Municipal Wireless Broadband

Table of Contents

SETTING THE STAGE

• 1.1 Introduction and report summary
  • Figure 1.1: Number of US Municipal Wireless Networks, 2004-2011
  • Figure 1.2: UK municipal Wi-Fi networks,2006-2011
• 1.2 Municipal wireless: an international phenomenon
  • 1.2.1 Wi-Fi is the catalyst technology for the municipal wireless movement
  • 1.2.2 How Wi-Fi reached the tipping point
• 1.3 Sources of data

CHAPTER 2

MARKET OVERVIEW

• 2.1 What is meant by the term 'municipal wireless'?
  • 2.1.1 'Municipal' is synonymous with 'local
  • 2.1.2 Municipal wireless is a subdivision within the municipal broadband movement
• 2.2 Key moments in the growth of municipal wireless
  • Figure 2.1: Major milestones in the growth of municipal wireless
• 2.3 Inception to launch data
  • Figure 2.2: Inception to launch data
  • Figure 2.3: Time to deploy municipal networks
• 2.4 Insight into the philosophy of municipal wireless
• 2.5 Incumbent response to municipal wireless
• 2.6 Legislative and regulatory policy affecting municipal broadband in the US
  • 2.6.1 Legislation affecting municipal broadband in the US
  • 2.6.2 Policy affecting municipal broadband in the US and the 1996 Telecommunications Act
  • 2.6.3 Relevant Supreme Court rulings affecting municipal broadband in the US
• 2.7 Telecommunications legislative and regulatory policy affecting municipal broadband in the EU
  • 2.7.1 Recent considerations in the UK
    • Figure 2.4: UK selected 2.4GHz and 5.xGHz bands
• 2.8 Current market status
  • 2.8.1 Current market status for municipal wireless the US
    • Figure 2.5: 2005-2008 Annual spending for municipal wireless networks in the US
    • Figure 2.6: FreePress map of US municipal broadband projects
  • 2.8.2 Current market status for municipal wireless in the EU
  • 2.8.3 Three-phase market evolution
    • Figure 2.7: The three-phase evolution of Wi-Fi mesh
• 2.9 Spectrum constraints
• 2.10 Municipal wireless project rationale and types
• 2.11 The municipal wireless ecosystem
  • 2.11.1 The municipality
  • 2.11.2 The network operator
  • 2.11.3 The product vendor
  • 2.11.4 Integrators/consultancies
  • 2.11.5 Solutions and services offered on municipal wireless networks
• Figure 2.8: Worldwide shipments of Wi-Fi notebooks, 2006-2011
• Figure 2.9: Explanation of marginal costs for mobile operator with VoWi-Fi
• 2.12 Key opportunities and challenges
  • 2.12.1 Mounting and powering network elements
    • Figure 2.10: Node installation in Anaheim, CA
  • 2.12.2 Improved Edge of Network technology
  • 2.12.3 Emerging business models and public-private partnerships

CHAPTER 3

MUNICIPAL WIRELESS ARCHITECTURE , TECHNOLOGY AND DEVICES

• 3.1 Foundations for municipal wireless networks
• 3.2 The role of wireless mesh networking technology in municipal wireless networks
  • Figure 3.1: Nodes in a wireless mesh network, showing that multiple paths lead to the network's backbone.
• 3.3 Municipal wireless network architecture
  • Figure 3.2: The conceptual design for a singleradio municipal wireless network
  • 3.3.1 The client layer
    • Figure 3.3: PepLink 200mW Wi-Fi modem
  • 3.3.2 The wireless mesh access layer
    • Figure 3.4: Mesh radio alternatives
  • 3.3.3 The capacity injection or gateway layer
    • Figure 3.5: A Tropos 5210 Wi-Fi node with a Motorola canopy subscriber unit attached to a streetlight.
    • Figure 3.6: Example base station with six 60 degree antennae
  • 3.3.4 The distribution layer
    • Figure 3.7: Ceragon microwave radio
  • 3.3.5 Subscriber provisioning and management
  • 3.3.6 Examples of municipal Wi-Fi networks
    • Figure 3.8: Number of elements used in municipal wireless networks already deployed
  • 3.3.7 Symmetrical service
  • 3.3.8 Mounting access points
  • 3.3.9 Powering the network
  • 3.3.10 Multi-radio Wi-Fi architecture
    • Figure 3.9: A multi-radio WI-Fi node by Strix
• 3.4 Managing the network
• 3.5 Network security
• 3.6 Spectrum summary
  • 3.6.1 Wi-Fi background
    • Figure 3.10: 802.11b/g channel map
  • 3.6.2 Viability of unlicensed spectrum
• 3.7 The future of municipal wireless networks
  • 3.7.1 Wi-Fi - 802.11n
  • 3.7.2 Wi-Fi - other relevant standards
    • Figure 3.11: Additional 802.11 standards relevant for municipal wireless
  • 3.7.3 WiMAX
    • Figure 3.12: Example Alvarion CPE for WiMAX
• 3.8 Vendor and player profiles
  • Figure 3.13: Selected municipal wireless vendors and players
  • 3.8.1 Service providers
    • 3.8.1.1 Azulstar -
    • 3.8.1.2 EarthLink -
    • 3.8.1.3 Clearwire -
    • 3.8.1.4 Google -
    • 3.8.1.5 MetroFi -
      • Figure 3.14: Screenshot of ad-supported MetroFi browser
    • 3.8.1.6 MobilePro -
  • 3.8.2 Integrators
    • 3.8.2.1 AT&T Enterprise Services -
    • 3.8.2.2 Hewlett Packard -
    • 3.8.2.3 IBM -
    • 3.8.2.4 Siemens -
    • 3.8.2.5 Wireless Facilities, Inc.
  • 3.8.3 Network equipment manufacturers
    • 3.8.3.1 Alvarion -
    • 3.8.3.2 Bel Air Networks -
    • 3.8.3.3 Ceragon Networks -
    • 3.8.3.4 Cisco -
    • 3.8.3.5 Motorola -
    • 3.8.3.6 Nortel Networks -
    • 3.8.3.7 Strix -
    • 3.8.3.8 SkyPilot Networks -
    • 3.8.3.9 Tropos -
    • 3.8.3.10 Wavion -
  • 3.8.4 Operations and business support systems providers
    • 3.8.4.1 Airpath Wireless -
    • 3.8.4.2 Pronto Networks -

