cisco Systems Inc. is preparing a series of application initiatives that could reshape and energize the municipal broadband market, MuniWireless.com has learned. Some Cisco insiders and partners refer to the initiatives as “Mesh 2.0″ — a clear indication that the exploratory days of public broadband are over, and potential business models for success are finally emerging.
Cisco Systems Inc. is preparing a series of application initiatives that could reshape and energize the municipal broadband market, MuniWireless.com has learned.
Some Cisco insiders and partners refer to the initiatives as “Mesh 2.0″ — a clear indication that the exploratory days of public broadband are over, and potential business models for success are finally emerging.
Digital inclusion. Citywide WiFi service. Free public broadband for all. Those were all commendable goals during Mesh 1.0, notes one Cisco partner briefed by the networking company. But in many cases, those goals triggered lofty expectations that wireless mesh companies and their partners couldn’t fulfill, the partner concedes.
The latest example: Big problems with a city broadband project in Milwaukee.
The age of Mesh 2.0, the Cisco partner notes, will be dominated by municipal applications–public safety, automated meter reading, and so forth–in targeted regions that drive measurable returns on investment.
Admittedly, many wireless mesh vendors already promote municipal applications to their customers. But Cisco’s vast size, financial momentum and enterprise clout could galvanize the municipal broadband market beginning this fall, the VAR notes.
Cisco’s Strategy
Going forward, Cisco’s municipal broadband strategy will include at least four core components, according to an executive at a major integrator. They are: Integrated applications, partners, vertical-market solutions and branding. Here’s a closer look at each component.
1. Integrated Applications: Cisco will promote a series of integrated solutions for automated meter reading, wireless parking meters, public safety etc. The solutions will feature Cisco hardware coupled with third-party applications, one major Cisco integrator says.
Many of those applications are already shipping, but they’ve been overshadowed by mainstream media stories about project delays in San Francisco and other cities, the VAR notes.
To strengthen its application message, Cisco will have a major presence at the massive IACP public safety conference this fall, confirms Joel Vincent, Cisco’s outdoor wireless senior marketing manager.
“Basically, all along, we’ve advocated applications and we’ve been preaching that cities have to have skin in the game as anchor tenants,” says Vincent. “For a long time it wasn’t a popular position. But in all honesty, you don’t want to focus first on Internet access [for the public]. If it fails, as a politician that’s worse than if you never deployed the network in the first place.’
Once city-managed applications are deployed and generating a positive ROI, it’s easier to attract support for public access and digital inclusion initiatives, Vincent notes.
Looking ahead, “you’ll see more from us in having demonstrable applications,” says Vincent. “We’ll describe the applications more clearly and how they plug into the network. We’ll communicate why you want IP anywhere. But we’ll be talking at the application level.”
2. Partners: As part of Cisco’s municipal broadband push, the company will emphasize relationship with service providers as well as strategic integrators like IBM Global Services, Dimension Data and Internetwork Engineering, according to one VAR briefed by the company.
Sources close to Cisco indicate that the company has revamped its mesh wireless channel program in recent months. “Some of the partners weren’t pulling their weight,” says one VAR. “Cisco is moving forward with only its most effective partners.”
“I can’t say I have personal knowledge of certain partners being weeded out of the program,” counters Vincent. “But I can say that partners remain core to our strategy.”
3. Vertical-market Solutions: Although applications are job one, Cisco also is enhancing its mesh hardware portfolio to target specific verticals, according to a VAR briefed by the company.
Apparently, the strategy includes a revamped, enhanced mesh portfolio that closely integrates technology like WiMAX for back-haul communications and additional products for enterprise campuses, one Cisco VAR indicates.
“I can’t speak about future products, but I can assure you that the current platform won’t become outdated,” says Cisco’s Vincent. “It’s built with flexibility in mind. And we’re also working with other verticals in mind, like oil and gas; energy; and mining. We think we’ve got an advantage of being both broad and deep in verticals.”
4. Branding: Cisco has spent recent months rallying behind its Human Network branding campaign. Initially, that campaign was consumer-oriented. Looking ahead, “you’ll hear more about the Human Network at work and in verticals,” says Vincent. “You’ll see the relevance of the Human Network to municipalities.”
Will Cisco leverage the “Mesh 2.0″ moniker? That remains less unclear. In recent weeks, Mesh 2.0 has emerged as a rally cry among some Cisco employees and channel partners who want to push municipal wireless into its next chapter.
Still, Vincent notes, Cisco’s municipal broadband strategy involves far more than mesh hardware–and ultimately hinges on successful application deployments.
Cisco’s rivals certainly agree. Most of the major wireless mesh companies now promote third-party applications such as video surveillance, automated meter reading, and public safety to their customers. But ultimately, Cisco’s dominant market share in traditional enterprise networks could generate positive mind share during the next stage of municipal broadband — where Mesh 2.0 technologies meet applications head-on.
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