We have frequently heard that citywide Wi-Fi has been unsuccessful in large cities but works well in smaller cities that have developed good business models for deployment. That may often be true but it’s not the case for those cities which are served by Kite Networks. The company set up low-cost citywide Wi-Fi in several areas including Longmont and Farmer’s Branch in Texas and Tempe in Arizona. In July of last year, Kite was bought by Gobility which continued to operate those systems.

Just six months after the purchase, Gobility is trying to get rid of its Kite acquisitions. What that means for citywide Wi-Fi varies by area. In Longmont and Tempe, the service is currently still in use (and available for free) pending possible purchases by other providers. However, the Farmer’s Branch system was shut down in December, leaving some subscribers out of service as well as out some money. An additional summary of the problem is available at MuniWireless.com.