Wi-Fi in the city - Curtain about to go up on productions in S.F., Philadelphia

Iria

To date, municipal Wi-Fi projects have been the equivalent of off-Broadway plays -- ambitious in aspiration but simple in design and modest in scope.

Now the curtain is about to rise on full-blown metropolitan city wireless projects next year in San Francisco and Philadelphia, where the spectacle of affordable wireless service could boost the growth of broadband.

Amid the hype surrounding these wireless efforts is a daunting list of challenges that need to be resolved, including any number of complex technical hurdles and business issues that some critics say could be crippling.

In a nutshell, a municipal Wi-Fi operator would have to cope with potential interference from signals from other Wi-Fi networks and telecommunications devices. It also may encounter problems installing enough antennas in high-rises and other structures to ensure good reception. And it may run into unexpected cost overruns and find it difficult to make any money once the network is up and running.

This is not to say the initiatives will fail. But if the show is to fulfill its lavish promises to wire every citizen and help cities reduce telecommunications costs, a lot will need to happen, perhaps even more than city officials and their constituents fully realize.
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Read More / Source: SFGate