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FEATURED TOPICDigital Transition -The term "Digital Transition" describes the process all organizations must go through in the 21st Century, as they leverage new technologies that provide new options for Applications, Equipment, Processes, and Networks that make them more effective. In contrast, the term "Municipal Wireless" is limiting. It puts the network technology ahead of the application and process changes that drive the business case. ORIENTATION |
May 2005 ArchiveBPL SOL? Don't Count Your ChickensNewsForge | Flawed BPL is no broadband panacea Ouch! According to this rather harsh article, Broadband over Power Line (BPL) is neither a compelling technology nor a sound economic alternative to DSL, Cable, or Wireless Broadband, and it has significant interference issues. While this lengthy article is a well written argument against BPL, it should also be noted that the author is a Ham radio operator, which would seem to indicate a bias against BPL. Still, the arguments brought forward herein against BPL are not new. Not mentioned is the lack of mobility. BPL has its positives, but when compared to wireless broadband, it still has bugs to work out, it is more expensive, and it fails to provide mobility. While some may consider that three strikes, you're out, I would add that for many electric utilitiies this technology holds promise as a way to extend the value of their electricity network assets, and there is intense interest among utilities about BPL. I believe that like WiMAX, BPL is complementary to wireless broadband mesh technology. It holds potential in the near term as a backhaul technology to complement more mature and economical wireless broadband in a citywide deployment. And it may yet prove to be a compelling alternative to DSL and cable. We'll just have to wait and see. Posted on May 31, 2005 at 11:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack BPL ResourcesI debated whether it made sense to put a Broadband over Power Line section on the UnwireMyCity website - by its very name, its not an unwired technology. However, BPL has been in the news for the past several years, mostly, it seems, to report news on a pilot. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. While I am aware of the intense interest among electric utilities regarding BPL, I must admit that I for one remain somewhat quizical about the future of BPL as a competitive broadband technology, given the rapid progress of 802.11 technologies (Wi Fi), and the economic clout behind 802.16 (WiMAX). In the end, I just don't see how BPL overcomes the declining cost and floodtide of 802.11 devices. But I'll let you be the judge. I'll post articles and whitepapers for your review and you tell me how you see it stacking up. The United Powerline Council has resources on BPL and is a good source of information on this interesting topic. Check out these white papers and articles for a start. Posted on May 29, 2005 at 10:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Strong Argument for Citywide Wireless NetworksShould cities hook up to WiFi? | Tech News on ZDNet Tropos Networks CEO Ron Sege makes a strong argument in this article for citywide wireless broadband networks. Citing the numerous benefits of such networks, in contrast to public arguments that misinform the public, Sege calls for fact-based policy making at the state and federal level to encourage the development of broadband wireless networks. A Good Read to better understand the issues in this debate! Posted on May 27, 2005 at 06:13 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack Affordable Wireless Disrupts MarketsI put together this whitepaper on structural change to organize my thoughts on the level of change we are seeing based on the ever-expanding Internet. Affordable metro-scale wireless broadband just speeds up the transition to a fully digital economy, with all the changes that implies. Blogger Steve Hannaford's thoughtful blog Oligopoly Watch catalogues the steady march to consolidation within industry after industry, as companies gobble up each other and soon the market is an oligopoly, with only a few large competitors. In one particular blog, Wireless broadband disrupts the grid oligopolies, Hannaford comments on a Wall Street Journal article ("Internet and Phone Companies Plot Wireless Broadband Push", 1/20/05 - subscription required) that highlights how Telecom oligopoly companies are being threatened by affordable wireless broadband technologies. Posted on May 25, 2005 at 08:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Munis and Electrics a Winning ComboCLEC Business - Consulting on the Triple Play This article on ISP Planet describes how most municipalities are turning to private sector consultants and system integrators for help with broadband projects. Drills down into the Provo, UT broadband project as an example, citing the benefits when municipalities and utilities cooperate on a project - while the Provo project was fiber to the home (FTTH), the analogy holds true for wireless broadband. Posted on May 25, 2005 at 07:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Spectrum Policy ProgramThe New America Foundation's Spectrum Policy Program challenges FCC Spectrum Policy and I found it to be a rich source of information on spectrum policy and how it affects the potential of wireless broadband. According to the site: To promote a more fair and efficient allocation of the airwaves, New America's Spectrum Policy Program opposes efforts to privatize the airwaves and advocates requiring commercial licensees to pay fair market value for their use of the spectrum. The revenues from such auctions can best be used to meet civic and educational needs. The Program also promotes greater shared citizen access to the airwaves - particularly for wireless broadband networking with unlicensed consumer devices - and the protection