Case Study Exploring a Municipal WiFi Network

Municipal WiFi network Potential to spark investment Getting a high-speed connection for a business can be quite costly and most businesses prefer to stay without an internet connection. With a municipal WiFi network, businesses have the potential to access the internet at low cost and without having to make huge initial investments (Ylipulli, Suopajarvi, Ojala, Kostakos, & Kukka, 2014). The marina has the potential to attract many investors and other businesses, but since the area is located far from the city, many people opt to relocate their businesses to the city.

The lack of an affordable internet connection has also limited businesses. With a municipal WiFi in place, there is a potential for businesses to open new offices in the downtown area, which would boost the area's development. Investors like to see that an area is developing before they can put in their money, and with the municipal WiFi in place, it would be easier for the municipality to attract potential investors by reducing their operational costs and offering free internet access for a limited period.

Worker productivity can be bolstered with a municipal WiFi because workers can operate from any location within the municipality. The few restaurants in the area need to attract more customers. The best way for them to do so would be to offer internet access in their restaurants, but this has not been possible considering the huge investments involved.

If the municipal was to offer free internet access to some of the business, or charge them a nominal fee it would encourage them to offer the service to their customers free of charge. The historic city is already attracting visitors, and most of them are buying up property in the area. This demonstrates there is potential to attract investors and spark investments within the municipality.

Offering the visitors with an easy and free access to the internet, would be beneficial to the municipality because it would receive free advertising from individuals who would be posting and writing about the area in real time. Using the network for municipal services The network can make the jobs of city workers substantially easier by using applications like automated meter reading. This would reduce the need to send meter readers to visit residential houses and business in order to perform their work (Evenepoel et al., 2013).

Automated meter reading can also improve service delivery and reduce the time required to process customer billings. There have been media reports in other cities of meter readers being attacked by dogs and seriously injured. This would not happen if the city implemented the automated meter, readers. In the case of fire, building, and restaurant inspectors, they can file their reports online as they conduct their inspections without having to return to the office.

This would reduce the time taken to file reports and would ensure that no paperwork is lost or misplaced. The travel time of municipal employees would be reduced drastically, and the costs associated with employee travel could be redirected to other key areas. The police and firefighters can have remote access to blueprints, criminal records, and security cameras, which would make their work easier and reduce the amount of time required to access a building.

Using the security cameras, the police can have access to instant feeds and can track a suspect without having to rely on the control office for feedback. In case of a fire emergency, firefighters can easily access building blueprints, which they would use to establish the best way to access the building and save people's lives. Public safety can be greatly improved with the use of the network in case of any emergency or disaster.

The network would have a separate channel that would only be used for public safety and would not be accessible to everyone. Making use of this private network, authorized personnel can be assured they will have access to the network at all times and their work would not be compromised in any way. Potential to offer internet service as a public utility There is a possibility that the city can offer internet access as a public utility to the residents that would be charged on a monthly basis.

The city has access a 3G network, but it does not cover the marina area, which limits the internet usage within that area. The city could begin by rolling out its internet service to the marina area to ensure that no competitors would come and take over that area before them. Once the rollout has been completed, the city could offer internet access at a subsidized rate, which would attract more customers, and they would have access all the time irrespective of the location.

The city could also establish a model where they only charge customers for the amount they consume within a month. This way most residents would not feel they are being overcharged, and they would most probably be willing to subscribe. The city could also offer discounted.