Individual Assignment Blog 2

The city of Philadelphia wanted to provide universal wireless access to everyone in the city for free. Was this project implemented? Why or why not?

In 2004, Philadelphia announced that it would seek to build a Municipal wireless network (MWN) for free or at low cost. Despite considerable opposition and doubts about the project, by March 2007 a 15-squaremile proof of concept was completed and is available to use. I think there are two main reasons for implementing this plan. First, Philadelphia must embrace wireless if it is to remain a competitive location for businesses and organizations and stay attractive to knowledge workers. Secondly, the technology is here today and it is affordable. Individual Wi-Fi cells can be mounted on streetlights creating a self-organizing and self –healing wireless mesh. From 8 – 16 units will be needed per square mile and a single worker can install ten units per day. The wireless connectivity could be provided for the entire city for $7 to $10 million.

Who are the stakeholders and what was their response to the issue?

The Wireless Philadelphia Executive Committee identified the key stakeholders of the project as follows: City residents with access to and knowledge of the Internet and computers; City residents without access to and knowledge of the Internet and computers; City government of Philadelphia; Business community (large and small); Business visitors and tourists, etc. It was evident that stakeholders had contrary expectations and interests so they responded differently. For instance, some stakeholders believed that the city government should own the MWN, while others believed that it should be owned by the private sector. Similarly, some stakeholders believed that lower-income users should be allowed to use the service for free, whereas others believed that everyone should be made to pay for it.

What is your opinion of the final result?

The Philadelphia initiative is one of the largest and most ambitious wireless projects in the world. Was the wireless project in Philadelphia a good idea? My answer to this question is yes. The project was a good idea for the city because the digital divide issue is real and the technology is feasible and cost-effective. The project will also help businesses become more connected and competitive. Overall, the city did do a good job in getting the project approved and implemented.However, the project took much longer than expected to start the implementation. The universal wireless access doesn’t work as good as expected neither. (Check video below) Still, there are several long-term Sustainability problems to be considered. For example, the technology of municipal wireless networks will change. A change in technology does not necessarily remove the underlying rationale for MWNs. But future projects will need to plan around such developments and create structures that are focused on the underlying need of the municipality rather than the capabilities of the specific technology.

Wireless Philly:

You can also check this website for Wireless City

http://pbs-newshour.onstreammedia.com/cgi-bin/visearch?user=pbs-newshour&template=template.html&query=wireless+city&keywords=wireless+city&category=blank