of the Internet's open and unmediated end-to-end architecture. In these and other ways, New America seeks to help preserve, update, and expand the public interest obligations of our nation's communications infrastructure in the digital era. I highly recommend these three informative publications from NAF: Citizen's Guide to the Airwaves Radio Revolution, the Coming Age of Unlicensed Wireless, and finally, The Cartoon Guide to Federal Spectrum Policy, which is a little more on the lighter side (a challenge when dealing with a topic like spectrum!) Posted on May 25, 2005 at 04:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Digital Divide: Community Wireless ResourcesOne of the most compelling aspects of wireless broadband technology is its potential to bring affordable high-speed Internet access to communities, both rural and urban, where there have been no affordable alternatives before. This section will explore the issue that has been termed the "Digital Divide," where humanity becomes divided into those who have acccess to digital technologies, and those who don't. What is the role of government to provide for those who lack what is becoming a vital resource? The Center for Neighborhood Technology has an answer to that question. Government should step up and provide help. The website Wireless Community Networks describes what this group is doing in the city of Chicago. This recently launched website, Community Internet takes the position that high-speed access to the Internet is a community resource that should be available to all at an affordable price - not unlike the position taken with voice telphony when federal and state regualtors promoted Universal Service, creating a fund to ensure that everyone could have a telephone. We're not there yet with wireless broadband, but this group, also in America's heartland, is pushing in that direction. Posted on May 25, 2005 at 04:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Municipal Utilities Provide Broadband alsoMunicipal utilities are getting into the broadband business - especially the smaller ones. In fact, as detailed on the American Public Power Association (APPA) website, most of its 1000 some odd electric utilties (95%) are smaller, with less than 30,000 ratepayers. Early deployments were mostly fiber, as wireless was not yet economic in large scale deployments. Among municipal electric utilities, wireless technologies are now starting to gain a following. For good historical perspective, I recommend Community Broadband Networks, published by Al Bonnyman from mid-Feb 2003 until mid-June 2004. It had a decent perspective on municipal utilities that built fiber networks, but then Al temporarily signed off the air, as it were, in a June 2004 blog, never to return. Methinks he had to go make some money. Still I find it an interesting source to undersstand the utility telecommunications perspective. I recommend you browse some of the articles in the Community Broadband Networks - Archives to get some perspective. Posted on May 25, 2005 at 04:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack All Municipal Networks are Custom NetworksEvery city has a unique perspective on metropolitan wireless broadband, so in a way, every city will have a custom network. Factors that will drive the type of wireless network a city ends up with include 1) topography (does the city have lots of trees, or canyons, or tall buildings?); 2) budget (how flexible can a city be?); 3) Internet access points (does the city have existing fiber to provide multiple POPs to support a wireless mesh network?); 4) congestion (how many other users are on the available spectrum) and 5) proposed uses of network (this is where the design gets variable fast). This section focuses on that last category - what purpose will the new network serve? What is the vision of the city? what will the network be used for? In the end, a network is merely a pipe - the challenge and the potential benefit lies in what goes through that pipe. Typically, cities have looked at security and public safety as a primary use for these new networks. This is for two reasons: first, after 9/11, security is on everyone's mind; second, the aging land mobile radio (LMR) systems of different public safety entities make replacement of radio a key strategic concern. Wireless broadband is arriving at an opportune time. Accordingly, UnwireMyCity suggests this hierarchy of needs for a wireless broadband network, moving from anchor tenancy to retail services: 1) Public Safety: funds are available, and this is a need that all citizens will benefit from. Applications include video surveillance from fixed wireless points for violent crime reduction (in high crime areas, a la New Orleans); mobile data access for public safety officers to take them out of their offices where they must go to fill out reports and put them back on the street for longer hours, where they can fight crime; video surveillance for property crime reduction; and video surveillance at traffic stops with lapel cameras. This is an area of rapid growth and more applications will be detailed in the near term. 2) Public Services: any field service worker will benefit from having access to mobile data, including case workers, parking meter readers, 3) Utility Operations: as with public service workers, utility workers benefit from having more options for voice and data broadband communications; and utility operations benefit from improved field data for better management, from automated meter reading, and from video surveillance on trouble accounts and critical infrastructure. 