atmaspheric | endeavors

I had a very productive few days attending MuniWireless this week and a few thoughts remain top of mind.

First, way more cities have either built municipal networks or are openly discussing their desire to build networks than I had previously realized. What was great to hear is how many of these networks are NOT happening in large cities, but rather in the smaller and medium sized locations. This really got me thinking about where I live and why Westchester County does not have anything under way for public use. Since my return, I was able to locate at least one development underway for first responders (public safety) which was good to see, but is barely scratching the surface on what wireless technology and the proliferation of broadband can do for a local area.

The Digital Divide is an interesting issue that came up repeatedly. Clearly many municipalities sell through the idea of the network as a great connector or equalizer for citizens regardless of economic status and previous access to broadband. The thing most people don’t apparently talk about is what happens after you unwire a lower income area? The same people don’t magically open their MacBooks and get online… the same socio-economic issues are in place and most of these people don’t even have computers. A relatively low cost, yet powerful option comes to mind…

Broadband - If you can believe it the US Government considers 200Kbps broadband. This is quite sad considering you’d have a heck of a time doing any moderate multimedia on 200K, let alone the now standard YouTube or music streaming and you can forget using VOIP or something like Joost. I realize my mileage is far from normal, but I’ve got a 30MB / 5MB connection at home, and since moving to a cable modem about 7 years ago, have never had less than 1MB down (ISDN before that at 112kpbs) and actually been more at the 3+ level. As soon as my cable provider offers a faster tier, I buy it. Quite a few cities are being sold and implementing 1MB or 1.5MB networks which is very average. I recognize there’s massive cost to invest here, but think of the long term plan and not just the next election term… what happens when a few thousand people all use a 1MB connection… I think local governments can count on unhappy tax payers.

Dual-Mode Phones - Nokia is a major force to be reckoned with here if A) People recognize that they can buy these things without a carrier and B) can afford them. There are not too many manufacturers cranking out WiFi enabled cellphones that can also do VOIP. When you are in the network, you can switch to SIP with TruPhone or Gizmo and make free calls. If I had a municipal network to connect on, I’d be all over this… between my N80i, N93 and N800 Tablet, I’ve got 3 options to be making and receiving calls for free. There are of course quite a few Skype and SIP capable phones that would be quite excellent to have in your pocket if you went out for the day in a muni-network.

Easy and Open Access - Something that came up on the panel I spoke on as well as in earlier sessions during the event is the pressing need to standardize how people access networks. It’s easy if you use a computer - PCs generally being easier to connect than Macs, but what happens when you use a new device with WiFi? As I noted earlier, I have a number of WiFi devices - phones, my Nokia tablet, a Nintendo DS and a PSP. They all connect differently and not all of them have browsers that are allowed to connect and authenticate. None of them have IE, which seems to be the system integrators browser of choice. While on the topic… if the networks are designed for public usage, please openly enable that purpose, or state clearly what you already know won’t work. Don’t block UDP ports and VOIP services, just to block them as (ahem) our hotel did in Dallas. There are always work-arounds for those savvy enough to want to hack a bit.

Finally, a BIG Thank you to Andy Abramson for the invitation to attend and participate in MuniWireless! I had a great time on our emerging mobile devices panel with Oliver Starr of Guidewire Group, Paul Murdock from Nokia and Kent Brown from Motorola.

Esme Vos and the team at Microcast Communications put on a great show, if you are considering a future MuniWireless event, I’d highly recommend it.

Technorati Tags: Gizmo Project, Joost, Motorola, MuniWireless, N-Series, N800, N80i, Nokia, Broadband, Skype, TruPhone, VOIP, Westchester, WiFi