Wifi Revolution

MichTel Communications has joined forces with Michigan’s Oakland County to deploy the Cisco (News - Alert) service mesh architecture in more than 61 cities and townships across the state’s southeastern region. The alliance is expected to foster economic transformation and help meet the goal of providing more than 1.2 million residents and 40,000 businesses with broadband Internet access.

 

The Wireless Oakland initiative’s business model features free "baseline" connectivity services for residential and business customers (e.g. 128 kbps), supported through advertising revenue as well as for-fee services that provide faster broadband connectivity. Although County officials initially expected only a few thousand early adopters, more that 15,000 users have signed up for Wireless Oakland since it launched in January. The average Internet session length is reportedly 75 minutes.

 

Encompassing more than 910 square miles, the County’s "Wireless Oakland" initiative

aims to provide free wireless Internet access to every resident, business and visitor. Phil Bertolini, deputy county executive and chief information officer of Oakland County, noted that the wireless network is helping bridge a "digital divide" for residents with limited access to the Internet.

 

The deployment is also serving as a platform for economic transformation. The state depends heavily on the automobile manufacturing industry, and is currently enduring a slump. This has spurred Oakland County to continue diversifying its business landscape and help ensure economic stability. The company emphasizes that the wireless deployment helps Oakland County achieve this goal by delivering greater access to information, mobility and collaboration.

 

Bertolini said in a statement that few schoolchildren in Oakland County can access the Internet or a computer for longer than 30 minutes a week, which is grossly inadequate in today’s information- and technology-driven world.

 

He explained that although wireless deployments like Wireless Oakland present viable business opportunities, they serve a critical need within communities to support increasingly mobile residents and businesses, and elevate the technical knowledge of its current and future workforces. Bertolini added that this initiative is purposefully being used as a tool to drive economic and workforce transformation that supports the county’s and state's ability to strengthen the economic future.

 

Frank Scaramuzzino, president of MichTel said the community has enthusiastically embraced broadband wireless access, and usage rates are in excess of 1 million minutes per week, which is a powerful testament to the strength of their business model and the innovative applications being deployed through Wireless Oakland.

 

“We knew early on that in order for this municipal wireless initiative to succeed, it was paramount to start with a solid business model. Strong partners like Cisco were instrumental in the success of this deployment and in building a successful technical foundation. The county is enjoying the benefits of that foundation as we speak,” said Scaramuzzino.

 

Ben Gibson, Cisco’s director of mobility solutions said Wireless Oakland is an outstanding example of a successful large-scale wireless deployment with a forward-thinking business model that's being embraced by its community.

 

“Simply put, Oakland County is proving that municipal wireless can work,” he concluded.

 

 

Back to WiFi Revolution home