4) Wholesale Leasing Operations: when more competitors can be brought in to provide Internet access, voice, and video, the city benefits from having a large tenant to cover its costs, and the citizens benefit from increased competition that brings rates down. 5) Digital Divide: citizens benefit from gaining access to high speed Internet connections at an affordable rate, where none existed before; citizens also benefit when those Internet connections can be used to provide voice and video services at more competitive rates. Posted on May 22, 2005 at 10:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Neighborhood Security ResourcesTropos Metro-Scale Wi-Fi Networks for Video Surveillance This white paper describes the impact that a "crime control system" had on high-crime neighborhoods in New Orleans. By combining a Tropos wireless mesh node with a streetlight and a wireless video camera, New Orleans police were able to realize dramatic reductions in assault and murder rates, often crimes of opportunity. A well-lit area that is under video surveillance becomes mighty unattractive for criminals, who we assume either forego their crime or go to seek out a more favorable venue. Either way the community benefits when criminals are disrupted in their nefarious pursuits. Score one for technology! Broadband Public Safety Data Networks in the 4.9 GHz Band:Potential, Pitfalls & Promise Tropos authors drill down on the potential of using the Public Safety spectrum to bring wireless broadband to a community. Police officers in Idaho use Wi Fi to fight crime with voice over IP, e-mail and remote-controlled video cameras over the network for use in 22 patrol cars. Idaho knows Wi Fi. Posted on May 22, 2005 at 12:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Security for WirelessMulti-Layered Security Framework for Metro-Scale Wi-Fi Networks This whitepaper demonstrates the issues of security in a wireless environment, with particular attention to the issues associated with mesh technology on a large scale. Intel Security for Wireless Networks is a good primer on security issues with regard to wireless networks. Posted on May 20, 2005 at 12:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack WiMAX ResourcesIntel WiMAX and mesh whitepaper Intel WiMAX Houston County Georgia Case Study http://WiMAX.com, as the name would suggest, has a raft of information on the emerging technology of WiMAX. The site has a growing list of white papers on this subject, accessible through this link. Go to the Tropos site to get Posted on May 20, 2005 at 12:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Utility Connection ResourcesEconomist Article on the Energy Internet Municipally Owned Utilities and Broadband Energy Future Coalition Report on Smart Grids American Public Power Assn on Utility Broadband Posted on May 19, 2005 at 11:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Municipal Debate ResourcesBarriers To Municipal Networks Amicus Brief in Nixon Missouri Supreme Court Case Posted on May 19, 2005 at 11:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Wireless Broadband ResourcesThe Nature of Networks is to organize complexity. In fact, networks are the dominant organizational structure in nature - think of the human brain, as well as cellular mechanics, as examples. Networks connect nodes with links, providing the most resillient, effective and flexible structure to organize multiple parts to create a larger whole. In society, we have social networks. In nature, bees and ants are good examples of insects that organize with a network topology. Consider cities as nodes and think of all the connecting links that we rely on: railroads, airplane routes, roads and highways, telecommunications networks, the Internet, the electricity grid. This is the context I invite you to consider as you evaluate a wireless network for your city - by connecting your citizens with a metropolitan network, it can be viewed as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) for the city, when thinking in the context of the Internet and about the larger picture of a network of networks. In the Books section of this website, the excellent book Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means Mr. Barabasi explains far more eloquently than I can how this all makes sense. Where I think it really starts to get interesting for our community of wireless network planners and other curious types is when we consider what the impact will be of first connecting all of our citizens in our own Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks, and then connecting our cities over the Internet to create a new network to parallel and complement the Internet. Read these whitepapers and reports to dive deeper into the nature of networks from a municipal perspective. Intel Wireless Broadband Whitepaper 2004 INPUT Wireless Internet Expands Broadband Price Waterhouse Coopers Broadband Future Unstrung article: A Wireless Taxonomy Posted on May 19, 2005 at 11:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Planning Resources
These resources will give you a good start in the planning process. I recommend you download these and go through them one by one, making note of what is especially relevant for your proposed project. You will need to register on UnwireMyCity.com first before downloading these documents! It just takes a minute. Five Keys to Successful Metro-Scale Wi-Fi Deployment This Tropos document is succinct and derives its wisdom from the nearly 200 deployments of Tropos gear already out in the field. MIT White Paper on Muni Broadband Networks This Dec 2003 MIT study on local government involvement is prescient in its focus on Municipally Owned Utitlities (MOUs) and the potential for leverage. A Business Case Whitepaper - Maximizing Profitability: Tropos Networks and the Wireless ISP City officials should benefit from this document that describes the business case issues for the private sector WISP that deploys a metropolitan wireless network. Structural Change Chart I captured my thoughts on structural change in this March 2005 document, only to see the reasoning mirrored in Tom Friedman's new book The World is Flat in May. The bottom line is that change is all around, and it's moving faster and faster. The message is get prepared and understand what the change means. UnwireMyCity Principles for Planning This document has my long-held prinicples for planning and for business management captured. Print this and pin it on the wall to keep what is important in front of you. Posted on May 19, 2005 at 11:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Mesh Networking Resources
