Friday, December 01, 2006
By Jim Harger
The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- The dream of high-speed, wireless Internet access from anywhere in the city may be real sometime next year. City officials today announced a tentative deal with Clearwire LLC, a Seattle-area company that promises to blanket the city with the latest in technology.
Called WiMAX, the new technology boasts better penetration in buildings and neighborhoods than Wi-Fi, the wireless system used in most businesses and cities today, said city officials, who chose Clearwire from nine proposals submitted earlier this year.
"If this works, there won't be a blank spot in the city. We'll be entirely under a wireless cloud," said Mayor George Heartwell, who called for the development of a citywide wireless network two years ago. Heartwell said the new technology will be a drawing card for businesses and young professionals who want to live and work in the city. If there's a drawback, WiMAX technology still is under development and will require hardware upgrades for computers already equipped for Wi-Fi.
"It's brand-new technology," said Assistant City Manager Greg Sundstrom, who headed the contract negotiations. City commissioners are expected to act on the three-year contract Tuesday. Clearwire officials could not be reached for comment. City officials said they expect Clearwire to build the system as early as next summer. The contract is designed to give Clearwire access to city water towers and other antenna locations in exchange for high speed wireless access for police and firefighters. Other city departments are expected to subscribe, too.
For Internet users in Grand Rapids and surrounding communities, Clearwire is expected to offer an alternative to the high-speed cable modems and DSL systems on the market. The city contract does not dictate rates, but Clearwire is expected to offer competitive rates to build its market share, Sundstrom said. To address the so-called "digital divide", the city contract calls for 5 percent of the city's households to get low-income accounts for $9.95 a month. A yet-to-be-named nonprofit will administer the program, Sundstrom said. Clearwire also plans to set up several Wi-Fi "hot spots" throughout the city. The "hot spots" can be used by visitors and will offer free access to a "walled garden" that contains a limited number of Web sites.
Clearwire operates high-speed wireless networks in about 30 U.S. cities using a "pre-WiMAX" technology that requires customers to lease modems. The local WiMAX system will use high-speed wireless modems that can be installed in computers or included in the PCMCIA cards that can be installed in most laptops today, said Sally Wesorick, the city's project manager. By the time the system is installed, Wesorick expects the upgrades to be widely available in local electronics stores. Eventually, the WiMAX hardware will be part of most factory installations, she said.
Unlike Wi-Fi technology, which requires about 30 to 35 transmitters per square mile, WiMAX transmitters cover a larger area from cellular telephone towers, said Scott Buhrer, the city's chief financial officer. Clearwire's WiMAX antennas should cover all 45 square miles of the city with 10 to 15 towers, Buhrer said. The WiMAX technology also offers a greater signal penetration into buildings and neighborhoods, Wesorick said. Current Wi-Fi signals often are thwarted by trees and buildings. "Our site visits confirmed the reliability to be superior to Wi-Fi technology," Buhrer said. Send email to the author: jharger@grpress.com
2006 Grand Rapids Press
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