A core group of network supporters met Tuesday and agreed on a preliminary plan. The city-supported plan will seek a private company to build, own and manage the wireless network. The system is expected to cost between $10 million and $25 million. Instead of using taxpayer's money, backers hope to find a telecommunications company willing to build the network in exchange for access to rooftops of city-owned buildings.

 

The high-speed wireless network will link subscribers on the move and provide an alternative to existing Internet service providers. Nigel Ballard (2nd from left), of Personal Telco (the community wireless group) and Matrix Networks (a commercial wireless installer) has advocated for a "free" component.

The coalition of government officials, business leaders and technology enthusiasts has been planning a Portland WiFi network for more than two years. They originally hoped to have it online in 2004, but plans moved slowly in the face of organizational and technical challenges.

The Core Team Directors of PTSC are:

• Nigel Ballard
• Rob Bole - One Economy
• Perry Gruber - Intel
• Roger Jones - Portland Neighborhood Business Association
• Matthew Lampe - CTO City of Portland
• Steve Robinson - CTO Portland Schools
• Marshall Runkel - Assistant to City Commissioner Sten
• Ron White - Network Communications Manager Tri-Met

The city of Portland also would serve as an "anchor tenant" for the network, committing to use it in outlying city offices, for collecting data from city parking meters, and in other circumstances where wireless Internet access would be cheaper than other networks.

Organizers say details need to be worked out and questions answered. Chief among those: Will any company sign on to build the network on the city's terms?

Wireless enthusiasts say the citywide network would be attractive to businesses, which could use it to keep their companies and employees online across Portland. The network also might offer residents a cheaper option for high-speed Internet access than what's now available from phone and cable companies.

Organizers haven't determined how much customers would pay to subscribe to the service, but they want to keep prices low and hope some access might be available free -- perhaps at certain times of day or for users accessing city services or Portland schools.

Project backers expect service would be phased in over at least two years, but they haven't determined how much of the city the network would reach. Because existing WiFi technology serves very limited areas, coverage might be limited to densely populated areas. But new WiMAX technology might be able to provide access over a much broader area, potentially serving the entire city.

The network's backers plan to solicit bids for the project sometime this summer and select a company to build the system by the end of the year. Organizers want the network's builder to own and manage it, allowing other Internet service providers to use the network to serve individual customers.

It's unclear whether any prospective builder would agree to that condition or whether a network builder could meet organizers' goal of providing low-cost Internet access to residents, said Matt Lampe, Portland's chief technology officer.

"This is exactly where the question mark is," he said.

One of several municipal wireless funding options. Source: Nigel Ballard's PowerPoint at Innotech, 2005

Over the next few months, Lampe said, backers of the citywide network will fine-tune their proposal in hopes of making it attractive to companies that might build the network. Intel is helping the group gauge the viability of its plans.

Wireless Internet access is already widely available in Portland coffee shops, bars and restaurants, thanks to the Personal Telco Project, a volunteer effort that set up 142 "hot spots" in the metro area. Internet access is free in those wireless establishments, but access is limited to their premises and immediate surroundings.

Portland was on the forefront of the wireless movement two years ago when Intel named it the "most unwired city" in a nationwide survey, but the city has fallen behind as other cities set up more hot spots and a few moved to build citywide networks.

A number of smaller cities, including Spokane, already have networks serving large wireless "hot zones." Bigger cities -- among them Philadelphia and Chicago -- have plans under way to build massive wireless networks.

Portland organizers chose to move deliberately in planning their network, said Rashid Ahmed of the Portland Development Commission, which is helping promote the network. The network's backers, he said, want to ensure they make the best use of an emerging technology.

"We're feeling our way around uncharted territory to a large extent," Ahmed said. "This is fairly leading-edge technology that we're talking about here, and I think it's appropriate that we take as much time as necessary to make sure we do it right."