CHAPTER 4

THE BUSINESS CASE FOR MUNICIPAL WIRELESS

• 4.1 Cornerstones of a public-private partnership
  • 4.1.1 Reaching a win-win agreement
• 4.2 Use of taxpayers' money to support a municipal wireless network
  • 4.2.1 Wi-Fi as a public utility
• 4.3 Types of business models
  • Figure 4.1: Types of municipal wireless business models.
  • 4.3.1 The private consortium model
  • 4.3.2 The cooperative wholesale model
  • 4.3.3 The public utility model
  • 4.3.4 The non profit model
  • 4.3.5 The grassroots public community model
• 4.4 Expenses associated with municipal wireless networks
• 4.5 Revenue sources generated by municipal wireless networks
• 4.6 Revenue models
  • Figure 4.2: Primary revenue models
  • 4.6.1 Free or municipally supported
  • 4.6.2 Ad supported
  • 4.6.3 Subscription supported

CHAPTER 5

OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS CREATED BY MUNICIPAL WIRELESS NETWORKS

• 5.1 Introduction
  • 5.1.1 Regional overview
• 5.2 Early opportunities - cannibalisation and extension of existing services
  • Figure 5.1: Current markets at risk for cannibalisation by municipal wireless
  • 5.2.1 Wireless T-1
    • Figure 5.2: Alvarion Breezemax business subscriber units
  • 5.2.2 4.9GHz - public safety
• 5.3 New opportunities
• 5.4 Advertising-based networks
• 5.5 VoIP over Wi-Fi
  • Figure 5.3: The P-2000W, a VoIP Wi-Fi Phone by ZyXEL
  • Figure 5.4: Worldwide shipments of cellular handsets with Wi-Fi, 2006-2011
• 5.6 The scale of the opportunity
• 5.7 Impact on existing operators
  • 5.7.1 Wireline telephone/DSL operators
  • 5.7.2 Multiple system operators (cable)
    • Figure 5.5: The BelAir100S strand-mounted wireless multi-service node

CHAPTER 6

MUNICIPALITY AND OPERATOR CASE STUDIES

• 6.1 Overview
  • Figure 6.1: Selected municipal wireless projects and operators.
• 6.2 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Figure 6.2: Philadelphia network details
• 6.3 San Francisco, California
  • Figure 6.3: San Francisco network details
• 6.4 St. Cloud, Florida
  • Figure 6.4: St. Cloud network details
  • Figure 6.5: Student logs onto St. Cloud's CyberSpot near the city's downtown lakefront
• 6.5 Taipei, Taiwan
  • Figure 6.6: Taipei network details
  • Figure 6.7: Selected WiFLY tariffs
  • Figure 6.8: WiFLY Wi-Fi hot zone coverage in Taipei.
• 6.6 Singapore
  • Figure 6.9: Singapore network details
  • Figure 6.10: Wireless broadband regions
• 6.7 Norwich, UK
  • Figure 6.11: Norwich, UK network details
  • Figure 6.12: Norfolk Open Link launch event on 1 August 2006
• 6.8 British Telecom
  • Figure 6.13: British Telecom network details
• 6.9 FON
  • Figure 6.14: FON network details
  • Figure 6.15: FON network customer offering
  • Figure 6.16: Map showing FON access points in Manhattan

CHAPTER 7

MARKET FORECASTS

• 7.1 Overview
• 7.2 The US market
  • 7.2.1 Number of US municipal wireless networks
    • Figure 7.1: US region and citywide municipal wireless networks (Sep-06)
    • Figure 7.2: Number of municipal wireless networks in the US, 2004-2011
  • 7.2.2 Square miles covered by US municipal wireless networks.
    • Figure 7.3: Square miles covered by US municipal wireless networks, 2004-2001
  • 7.2.3 Households covered by US municipal wireless networks
    • Figure 7.4: Households covered by US municipal wireless networks, 2004-2011
  • 7.2.4 Annual spending on equipment, cost per square mile and cost per household passed
    • Figure 7.5: Municipal wireless deployment costs and annual spending, 2004-2011
    • Figure 7.6: Equipment refresh, 2004-2011
    • Figure 7.7: Cost per household passed, 2004-2011
    • Figure 7.8: Complete US forecast results
• 7.3 The UK market
  • 7.3.1 Number of UK municipal wireless networks
    • Figure 7.9: Selected UK municipal wireless deployments
    • Figure 7.10: The Cloud, BT planned municipal wireless deployments
    • Figure 7.11: UK municipal Wi-Fi networks, 2006-2011
    • Figure 7.12: UK municipal Wi-Fi deployments, 2006-2011
  • 7.3.2 Coverage of UK municipal wireless networks
    • Figure 7.13: UK municipal Wi-Fi coverage, 2006-2001
  • 7.3.3 UK municipal Wi-Fi equipment spending
    • Figure 7.14: UK municipal Wi-Fi equipment spending, 2006-2011
  • 7.3.4 Complete UK municipal Wi-Fi forecast results.
    • Figure 7.15: UK municipal Wi-Fi market forecasts.
• 7.4 Conclusion