MuniWireless

Stephouse Networks, a Portland-based wireless ISP, announced they are offering Wi-Fi and fixed WiMAX service within the five square miles of Portland’s downtown area and two square miles of North Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood. The fixed WiMAX service is targeted to enterprise users, primarily to replace more expensive T-1 lines.

Last week, I spoke to Tyler Booth, CEO of Stephouse, about their Portland network. Booth made it clear that Stephouse did not take over the MetroFi contract with Portland (even though…

Portland isn’t having a lot of luck with its service provider, MetroFi. The municipal wireless broadband network is supposed to be finished by summer this year, but some sources report that there’s only 15 to 20 percent coverage, mostly in the downtown area. MetroFi has told the city that it will not continue with the project unless the city makes a financial contribution in the form of an anchor tenancy. The city says that MetroFi should live up to its…

Phase: Deployed

Vendors: Invictus Networks, BelAir Netwroks

Coverage Area: Citywide

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MetroFi will use Microsoft’s MSN SideGuide as the ad delivery platform for its free muni Wi-Fi service in Portland, Oregon and Concord, California. A year ago, MetroFi and Microsoft announced that they were forming a partnership to deliver location-based ads, so in a sense, this is nothing new. MetroFi will use Microsoft’s MSN SideGuide as the ad delivery platform for its free muni Wi-Fi service in Portland, Oregon and Concord, California. A year ago, MetroFi and Microsoft announced that they…

Microsoft’s new alliance with JiWire to deliver “ultramercials” online greatly enhances the business case for free wireless Internet access supported by advertising. This could be just what the muni market needs to revive interest in free ad-sponsored service on muni networks.

The ad supported model took off like a shot a few years back with munis looking to their Internet providers to generate enough revenue from the private sector to underwrite the cost to deploy a network and provide free service…