|
Companies signal desire to provide wireless service
By Rachel Pleasant
Staff Writer
Techies rejoice. The city of Charleston is planning a peninsula-wide WiFi system that will be free to anyone with compatible hardware.
The city put out a request for proposals on the two-year contract June 8. Two companies submitted bids by the June 28 deadline, and the city council will make its selection shortly.
The city contract calls for the installation and maintenance of a free Wireless Fidelity, or WiFi, system. The selected company will be required to provide coverage for peninsular Charleston and around-the-clock maintenance and support of the system.
The contract also calls for “walled garden services,” which means users would see advertising for different businesses based on their location on the peninsula
The contract is valid for two years but could be extended for a maximum of five years.
Charleston decided to pursue a free WiFi system for a number of reasons, says Ernest Andrade, director of the Charleston Digital Corridor.
“There is an economic benefit to providing these services,” he says.
“Someone on a boat in the harbor can get accurate weather reports or a restaurant can advertise its specials of the day. A simple analogy is that a wireless cloud can do the same for commercial activity what a cell phone or a pager can do to increase individual activity. It will lead to elevated levels of commerce.”
The deal
The peninsular Wi-Fi system will not be paid for by the city, Andrade says.
“The city is not participating in the funding,” hesays, though he adds that the city will likely provide some sort of non-monetary support.
Andrade would not disclose the bidding companies, but Scott Adams of Charleston’s Aerolina, which already handles “Thinkspots,” wireless hotspots in the city, says his company did submit a bid for the project.
Adams says he is not sure how much it would cost his company to provide wireless service on the peninsula and that it would depend on how much equipment is needed.
What will be tricky, Adams says, is making money off the project.
“Not only do you have to make enough to maintain and keep it running like the city wants it to run, but you also have to recoup your investment,” he says. “It’s an interesting proposition.”
To achieve a level of profitability, Adams says the city’s “free” wireless system would likely only be free for a certain period of time.
“There are similar applications like this in Columbia and other cities. Those cities provide maybe 20 or 30 minutes per day, and if you want additional access after that, you buy time,” Adams says.
Making it work
The peninsular WiFi system will be created by installing a series of antennas throughout the area, Andrade says.
“They’re small enough so they don’t detract. Unless you were looking real hard, you wouldn’t notice them,” Andrade says.
The wireless system will best be used outside, as users will have to be within a line of sight from an antenna, Adams says.
“There’s a lot of buzz about this wireless ‘cloud’,” he says. “The misconception is that it’s like cell phone service. The problem with this type of service is that it’s line of site. What it comes down to is putting radios and antennas where you want people to have access. The key is to identify where it makes sense and target those areas.”
Adams says the city’s wireless system would not necessarily be accessible from within buildings, though users are able to access the Marion Square hotspot from nearby hotel rooms.
“If you can get the signal, use it,” he says.
Should Aerolina win the city’s contract, Waterfront Park and the market area are places his company has long wanted to install wireless technology, Adams says.
Rachel Pleasant is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at rpleasant@charlestonbusiness.com.
|
E-Mail This Article
Printer-Friendly Version