All posts in the topic Broadband access: Wireless Oxford (Short link)
Summary
- There are 8 posts — by 6 authors — in this topic.
- Latest post made by David Rundle at Aug 05 20:38 UTC
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| Jock Coats | image.php.jpg | Aug 04 00:44 UTC |
There was an interesting little side discussion in a recent thread about how many people do not (yet?) have broadband and what alternatives were available and so on. And I confess I've been guilty in the past also of posting just a link - in my case, in the Morrell Hall story a couple of weekends ago (though in my defense on that one I did really want people to have to make an effort to go and look at my blog entry *rather* than publicly moaning about an aspect of my employer on this mailing list!). Anyway, this provides I hope a little hook on which to introduce my "latest project", which was featured in Saturday's Oxford Mail: Wireless Oxford, a project that aims to build a consensus for, finance, procure and operate a broadband wireless network infrastructure across the whole of the built up area off Oxford (at least - no reason why it can't be further if there's interest), run as a social enterprise with the intention of providing free or nearly free access for less well off households and to ensure that nobody is left out of the 21st century communications revolution merely for lack of money. You can read the Oxford Mail story here (if you have broadband and want to click on another webpage!): http://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/news/tiooxmail/display.var. 2415743.0.0.php But I'm sure they won't mind me giving the gist of it here (for those who don't or don't want to visit another webpage!): (Fair Use Claimed) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 'Let's create a free Internet' By Amanda Williams (Oxford Mail 2nd August 2008)
The following file was added to this topic:
(That first attempt was hopeless, trying to send the Mail's picture - so ignore that and read this one instead!) There was an interesting little side discussion in a recent thread about how many people do not (yet?) have broadband and what alternatives were available and so on. And I confess I've been guilty in the past also of posting just a link - in my case, in the Morrell Hall story a couple of weekends ago (though in my defense on that one I did really want people to have to make an effort to go and look at my blog entry *rather* than publicly moaning about an aspect of my employer on this mailing list!). Anyway, this provides I hope a little hook on which to introduce my "latest project", which was featured in Saturday's Oxford Mail: Wireless Oxford, a project that aims to build a consensus for, finance, procure and operate a broadband wireless network infrastructure across the whole of the built up area of Oxford (at least - no reason why it can't be further if there's interest), run as a social enterprise with the intention of providing free or nearly free access for less well off households and to ensure that nobody is left out of the 21st century communications revolution merely for lack of money. You can read the Oxford Mail story here (if you have broadband and want to click on another webpage!): http://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/news/tiooxmail/display.var. 2415743.0.0.php or http://tinyurl.com/6e9zml for those of you whose email readers will split the real address above. But I'm sure they won't mind me giving the gist of it here (for those who don't or don't want to visit another webpage!): (Fair Use Claimed) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 'Let's create a free Internet' By Amanda Williams (Oxford Mail 2nd August 2008) Children living on Oxford's estates could be the first to benefit from a free city-wide Internet connection - if a new scheme is given the go-ahead. Following in the footsteps of examples set in Milton Keynes and Manchester, a group of Oxford Brookes academics are investigating the possibility of providing free Internet to the whole of Oxford, offering better education for children and home care for the ill. Wireless broadband access would enable people to log on to the Web from anywhere without having to plug into a wall. But Jock Coats, the man behind the drive, said the plan would need full local support if it was to work. The former city councillor said: "The Internet is the 21st century equivalent of what access to transport was to the previous two centuries. "According to a survey, the main reason people don't have the Internet is because they can't afford it." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As I say - there's more, including a little discussion, at the Oxford Mail site as above, and you can visit the project's initial web page (which, I have to say, was created last year when I first wrote to the "great and the good" about the idea so there was something they could refer back to if they were interested, and it hasn't been a high priority to keep it up to date over that period, until now, but it gives the basics of the vision for the project anyway): http://wirelessoxford.org/
Out of interest, Norwich City already has this, and it's hugely useful. However, it would take online business away from other commercial providers like 'The Cloud' and coffee shops and the like. It would be interesting to find out more about the Norwich system, how it's funded and what the commercial pressures are. http://news.cnet.co.uk/networking/0,39029686,49282491,00.htm (ah - just spotted something here's the real answer.... http://www.norfolkopenlink.com/ - It may well have been much too successful!) David Clover
Great proposal - definitely the way forward. The BBC broadcasts a technological programme called "Click" and this weeks edition includes an item on the benefits of city wide wireless broadband (WiMax) - which showed some unexpected ones - such as use in ambulances with critically ill patients. See it again via this link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/default.stm The particular item starts 7 minutes in.
