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Top 10 Cities

1. Seoul--2,056
2. Tokyo--1,802
3. London--1,627
4. Paris--895
5. San Francisco--801
6. Daegu--787
7. New York--643
8. Singapore--619
9. Busan--617
10. Hong Kong--605

Obviously, WiMax supporters want to make sure their products do what they're supposed to do, but they may eventually have to be deployed overseas to prove their worth before finally finding a place in the U.S. Of course, the pending field trials will certainly tell a huge part of the story.

As of now, most of the WiFi access in and around the area is limited to the standard coffee shops and other establishments, but the state is seeing more agreements between cities that will allow users to log on from either their own home area or someplace nearby, all for one fee.

It kind of warms the heart when the Cheeseheads are now joining the wireless revolution, doesn't it?

In any case, it looks like the long-in-the-works Rhode Island Wireless Innovation Networks (RI-WINs) initiative may finally get underway in the form of a pilot phase next month. According to officials, the network will be aimed at govermental employees, especially first responders, as well as private companies who employ a number of mobile workers. Example applications include dash cameras to report information back to agency headquarters, real-time access to law enforcement databases, distance learning, and home health care monitoring.

What excites those involved with the project is that because Rhode Island is so small, it really can be classified as a statewide municipal wireless network. In addition, operating costs are projected to be around $5 million a year for the whole state, and annual revenue is projected to be over $6 million, to be gained through access fees from private users.

This certainly seems like a win-win for the Rhode Island. Obviously, the pilot program will tell us a lot more about usage and access, but the wireless signs seem to be pointing up for the Ocean State.

The book describes how the initiative made its way through the system and features interviews with some of the major players involved with the effort. It also aims to serve as a guide for other municipalities to leverage when considering citywide wireless networks.

I've put in a request to Hudson House for a review copy and hope to have a positive response from them very soon. If I can get my hands on the book, I will post a review as soon as possible.

According to the agreement, Motorola will install network equipment from their suppliers, as well as their own products, on city light poles to form a wireless mesh to allow access from just about anywhere within a given location.

Obviously, this is a big deal because EarthLink can certainly submit proposals for future projects knowing that they have a powerhouse like Motorola behind them so that equipment questions can be answered quickly. Of course, there may be more agreements like this coming down the pike to give competitors a chance, so we'll see what happens.

The story also mentions that the network will succeed because nearly 9 in 10 Taipei households have at least one PC and over a third of the population is familiar with wireless Internet service. As a result, there's no need for a large learning curve and users will be able to take immediate advantage of the network. As with many U.S. citywide networks, there has been pushback from the phone companies who have lobbied city and state governments to keep these initiatives from getting off the ground. But just like anywhere else, the demand is just too great to keep down.

As we well know, the big cities are enlisting big companies to build citywide networks, and with their combined economical and technological power, it's pretty much a given that these small collectives would be pushed aside. However, the point is that these massive citywide projects wouldn't have even gotten off the ground without groups like NYCwireless or Seattle Wireless making it possible for friends and neighbors to get wireless access from each other and having the concept grow from there.

It seems like a nice idea, but what about the rest of Boston. Where will these people and businesses be able to access a broader network? The initiative does have some expansion plans, but may not be enough to cover the entire city. We'll have to keep tabs on this project to see how it will address the other parts of Boston.

Just as mostly everyone else is doing these days, Milwaukee's intention in building this network is to attract business. Will it do so? Who knows for sure, but it certainly can't hurt.

It is believed that 802.11n WiFi is estimated to be nearly five times faster than 802.11g, and up to 50 times faster than 802.11b. It would make sense that those municipalities looking to deploy a citywide wireless network pay particular attention to this development, although the standard won't be ratified until (most likely) the end of this year.

As is the case with most of these citywide wireless networks, Salem is hoping that their network will attract business and workers to their community.

Of course, it all comes down to how much it will cost to build this network as well how much people are willing to pay to access it. New Haven is home to Yale University, but there are some very economically depressed areas here as well, so smart planning is essential in this case.

Plans for Chandler call for users to pay $3.95 per day or $29.95 per month for unlimited access anywhere in the city. If the plan is approved, the city would allow NeoReach to mount equipment on city street lights and to use up to $15,000 in electricity per year in exchange for 3,000 free network subscriptions for city employees on city business. Construction is expected to begin in March.

IBM and Wireless Facilities Inc. were given permission to set up antennas in both locations in order to see if their systems meet the requirements of 95 percent coverage over their specific geographical areas. The testing begins on Jan. 20 and will be monitored by a consulting firm hired by the city who will be presenting results to Miami's Finance and Citywide Projects Committee on Jan. 30. Officials are expected to make a final decision on which company will be awarded the opportunity to build a citywide network at their Feb. 8 meeting.

The network is estimated to cost around $4 million to build, and should be up and running within six months. However, there are a number of ISPs who aren't happy about the city possibly giving away access for free, and rest assured there will be a heavy dose of lobbying and marketing on both sides to push their agenda across. In any event, you can pretty much cross off Miami as the next major metropolitan area that will be getting some sort of citywide wireless network in the near future.