We’ve often reported that muni wireless is finding a home in America’s small cities. In an interesting blog on Wi-Fi Networking News, Glenn Fleishman looks at the reasons why and he does a bit of crystal ball gazing on the muni market. His prediction? The market will change but continue to flourish. Here’s how and why.We’ve often reported that muni wireless is finding a home in America’s small cities. In an interesting blog post on Wi-Fi Networking News, Glenn Fleishman looks at the reasons why and he does a bit of crystal ball gazing on the muni market. His prediction? The market will change but continue to flourish.
“All that’s happened in 2007,” Glenn writes, “is that service providers have stopped hemorrhaging cash, and are re-establishing the focus.”
Glenn predicts “medium-sized cities and small towns will continue to build networks at perhaps just a slightly slower pace as the service provider market adjusts itself to the new realities.” He predicts more networks deployed for specific muni applications, fewer (lots fewer) for in-home residential service.
The trend is becoming more and more evident as service providers pull away from big city deployments and the politicians who focused their careers and much publicity on them chase other headlines. The business models that count (the ones that always counted most) are those being pursued by the munis themselves–not by the service provider. What is new is that the muni’s choice of applications will drive the market, not the model for consumer services that the service provider agrees to.
Glenn looks at the hiccups in the muni market in some depth and tells why he believes the wireless future for municipalities is specifically in outdoor applications.
Click here to read Glenn’s comments.
For more on inventive business models being pursued by small to mid-sized cities, see comments from Karl Edwards and Dennis Holmes in this recent article from our
Also see Karl’s guest commentary, Think Small, that ran on our site earlier this year.
Below are some thoughts on: “The muni wireless model of the future”
Wireless Mesh Networks will need to be Carrier Grade meaning:
a. They will need multiple 4-6 Radio Mesh Nodes. With emphasis on the backhaul segment. Single and dual radio Mesh will not prove cost effective near or long term: 40 Nodes/Sq Mile and having to provide a Gateway every 3-4 Nodes will kill a business case very quickly. Unfortunately (for our industry) we will be able to see this over the next 12-18Months as some of these networks flounder and Muni will be forced to step in.
b. Nodes/AP must be easily upgraded in the field, ie adding 802.11n, WiMAX (fixed) and or Public safety 4.9Ghz and or new 700Mhz radios. This will effectively reduce OPEX costs and allow the network to address the rapidly changing demands for Broadband services and emerging technologies.
c. The most cost effective (long term) and efficient Gateways will prove to be a Fiber backbone. By using a Fiber Switch (ie GarrettCom 6KQ) to tap into the Fiber network allows a provider to drop off (4) 100Mbps Ethernet links in a S-Ring network minimizing cost of the deployment and maximizes bandwidth and network backhaul throughput for the Mesh Net. A minimum 100Mbps feed per Gateway (in the backhaul) is critical near term if these networks are to be able to address anticipated demands caused by Portable VoiceIP, P2P (Gaming), Video and Music Up-loads. Again, key continues to be the capacity (bandwidth/latency) of the nets backhaul.
d. Back up (cost effective)gateway systems, where fiber is not available, will be systems based on the new 3.65Ghz spectrum (shared License) as well as robust 5.3-5.8Ghz based radios with WiMAX features delivering 40Mbps+ links.
e. Providers must have Anchor tenant commitment from Muni as well as clear understanding by Muni and its Citizens that these Wireless Mesh Networks are PRIMARILY Outdoor Networks with select (line of Site) indoor coverage. With new Wireless indoor products emerging based on the new 802.11n (WiFi)radios indoor access will be improved in select areas.
f. If these Muni Nets are to survive the new Wireless competition being developed and deployed today, as in the Licensed WiMAX, CellCo HSDPA and EV-DO systems, as welll as the Towerstream type PTMP (T-1 replacement)providers they must be able to capture and retain Commercial services. This is where the profits are and will remain. The residential and visitors use of these wireless networks will be at best a break even service.
g. Muni need to look past the Providers and big names of vendors and look closely at the end product (Mesh AP/Nodes) technology being proposed if they are to be assured of a solid network. They should also look seriously at selecting 2 finalist and having them do a side by side deployment/demonstration of their technology with very specific performance criteria (developed by their consultant). A simple example: Actual throughput, bandwidth available for Access after the 4th Node (Gateway to the 4th Node)
In short there are ways to make these Wireless Mesh Networks a viable and competitive Broadband service as long as we focus on this as a business (nothing is free)and select and leverage the proper technology and focus on the fact that these are Outdoor Portable and Mobile services that compliment existing wired broadband networks.
Jacomo