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EarthLink Pauses On New Muni Wireless Projects
By Larry Hendrick | May 1, 2007
This article in Information Week contains so many great sentences, the temptation is to include the entire article. That is not my policy, so I settled for these few sentences that inject reality into the whole Muni-WiFi discussion. The requirement, though, is to visit the website and read the complete article.
EarthLink Pauses On New Muni Wireless Projects — Metro Wi-Fi — InformationWeek
The company’s statement was released after an Associated Press reporter quoted CFO Kevin Dotts saying the company is “not yet able to establish that comfort level” that its municipal wireless investments will be profitable. …
… The EarthLink and MetroFi moves suggest that reality has broken over the metro Wi-Fi market, which to date has seen heavy cloudbursts of hype. Several cities from Taipei (which has the largest wireless mesh network in the world) to Lompoc, Calif., have encountered problems signing up subscribers, as for-pay wireless networks compete with cable and DSL for residential broadband customers. …
“The era of the vendor-financed muni network may be (mercifully) coming to an end,” says wireless consultant Craig Settles, author of the book Fighting the Good Fight for Municipal Wireless.
The italics are mine.
Most people say, “I hate to say I told you so …”, but I would be lying if I said that. I have said so ever since this idea (Muni-WiFi) presented itself and have defended my position over and over again. I admit it … I love that “I told you so.”