MuniWireless

The Manchester (UK) City Council wants to extend the Eastserve project’s wireless broadband network to cover the entire city. It has issued a public tender for a citywide wireless network. The deadline for submissions is 8 August 2008; the city will announce the winning bid on 25 August 2008. Go to the Manchester City website for more information about the wireless broadband project. If you just want to view the documents, I have posted here the invitation to tender and…

Ofcom, the telecoms regulator in the United Kingdom, has published a new Code of Practice that will pressure Internet service providers (ISPs) to offer greater clarity over broadband speeds. Many people have complained that advertised broadband speeds were much higher than what they actually received.

Thirty-two ISPs have already signed up to comply with the Code, but it is voluntary. To me that means it has no teeth. Nevertheless, Ofcom is conducting an extensive survey of actual broadband performance across the…

Islington, a suburb of London, was among the first communities in the United Kingdom to offer free municipal Wi-Fi service. Now it is expanding the service to insure access to underserved residents and provide mobile access by council employees. Islington, a suburb of London, was among the first communities in the United Kingdom to offer free municipal Wi-Fi service. Now it is expanding the service to insure access to underserved residents and provide mobile access by council employees.

Islington offered one…

The digital divide, the question of who has access to technology and who does not, is one of the fundamental issues driving the deployment of municipal wireless and municipal broadband in general. A new study out of the UK adds weight to the argument that technology and Internet access impacts the health and future of educational institutions.The digital divide, the question of who has access to technology and who does not, is one of the fundamental issues driving the deployment…

Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator, will allow wireless broadband operators to increase power levels for wireless nodes operating in the 5.8 GHz band. While the rule applies to all operators in the UK, it will have a more significant impact on rural wireless broadband networks. The new Ofcom regulations increase the maximum power limit from 2 to 4 Watts (EIRP). The rules cover the 5.8 GHz band, which is currently used by a number of operators to provide fixed wireless…