The Citywide Wi-Fi network is dead (but access expands)
I’ve always been intrigued by the thought of a citywide Wi-Fi network that would offer the Internet anywhere, any time.
There was talk a few years ago about offering a public version of Oklahoma City’s municipal Wi-Fi network, but nothing ever came of it. Still, think of it, 620 square miles of unlimited Wi-Fi access anywhere in the city.
Anyway, the citywide Wi-Fi network has been tried and failed in several cities around the country, none more spectacularly than in Philadelphia. That’s where EarthLink sank millions of dollars into a citywide network only to announce it will pull the plug in June.
EarthLink counted on a minimum of 100,000 subscribers to pay for the $17 million investment. It got 5,000.
Here is an excerpt from the Associated Press report on the situation:
EarthLink, which pinned its future on municipal Wi-Fi networks following rapid declines in its dial-up Internet access business, said Tuesday that it could not find a buyer for the $17 million network. ”It’s been an unfortunate situation,” Earthlink Chief Executive Officer Rolla Huff told The Associated Press. “It was a great idea a few years ago, … but it’s an idea that simply didn’t make it.”
Actually, the time for a citywide Wi-Fi network may have already come and gone. That’s because the iPhone has made surfing the Web and data access ubiquitous for millions of users.
A 3G iPhone — which can surf at even faster speeds over the wireless provider’s network — is expected to be released as early as next month. Long live the “new” citywide Wi-Fi network.
Jim Stafford
Business News Reporter
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