Municipal Wi-Fi Gets Backers

[SOURCE: RedHerring]
It’s official: Citywide Wi-Fi in the United States is going mainstream. Hundreds of cities across the U.S. are looking for companies and partners to build Wi-Fi networks -- leaving latecomers a chance to snag business. The cable industry is planning its own wide-area wireless network. Dubbed CableRoam, the scheme will feature citywide Wi-Fi among other technologies. Telcos and cable operators didn't want to admit the size of the opportunity at first, because it undercuts their pricing. But now that citywide Wi-Fi looks like it could be nothing less than the future of broadband, they have to face it. “It will be ubiquitous and a monster opportunity,” says Craig Mathias, an analyst with Farpoint Group. It could also make for a massive land grab for domestic Wi-Fi networks over the next year. Cities in the U.S. spent some $76.5 million on wireless networks in 2005, according to research firm MuniWireless. That number is expected to soar 430 percent to $405.6 million in 2007. Internet service providers and portals, cable companies, and even telcos are starting to brace for the new era.
http://www.redherring.com/article.aspx?a=16041