truocchio
join:2004-07-05
Miami Beach, FL
| Free doesnt mean without consequence.....
Free municipal or citywide wifi networks will have poor coverage. (period) But an often overlooked factor is that once a city deploys a mesh network all other existing wifi providers (private businesses) will be pushed out or hampered severely because of interference and noise in the already crowded spectrum. So the net effect will be few people who once received a quality paid for service will be replaced by the many who now get free poor/nonexistent service. Removing competition and choices from consumers to a poor quality government or private "free" service will only add to the cable and telco stranglehold on the marketplace as these city wifi networks become dinosaurs (a la EVDO/HSPDA). The private wifi firms will shrink away and will not come back. Even if they planned migration to better technology (WiMax) and increases in service offerings, they still cannot compete with free.
The more I watch this debacle unfold the more I laugh at the "experts" (read:vendors) who told cities that this was even feasible. Tropos is making a killing ($4,000) off of $200 hardware and a slick firmware revision as the cities line up to provide their constituencies "hope" in the form of broadband.
BTW- I have a bridge for sale..... |
