Wireless Internet Institute (W2i) conferences have become important gatherings where government wireless community leaders can network and share experiences. This week's conference in Houston (Feb. 28 to March 2) was no exception. And if anything, it actually raised the bar by offering a richer and more in-depth program to engage participants.
All the important issues -- those that inevitably arise in discussing municipal wireless networks -- received detailed attention in nearly three days of sessions. Everything from important trends and regulatory updates to the nitty gritty of what works in network deployment were covered. Those working in the various pilots and deployments around the country shared the broad vision of digital communities and the vital role that wireless Internet access could play in digital inclusion. Compelling presentations outlined the benefits and cost savings a digitally connected mobile workforce could bring to municipalities. There was much discussion of the different business models currently being explored by communities. And different possible funding strategies were dissected.
It is expected that as many as 100 communities in the U.S. may actually issue wireless broadband RFPs by the end of the year. So underpinning the proceedings lay a strong belief that the changes on the horizon will be significant both for local governments and the communities they serve. This definitely fueled an atmosphere of enthusiasm. One has joined people, one way or another, who are breaking new ground.
Yet, talking with participants, it was clear that there are many issues to resolve, especially in developing the kind of public private partnership that many now hope will provide the needed capital investment to roll out wireless broadband access across entire communities. W2i has definitely become an important forum through which these issues can be explored.
"I found the panel on incumbent service providers to be the most significant event," said Richard Lewis, CIO of Houston, in his closing remarks. "The information and telecommunications technology markets have been stood on their heads with Wi-Fi."
W2i got many private vendors, including representatives of the telecom incumbents, in a closed session -- they called it the safe room because they were just going to talk.
A growing number of municipal Wi-Fi advocates now feel that this kind of frank discussion is necessary if many of the telecommunication incumbents are going to begin to play a more significant role. This stems from a recognition that numerous private public partnerships will be needed in the coming years to create the investment required not just for hundreds, but possibly even thousands of wireless community initiatives.
In formulating their own plans to develop a regional Wi-Fi network in the Houston area, Lewis said that the city found that the traditional, long established incumbents were somewhat guarded in talking about their business strategies. The newer entrants into the wireless broadband market, on the other hand, are usually more open and more vocal.
"Cities are rich in property," Lewis told conference attendees. "That is why they are involved. They already have a proliferation of mounting platforms. In the Houston area, for instance, we are going to have 18,000 locations with access points. You have to be property rich to build Wi-Fi and mobile broadband networks."
"So local governments and the private sector need to understand each other -- what their vision is, what their strategies are, what their environments are," he added. "There are certain things in city government we just can't do. So we need to understand each other's business models if we truly want to have strong, viable and productive private public partnerships. And it is obvious we don't have that understanding today, although we are starting to."
So this W2i conference made a definite step forward with its closed door session by providing a venue where more players can be brought to the table to begin the kind of discussions needed, certainly if municipal wireless broadband is going to roll out across the U.S. landscape over the next few years.
