By Gerry Blackwell

Who knew that ski resorts were so competitive? When The Resort Municipality of Whistler in British Columbia, Canada decided to roll out yodel, a community-wide Wi-Fi hotzone service, getting an edge on other ski resorts was a stated objective.

"One of the benefits was definitely the competitive advantage it would give us," says John Rae, Whistler's manager of strategic alliances and marketing services, and a prime mover on the project.

"Whistler versus Aspen [CO], Whistler versus Chamonix [in France] -- we feel if we have a technology advantage it can tip the scales in our favor [with prospective visitors]."

The Whistler initiative is an interesting development in the municipal hotspot arena if for no other reason than this clear-eyed perception of the benefits.

Besides that, it's the first municipality we've heard of that has a plan in place to achieve 100-percent seamless coverage of the community. The business model -- Whistler is partnering with Fort Lauderdale, Fl.-based hotspot operator and systems integrator V-Link -- is also intriguing.

Whistler's other main objective with yodel seems even more unlikely -- to make incremental revenue to put in the town coffers. Yodel was a deliberate experiment in what Rae calls "entrepreneurial government."

The service is aimed mainly at the two million or so visitors who come to Whistler each year to ski, snow board, hike, bike and just enjoy the mountain scenery. They will pay for the Wi-Fi Internet access service, and the revenues -- at least some of them -- will be used to improve town services and amenities.

Continued @ Wi-Fi Planet