The city of Houston plans to re-launch its muni wireless initiative and has issued an RFI to review proposals for the project. It was only a matter of time before cities recovered from the shockwaves from EarthLink’s retreat from the muni market and began re-evaluating how to provide broadband coverage. Houston is the first major city, among the many that put wireless initiatives on hold in the post-EarthLink shakeout, to announce plans to move ahead and re-issue an RFI. Houston has not scaled back its ambitions; the size of the project could be enormous.
The RFI calls for information on:
* Network Operations Services, including “approaches for providing network operational support for the a ‘mixed use’ municipal wireless broadband network. The objective is to identify options for providing back-office network operations for municipal broadband public safety, public service, digital inclusion, and ISP wholesale customers.
* Hotspot Network Services in “designated high traffic areas across the city” to provide competitive services to business and free access to local residents and visitors using ad-supported models. According to the RFI, excess capacity in the “ubiquitous” Wi-Fi coverage that the city now has to support its electronic parking meter payment system could be extended to also support these services.
* ISP and Open Access Wholesale Management Services that could provide affordable broadband service “by extending excess capacity in the municipal broadband network through a wholesale open access services to multiple retail service providers.”
The city is interested ina Wi-Fi mesh to serve more than 479,000 residents in 10 underserved neighborhoods. According to the RFI “This population represents the 34th largest municipal WiFi market in the country. A future expansion to the 25 most underserved neighbourhoods would easily put this market in the top 10 municipal wireless broadband markets ahead of Detroit, Indianapolis, and San Francisco.”
Houston is in a good economic position to revive its muni Wi-Fi plans. You’ll recall it penalized EarthLink $5 million for failing to complete the build-out it contracted with the company to do. Click here to access the RFI. (Registration is required).
Carol,
Some of your facts regarding the Houston WiFi are in error.
Houston does not currently have a WiFi mesh serving 479,000 underserved residents. The RFI is to gather information towards accomplishing that project utilizing the $5mil that the City recieved from Earthlink.
To date the $5mil is the only funding that the city has to put towards the project, hardly enough to build an enourmous WIFI network.
The excess capacity spoken of in connection to the parking meter reading system is located in a very small area of the downtown business district only.
It is safe to say Houston is moving forward, but it will be far from a giant leap, more like one small step.
Thanks for the information, Nick. I made the correction and appreciate the additional insight you bring.
I dont see how it can cost millions since you can do it for much less using recycled gear, that helps the reduce waste out of our landfils, and re-uses older computer technology. For mesh, there is not allot of computing power needed since most routers only have a 75 mhz and most worthy computers are at least a P2 500. Looked locally and found pallets of them for nothing. Add radio cards, antennas and cables and you have a community network just add a couple differnet high end carriers and wham high speed and self healing all on inexpensive recycled technology.
Could a social wireless network work instead of commercial design?
Have seen many successful wireless networks loose zeal when they were commercialized. If the network usage and expansion cost is low and unrestricted, then operation and costs can be reduced driving the cost down, not up.
They city is not interestedin hodge podge systems built on used equipment? If you read the RFI it will be used by public safety services etc. Would you stake your life on a used piece of equipment?
With a new system and ready available replacements there will be very little if any downtime. I would not want to go looking for ” a pallet” of spare PC’s to load a freeware based wireless system while someones life is in jeapordy..
Please correct broken link: HTTPS
https://purchasing.houstontx.gov/Bid_Display.aspx?id=Q22812