Minneapolis proves muni-WiFi model can work
Minneapolis' muni-WiFi network, which covers a 57-square-mile area, is meeting and surpassing expectations set by the city. A recent test conducted by independent third-party consulting firm Novarum found that the Minneapolis network consistently delivered reliable speeds for both 802.11n and 802.11g customers that rival cable and exceed 3G and DSL speeds. BelAir Networks, the city of Minneapolis and USI Wireless were partners involved in the project.
"We believe the Minneapolis area coverage is the biggest in the world," BelAir CTO Stephen Rayment said in an interview with InformationWeek. "We have 450 deployments around the world, but Minneapolis is our poster child. The network delivers 3 Mbps total in up- and downlinks."
The network showed its value early when it provided the only communications link when the I-35W bridge collapsed last year.
In addition to the value of the network for public-safety use, city workers can purchase broadband for a cheaper rate of $12 a month and consumers can get service for $20 a month.
For more about the Minneapolis WiFi network:
- read this InformationWeek article
Related article:
Minneapolis muni-WiFi to roll out March 11 Report on muni WiFi in Minneapolis
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Comments
By Lawmoose | Posted 12:15am | April 27, 2008
We have had USI Wireless for 4 months and it is the most unreliable internet service we have ever had. Dial-up was better. USI Wireless is plagued with frequent disconnects, unreliable speeds that change hourly, outages (service has been down for 2 days with no estimate when it will be repaired). And much of Minneapolis can't connect because stucco and metal sided houses block the signal. USI Wireless may have met their financial profit threshold, but they can't deliver a reliable product.
By jim h | Posted 10:01pm | May 2, 2008
Today I received the Ruckus modem that USI sells you for home use. Basically it performs ok if it's held in the exact center of the living room window, and nowhere else. It's disappointing to see that the critics were right and the coverage projections were baloney. I was s-o-o-o looking forward to dumping Qwest.
By Jon Olsen | Posted 3:10pm | May 20, 2008
We have had some serious frustration with using the system in terms of dropping out. It's appalling. Don't even Think about using an in-house wireless network to link your laptop to the modem, either. Ugh.