Mesh networking is probably one of the hottest topics in metropolitan wireless these days. Does it live up to its promise? In some cases, yes. In others, there is considerable hype. Many claim to be mesh systems, but often aren't. Mesh is, as the name implies, a wireless technology comprised of a series of interconnected nodes. Developed to keep military devices interconnected in the field of battle, mesh systems have found their way into civilian uses. "Client mesh" describes such systems, where the client devices double as transmitters, passing along the signal until it finds its way to an Internet gateway. Other mesh systems use special nodes that talk to each other and serve as access points for client devices to send and receive data to and from the Internet. Here are white papers and resources regarding Mesh Networking. Tropos: Creating Capacity Using Superior Routing: The Metro-Scale Mesh Networking Facts Tropos: Receive Sensitivity: A Practical Explanation Tropos MetroMesh Architecture Overview Intel WiMAX and mesh whitepaper Posted on May 19, 2005 at 10:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Wireless 101: Out with the Old Rules, In with the New
Because human beings have legs and are mobile, and they like to talk to each other almost as much as they like to breathe and eat, telecommunications has been a growth industry ever since Dr. Bell said "Watson, come here, I need you," or words to that effect. Increasingly, our telecommunications technologies are catching up with our on-the-go lifestyles and our need for mobility. We love wireless applications, principally voice applications, because they follow us wherever we go. Just a few years ago cell phones became widely affordable, and now its hard to imagine being without one. The march for ever more mobility (See also the UnwireMyCity whitepaper March to Mobility) and the quest for more bandwidth as well, together put incredible pressure on the telecom titans, both wired and wireless, to adapt and compete. The challenge for traditional telecom companies is to gain competitive skills and invest in broadband infrastructure to keep up with these changes and at the same time, hold on to their customer base whose monthly service payments finance their infrastructure investments. The challenge for competitive cellular companies is to build out their networks to gain broadband data capability. The advent of new modular, cheap, and functional wireless technologies that use unlicensed spectrum changes the old rules, when it was a matter of dogma that only a few mega telecoms had the capital and technical know how to provide "carrier grade" telecom services. Out with that old rule. The new rules of telecom favor the providers that can provide fat pipes for massive amounts of data, quickly and affordably, and most importantly, in mobile fashion. Don't count out the giants yet, but do acknowledge the new rules of the game when it comes to wired and wireless telephony. In with the new. Some are betting on the incumbents to crush the new guys, while others root for the new entrants to do an end run around their competitors like a speed boat around an ocean liner. This section provides a series of tutorials and briefs on the new rules and the new technologies. Such understanding is the first step in a paradigm shift to grasp the impact and potential of broadband data communications on this ever more level playing field of telecommunications. I'd recommend the sites and documents below to dig down on Wireless, for a quick start. I recommend you read them in the order provided. Download these documents today! 802.11 Technologies: Past, Present, and Future is a thorough review of "Wi Fi" - All of the alphabet soup versions of IEEE's 802.11 industry standard for wireless broadband are reviewed, with a look at what's coming up as well. A Mayor's Guide to Wireless This is a well written wireless primer that covers six different broadband technologies from a city leader's perspective. Sandy Teger and Dave Waks are co-founders of Broadband Home Central, a Web site and newsletter for those with a professional interest in residential broadband. They are also the Principals of System Dynamics Inc., a consultancy specializing in residential broadband technology and planning. They may be reached at 973-644-4739 or editor@bb-home.com. Wireless Without Limits provides a good introduction to wireless issues and solutions. Motorola Connections This article is an interview with Robert Filka, the Chief Operating Officer of the Michigan Broadband Development Authority, a lending entity created by the Michigan State Legislature to help spur the use and availability of affordable high-speed Internet access. The organization issues bonds and uses the proceeds to finance most types of broadband initiatives in underserved communities. FT.com / FT-IT review This Financial Times article, featured in another blog in this category, has lots of good introductory articles on municipal wireless for the novice. Metro-Scale Mesh Networking with Tropos MetroMesh Architecture explains how mesh networking can be used to cover an entire metropolitan area. Price-Performance Comparison: 3G and Tropos MetroMesh Architecture compares the cellular 3G approach to provide full metropolitan coverage and the new Mesh Network approach. A compelling comparison. Forward Compatible Network Management provides an overview of network design issues that come to bear on Wi Fi mesh networks. Receive Sensitivity: A Practical Explanation explains in