US States High On WiFi

Silicon Valley is only just shaking off its image as a wireless laggard, thank to newly announced Metro Connect, a collaboration among Cisco Systems and Azulstar Networks, IBM and Seakay, that has been picked to build and operate Silicon Valley’s regional wireless network that will serve 2.4 million people. Sure there are the GoogleFi and the MetroFi networks, but those pale in comparison to what has been going on in other states.

Rocky Mountain News reports that Rhode Island, Ohio and Colorado are three states that have been most aggressive in investing and building wireless networks. The Colorado daily quotes a study by CDW Government Inc., a subsidiary of CDW Corp. CDWG studies the “purchase records of several thousand of its public-sector customers from 2000 to 2005 and came up with a ranking of states.”

Public CIO does a nice analysis of the report.

Rhode Island is the lead investor in Wi-Fi, with an 802.11 wireless investment profile 147 percent higher than the average. This “lead investor” state demonstrates significant, committed investment in 802.11 wireless technologies at all levels of government, said the company.

To be fair, one main reason California is not at the lead is that many of state’s networks are being built by private companies, and the state is not spending as many dollars. Earthlink, for instance has been busy building its own footprint. There is also the fact that states with poor broadband support from the incumbents are taking their broadband destiny in their own hands.

loading

Comments have been disabled for this post