Thanks for that Paul. I was also Bill Heine's "co-host" yesterday
evening for an hour talking about it. I was a little reluctant to
open it up to publicity at such an early stage. We are definitely at
the "question asking" stage still. But I can't imagine the
publicity, and perhaps especially the way it was framed being mostly
about "digital exclusion" will have done any harm to the cause! I'm
a great believer in the notion that if the idea stacks up we will
find some way of funding it!
I will watch Click. I wonder if the ambulance item was in the UK?
In the US they reserve a part of the wifi spectrum for emergency
services and have done work to prove that an emergency vehicle can
travel at 60mph through a built up area with good coverage and remain
connected throughout. But certainly there are lots of other health
related applications that might push the limits of the technology
less - from laptops in the district nurse's car to in-home monitoring
equipment.
It is these sort of applications that I would like to fund the
system, so it's not grant money but "invest to save" or "invest to
innovate". Home security appliances, wireless cameras (yuck, but
everyone else seems to love them!), extending the reach of the bus
information points, home working (with what's called "presence" so
you can appear to be at your usual desk to a telephone caller say but
really at home). So if any of you work or are influential in any of
the big ICT user employers in Oxford your supporting this and
encouraging relevant colleagues to have a think about it would be
very useful!
To me that means - both the universities, all the health trusts, both
the local authorities (and there's no reason why it shouldn't extend
to Kidlington and Botley and maybe link up with what Abingdon's
already doing) at least, plus many private larger ICT users. We
might even want to make it a sort of a share issue that smaller
investors could join in on.
Oxford is a bit behind the times, I was researching a different subject and came across http://www.muniwireless.com/2007/12/10/islington-council-expands-free-wi-fi-in-the-uk/ It tells about the expansion of the Islington wifi, and by the way its free to use whereas the City of London charges are £5/hour see http://digital-lifestyles.info/2006/02/21/city-of-london-gets-blanket-wifi/
An acquaintance of mine in the US is in a long term care facility and the wireless internet coverage was very limited - I did some googling last year and found this product - http://meraki.com/oursolution/mesh/ - they installed it and I've heard good results about it. The 'Mesh' system means that most of the relays only need power, not a hard-wired internet connection, so deployment is pretty straightforward. If a system such as this were chosen, I'd certainly donate the necessary couple of watts of power to support a local wireless node, as I imagine many others would do. I'd be prepared to put in a bit of time and effort, should there be serious interest in getting such a scheme off the ground locally. Meraki started out as a very community-minded project, but have become more commercially-minded recently, so may not be the best choice - especially since they offer a product developed for the US and regulatory approval may well be different here. There are two tiers; advert-supported free of charge (giving local businesses the chance to sponsor) and paid but advert-free. Overall, an interesting idea, but one shouldn't underestimate the planning required!
Personally, I'm very keen to see something like this, though, as Dermot
says, we shouldn't underestimate the hurdles we'll have to overcome. When I
was Deputy Leader of the Council, I made some enquiries about the
possbilities: they are a few companies interested, though the draw for them
is the city centre. Beyond that would, for them, be the pay-off for the
profits they would expect to reap in the centre. We may well be able to get
a deal with a company but the issue would then be about broadband speed. On
top of which, there is the worry that some would worry about any increase in
transmissions, however minimal. It's a good idea, I'm in support, I'll work
for it -- but not everyone will see it as a no-brainer!
David
David Rundle
City Councillor (LibDem), Headington Ward