Leveraging the power of

partnerships: the case of Wireless

Philadelphia

Dr. Costis Toregas

May 2006

The Wireless Philadelphia™ Story

Mayors Office of Information Services

Wireless Philadelphia Goal

“Philadelphia’s goal is to become the number one wireless city in the country and intends to set the standard by which wireless accessibility is measured. The city intends to enter into partnership with interested public and private parties to provide wireless access for the entire city”– Add to the prestige of the City as a technology center for economic

growth– Improve low cost access to high speed services in all

neighborhoods– Provide a foundation for new value add market technologies ---

such as high resolution video conferencing, VOIP, telemedicine – Must have “social consciousness”, i.e., must help the city and its

residents to overcome digital divide and provide universal access– Cannot be a financial drain on the city

How Philadelphia Got Started

• Aligned technology with Mayor’s goals • Create briefing paper and fact sheet• Created free WiFi hot spot to demonstrate potential• Monitored usage• Held meetings with interested sectors in community• Presented findings to Mayor• Mayor appointed Wireless Philadelphia Executive

Committee• Developing Business Plan and Funding Strategy

Funding Models

• Government owned and operated– City/County owns pole rights or has right-of-way authority

• Government owned and privately operated– Public/Private partnership

• Joint Power Authority or Public Utility• Non-for-Profit owned and operated• Cooperative Wholesale Model

– Government owned; sell excess capacity at wholesale to private providers

• Enterprise/Private Consortium owned and operated– Fees shared with government

Chosen: Earthlink partnership

October 4, 2005 — EarthLink, the nation's next generation Internet service provider (ISP), today announced that it has been selected by Wireless Philadelphia to develop and implement the nation's largest municipal Wi-Fi broadband network…. Under the terms of the proposal, no City or taxpayer dollars will be used to fund the project. EarthLink will finance, build and manage the wireless network, and provide Wireless Philadelphia with revenue sharing fees to help support the Wireless Philadelphia Non-Profit Corporation.

Operational goalsEarthLink will implement a 135-square-mile, city-wide Wi-Fi mesh network, which is expected to be fully operational by the fourth quarter of 2006. The network is intended to provide:

•Inexpensive, high-speed Internet access•Open access for multiple, competing service providers; •Roaming capabilities for providers of hot spot access; •Free Internet access in some parks and public spaces; •Daily and weekly access for occasional users and visitors; •Small business connectivity and serve as a wireless T-1 alternative.

Summary

• Assess the community’s need for wireless and identify applications the network will facilitate

• Build a leadership team that involves all stakeholders• Educate the community through public forums and an

effective media strategy• Create a strategy to work with existing telcos• Develop a techno-economic plan • Identify the best business model and funding opportunity• Create Business Plan to sell the project

Corpus Christi partnership portal

Models of Industry Participation

• Enjoy improved productivity internally

• Develop, test and produce wireless technologies and services

• Build infrastructure

• Operate & Maintain infrastructure

• Manage applications

4 Guiding Principles

• Equity and a level playing field..

• Financial and human assets

• Interoperability and Scaleability

• Attitude

e-citizen or e-customer (.5%!)

Bilbao Congress to heads of state

• Promote deployment of new broad band networks of connectivity by local authorities and regions through regulatory reform and help fund them

• Allow the beauty of local action: able to adjust to diversity of environment, to flourish and grow stronger by ICT

• Establish cross boundary networks of experience sharing and technical support

toregas1@gwu.edu