Azulstar out as WSV lead
Unable to raise the capital needed to fund the ambitious Wireless Silicon Valley regional network, Azulstar is out as the project’s lead contractor. The consortium behind the project, headed by IBM and Cisco, evidently has not given up on the plan to unwire 40 cities. But, at this point, is it even doable? Unable to raise the capital needed to fund the ambitious Wireless Silicon Valley regional network, Azulstar is out as the project’s lead contractor.
IDG news interviewed Azulstar ’s Tyler van Houwelingen who said banks, investment firms and corporations have been reluctant to invest in muni projects this year, largely due to EarthLink’s high-profile retreat from the market.
Silicon Valley Metro Connect, the consortium behind the project, is looking for a new contractor for the deployment. But you have to wonder who, at this point, would be willing and able to step up to the plate?
As Glenn Fleishman noted this morning on Wi-Fi Networking News,
any new contractor would take on the effort with “no committed municipal partners, no test networks build, a failed effort to raise funds, and no input into how the project was shaped.” He predicts WSV will “fail spectactularly.”
Click here to read InfoWorld’s report.
Click here to read Glenn’s comments.
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More specifically, I said it *has to* fail spectacularly in order to shake the current model free and have the groups start over. Of course, it seems destined to. “This strategy isn’t working — let’s try harder!” A definition of insanity I’ve seen a lot lately is continuing to try the same thing that’s not working again and again in the belief that it will change.