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| February 28th, 2007 |
February 28th, 2007 |
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Since the pilot began, we've been receiving a number of calls asking: why only 500k for $35, why 84k for free and what about WiMax?
Last week I covered: "Why 84k for free?" This week I'll address the tougher implied question, "Why ONLY 84k for free?"
Among all the Muni-WiFi installations in progress, Wireless Washtenaw is unique in providing WiFi to the largest area: 720 sq. miles. Some of those square miles have more Llamas than households. To the county's credit, as part of 20/20's agreement, 20/20 must provide the same services and charge the same fees to all county residents regardless of area population (Human) and density.
In terms of network build at project conception and early deployment, higher speeds require more bandwidth, more bandwidth requires more resources, and more resources require more time.
As reported in many local and national newspapers and journals, there are several hundred Muni-WiFi installations in progress around the country. Of these only a handful are actually operational. Some are delayed as much as 3 years. Of those operational, none of them are the size we are attempting. And yes, compared to stated offerings of the many as yet undelivered solutions, the speeds we offer are much more conservative.
On the other hand, since receiving the go-ahead from the county in October, Wireless Washtenaw is successfully operating in three pilot areas with over 200 participants.
Every project has to start somewhere. Wireless Washtenaw advertised speeds are starting points. As trends change, the network matures and more advanced resources become available, Wireless Washtenaw will become more robust. It will provide services equal to and in some cases better than other Wireless Internet offerings throughout the country.
I'll talk more about that next week when I answer the question, "What about WiMax?"
20/20 Communications was selected by Washtenaw County to provide county wide Wireless Internet access.
The project is currently in the thirteenth and last week of the Pilot Phase. We are no longer accepting pilot participants in Saline or Manchester. We are only accepting mobile pilot users in the downtown Ann Arbor area. Those currently on the pilot will continue to receive service. 20/20 will contact pilot participants in all locations concerning an upcoming billing test within the next month.
There are four (4) phases to Wireless Washtenaw:
- Pilot
- Pre-deployment
- Deployment
- Customer acquisition and retention.
The phases will begin to overlap as portions of them are completed throughout the county.
If you have questions or would like to register for the service when it's in your area, visit our Wireless Washtenaw registration website
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