MuniWireless

We are all wondering how Minneapolis’s Wi-Fi network is doing. Are people using it? What’s the user experience?

Julio Ojeda-Zapata used US Internet’s service in various locations with a MacBook Air and an iPod Touch, and gives it good marks. He says: I was in! On my laptop, the wireless network worked dependably. Over lunch at a Thai restaurant on Washington Avenue, I was able to fire off e-mails to my editors, “tweet” on the Twitter microblogging service and make Internet-based…

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…

As US Internet rolls out the first phase of the city-wide network in Minneapolis, tech blogger Peter Fleck offers a 12-point program for turning ’sterile municipal wireless into something akin to community wireless.’As US Internet rolls out the first phase of the city-wide network in Minneapolis, tech blogger Peter Fleck sounds off on how to turn ’sterile municipal wireless into something akin to community wireless.’

Fleck is no stranger to strategies for building community around networks. When he’s not writing his…

The Minneapolis network is “on track”–so much so that officials there are inviting neighboring communities to join it. With so much negative publicity about muni-WiFi generated by the AP’s recent erroneous report, it is nice to see news like this coming in.The Minneapolis network is “on track”–so much so that officials there are inviting neighboring communities to join it. With so much negative publicity about muni-WiFi generated by the Associated Press’s recent erroneous report, it’s nice to see news like…

Belair Networks announced at the Muniwireless conference in Boston today, that Minneapolis will be the first city to receive performance guarantees for its muni mesh network.Belair Networks announced at the Muniwireless conference in Boston today, that Minneapolis will be the first city to receive performance guarantees for its muni mesh network. The network is being builty by service provider US Internet.

The new program is the first Service Level Agreement (SLA) I’ve seen offered to service providers that insures the vendor…