MuniWireless

Winston-Salem has decided to shelve its citywide wireless project. The city reposted its Request for Proposals, but failed to receive any credible bid. Azulstar, the company that won the initial bid, pulled out of the project in March this year. They have a 1 square mile demonstration site running in the downtown area. The equipment has since been removed. According to Lynda Goff, IBM and Cisco remain committed to the project if a service provider will come forward. Azulstar has…

WinstonNet, Inc., the group attempting to launch free wireless Internet service in Winston-Salem, N. Carolina, announced this week that it is no longer negotiating with Azulstar, the service provider that was to deploy the network throughout the city and neighboring Forsyth County. According to Lynda Goff,  executive director of WinstonNet, Azulstar left the partnership early this year and the group has been talking with other vendors.

Azulstar was to have partnered with IBM and Cisco on the project. Sound familiar? The trio were also involved…

Charlotte, N.C., moved muni Wi-Fi to the backburner after its proposed private partner, EarthLink, began insisting on an anchor tenant commitment. Now city leaders say they may take a cue from nearby Winston-Salem which will soon begin offering wireless broadband to 225,000 residents.

The Charlotte Observer has an interesting comparison of the two projects. Charlotte issued an RFP and negotiated with EarthLink for a year. Winston-Salem, on the other hand, leveraged the city’s previously installed fiber optic ring and worked with…

Winston-Salem, North Carolina will begin testing the citywide wireless broadband network on August 27 in downtown Winston-Salem. The WinstonNet Wireless Initiative chose a consortium consisting of Azulstar, Cisco and IBM to deploy the network.Winston-Salem, North Carolina will begin testing the citywide wireless broadband network on August 27 in downtown Winston-Salem. Last October 2006, the WinstonNet Wireless Initiative chose a consortium consisting of Azulstar, Cisco and IBM to deploy the network.

The plan is more ambitious than just unwiring Winston-Salem. Ultimately, WinstonNet…