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San Francisco Reveals Six Citywide Wi-Fi Bids

8:30 am on February 24, 2006 | Category: Business, Wi-Fi, Wireless Technology

Local officials in San Francisco, California have narrowed the field to six potential bids from companies seeking to build a wide-range wireless broadband network in that city.

Several very big name companies are involved in the six proposals, each of which offers its own unique business model.

The proposal that has received the most attention would have to be that of Google and EarthLink. The two companies have agreed to team up and create a two-tier network, which would include both free (ad-supported) and paid wireless internet options.

As newsworthy as this bid has proven to be, however, five other plans are being pushed forward with equal enthusiasm.

IBM and Cisco have formed their own big name partnership, promising to build a network funded by corporate and private sponsorships. The plan would be carried through using Ciscoâ€™s hardware and IBMâ€™s software.

Other proposals being considered include those of Mountain View-based MetroFi, and Los Gatos-based nextWLAN, as well as Communication Bridge Global and Razortooth, both based in San Francisco.

Each of the providers involved is strongly committed to its own plan, and all are willing to accept the massive risk associated with such a project. The question of course, is which proposal will work out best for consumers.

San Francisco officials certainly have a lot of thinking to do in the weeks to come when picking a proposal for this groundbreaking project.

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