Austin, Minnesota (pop. 23,000, 28 square km) is finally offering wireless broadband service, more than one year after issuing a public tender. The city is working with Austin Utilities, a non-profit community owned public utility. The cost of the network is $1.2 million.
To find out more details about the project and the RFP, go to:
Austin to field test public Wi-Fi
It’s a bit behind schedule and somewhat over budget but, by the end of the month, Minneapolis‘ muni Wi-Fi network will be a reality. And, by all reports, folks there think it’s worth the wait. The network merited its share of attention last year following the collapse of an interstate highway bridge in the city, performing data communications services for first responders after the city’s cellular service failed to deliver.
The city’s choice of private partners seems to be the “secret…
All zones of Minneapolis’s municipal Wi-Fi network will be delivering wireless Internet access by March 11. The roll-out comes nearly four months after it was originally anticipated and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says “some significant dead areas within those zones will remain for a while” due to problems accessing 124 light poles needed to mount and power the antennas. Spokespersons for the city’s provider, US Internet, said the company is continuing to negotiate pole use issues with Xcel Energy.
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In an editorial entitled “Minneapolis Wi-Fi is quieting the critics: Wireless network avoids problems that hamper other cities,” The Minneapolis Star-Tribune delivered high praise for the city’s Wi-Fi network, qualified only by the admission that success will become apparent after the network’s completion, expected in March. The paper reported that users in areas where the network is complete have reported “mixed but improving performance ”
Editorial writers acknowledged their own initial misgivings about the project, saying “There were concerns about the…
Novarum’s newest comparisons of muni network performance won’t officially be out until next month but Belair Networks and USI Wireless, respectively the hardware supplier and service provider for Minneapolis’ storied high speed network, are claiming the top performance among city networks. Novarum officials confirmed that the claim is premature. Still, good things appear to be happening in Minneapolis.
Belair and USI apparently jumped the gun with this announcement. It seems Belair contracted with Novarum to performance-test the Minneapolis network and those…
With a successful public safety wireless network in place for more than two years, Buffalo, Minn., is expanding its efforts by implementing wireless for a citywide public access network. Scientel Wireless, the integrator that built Buffalo’s public safety system, was awarded a $710,000 contract by the city to design and deploy a wireless network to replace the 900-MHz system currently used by the city’s Internet service utility, Buffalo Wireless Internet Group. Scientel executive VP Nelson Santos says the project kicked…
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