detail how radios work to receive signals from end devices and how they overcome interference issues inherent in using unlicensed spectrum. Creating Capacity Using Superior Routing: The Metro-Scale Mesh Networking Facts demonstrates the means by which a mesh network can be scalable to cover an entire city - it's in the software. Open Standards for Broadband Wireless Networks: Wi-Fi to WiMAX shows how mesh networks will migrate to WiMAX technology as it comes on line in the next two years. The Perfect Storm This is a compelling look at convergence - in a short form white paper, very readable. Finally, the new site WiMAX.com has an ever-growing amount of information on WiMAX, the revolutionary technology that will hit the streets in the next year. Posted on May 19, 2005 at 01:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Mesh Network Planning ToolCheck out this planning tool for mesh networks. Austin start-up Wireless Valley, has released the Wireless Valley Wireless LAN MeshPlanner. With a background in planning tools for cellular deployments inside office buildings, Wireless Valley is coming outside. Posted on May 18, 2005 at 08:19 PM Essential Partnerships
The Center for Digital Government has a good document that will get you to thinking about the potential value of a partnership with a private sector firm. While not specifically focused on partnering for wireless networks, the white paper does describe the elements of a good partnership between a private sector firm and a public sector entity. Follow this link to download the document, Essential Partnerships: A Guide to the Successful Creation of Public-Private Partnerships. Posted on May 17, 2005 at 04:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Electric Utilities and Municpal Networks
The attached UnwireMyCity white paper describes the historic relationship between electric utilities and municipalities and suggests that there is strong potential for the two groups to help each other as they contemplate installing a wireless network. Electric utilities need new communications infrastructure to upgrade their power grids, and municipalities need broadband infrastructure for a variety of reasons. Together, they can lower their risk, lower their costs, and speed up their time to success. Posted on May 17, 2005 at 04:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Business Models for Metro Wireless Networks
In starting the planning for a wireless network, you should keep in mind the different business models available. Options include the following approaches, or some combination of these: Send me an e-mail with other models you may prefer or hear about.
Posted on May 16, 2005 at 04:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack Resources on Wireless, On-line and Off
The Internet is a rich source of information on wireless. At times it seems too rich, so I've captured some of my favorite sites here for you network planners. With such a fast-moving topic as metropolitan wireless, I've found it helpful to track the subject matter experts (SMEs) and their blogs, as well as information websites. Posting these blogs and websites as Bookmarks/Favorites on your Browser will help to keep these resources handy. For an easier way to keep posted on daily events, sign up for eNewsletters delivered to your Inbox or check out RSS news feeds. As you begin to get a mastery of this complex subject area, check out these books and whitepapers to gain some perspective on the nature of our new economy and the ways that technology is making it ever more complex and "efficient," with its added conveniences, nuisances, nuances, and risks. PLEASE E-MAIL ME WITH YOUR SUGGESTIONS AND I WILL ADD THEM. Posted on May 16, 2005 at 03:07 PM | TrackBack Orientation: First Things First: - Get Smart - "Wireless" Smart!
Whatever knowledge you may bring from past telecom or wired networking experiences, this field is new enough that you'll want to learn new vocabulary and get familiar with the context of this emerging wireless landscape. For the novice or the well experienced network planner, a pause to refamiliarize yourself with the background information offered in this section will be time well spent. Use the Orientation section to get your bearings on this new world of wireless, as detailed below. Wireless Broadband represents the potential of the future and that future has now arrived. Originally a technology for home and office networking, Wi Fi gained popularity in Hot Spots, and now it has been enhanced to create Metropolitan Mesh networks that cover whole cities, and WiMax looms on the horizon with still more potential. This technology is currently affordable, capable, available, modular, scalable, and adaptable to many uses, most of which are only now being discovered. A key reason for the growing popularity of wireless broadband among municipalities is its value and immediacy, and its flexibility as either a complementary solution on the way to a wired network or as a final network solution. It's easy to understand the excitement when comparing metropolitan mesh networks to the other options with significantly higher equipment, design, and deployment costs that can't be ready in short order like metropolitan mesh can: These technologies are disruptive enough that you may find your assumptions challenged, and dynamic enough that there may be a new development that changes the way you look at things. The subsections will be updated frequently, and there will be two options for viewing - directly from this website, or download sections to print and load into a loose-leaf binder. The Orientation Section is organized as follows: Resources: Wireless 101: Laws and Regulatory: Uses of Metro Networks: Business Models: I appreciate your suggestions. Send me an e-mail Posted on May 16, 2005 at 03:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack |
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