MuniWireless

There is much commentary about what drives municipal wireless, but little opportunity to examine its outcomes. Often the politics of a community and the commentary of the media mask the true success that broadband technologies bring. There are not-for-profit models that focus on the digital divide, for-profit models that focus on broadband subscription delivery and just plain old cost savings stories. But let’s face it, we are traversing collectively a new frontier, and no matter what individual communities decide, we serve each other best by sharing both our successes and our failures. Success in our experience can develop from all three broadband business models.

So, shouldn’t you have your cake and eat it too?

In my experience, collaboration is the stalwart foundation that drives successful economic outcomes from broadband deployment. Carefully answering the questions: (1) what vendors should we partner with, (2) how should we drive consensus in the community and (3) how can we harness successful funding opportunities, will always return your community to the need for unrestrained collaboration by all interested parties.

Today, more than ever before, it is clear that resources need to be pooled together to solve new community problems in healthcare, utilities and resource management, security and food distribution. These rising concerns are the driving forces behind wireless applications that will solve many of the complex environmental problems facing our society.

As the CEO of Beta Strategy Group, my colleagues and I have advised several communities who have implemented, or who are looking to deploy, municipal wireless as a differentiating factor in driving economic value. Recently, I have come to know the fine writers at Muniwireless and have discussed sharing with you, through their channel, the case studies encountered and implemented successfully by my firm.

Initially, make no mistake, we are in the business of designing economic development models that capitalize on all technologies. For some, wireless is a next step, not an initial step on a larger scale deployment of a broad economic vision. Thus, the content of this column will focus on the logical implementation steps that will lead you to specific outcomes, whether they involve your existing infrastructure or a new wireless deployment.

We welcome your questions and commentary and we will research and provide you with the best possible, unbiased, input on how to harness and ensure a successful wireless implementation.

- - - - - - - -

Cathy Horton is the founder of Beta Strategy Group. Before founding Beta Strategy, Cathy was a lawyer with the firm Thompson Hine. She has spent more than 20 years cultivating a global mergers and acquisitions and venture finance practice. Cathy spent 15 years in London, where she worked with global enterprises, governments and start-ups to foster and capture the value of strategic innovation. She developed a flair for bringing strategic partners together to form valuable market exchanges, shared product offerings and bundled services provision amongst partners. Also, while in London, Cathy consulted as a trusted advisor with the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister on e-government, and with the Northern Ireland government, to help determine ways in which technology development could drive economic outcomes for Britain.
- - - - - - - -

Note to readers: Cathy Horton will be writing a weekly column on Muniwireless. This is an introduction.