FOR RESIDENTS
ParkWiFi: City Council approves citywide wireless service and use of solar technology. Service to pilot areas to continue through citywide buildout. Citywide service options and prices to be published soon!
Pre-register for possible citywide service on-line at parkwifi.com!
Take Parkwifi wireless Internet service for a test drive!
Nov. 27, 2006- Agreement with Unplugged Cities for Wireless Management Partner Services Agreement
Nov. 9, 2006 Press Release- City becomes nation's first solar-powered wireless community
Nov. 6, Agenda Report - Consideration of citywide wireless network 
October 30, 2006 - Wireless Open House
October 30, 2006 - the solar panel size
October 16, 2006 - Public Hearing Citywide Wireless Bids
August 14, 2006 - Request-for-Bid For Supply & Implementation of a Wireless Broadband Network
August 7, 2006 - Citywide Wireless Internet Authorization to Request Bids
July 17, 2006 - update and details on the pilot wireless project and possible citywide service.
July 10, 2006 - pilot wireless project report.
On November 6, the City Council voted to expand the current wireless pilot project to a citywide service. This decision comes after 2 full years of study, including trying wireless in four pilot areas of St. Louis Park. Next steps include finalizing agreements with ARINC, Inc., the lowest responsible bidder for supply and implementation of the wireless high speed network, and with Unplugged Cities, LLC, the designated management partner to provide subscription, help desk, and technical support services.
Current activities include completing agreements with both ARINC and Unplugged Cities, and finalizing a project management plan for implementation. At this time, it is anticipated that service to most of St. Louis Park will be completed by mid-2007. Only residential units in about a dozen of the largest buildings and some commercial buildings could see service come later. Managers and owners of such buildings will be invited to cooperate in allowing installation of indoor facilities to best serve residents. Most single family homes, multiple dwelling units, and small businesses will be served through outdoor wireless facilities. Initial service tiers, speeds, prices, and options will be published by the week of November 13.
Service to the existing pilot areas will continue through the buildout of the citywide project. There will likely be brief interruptions of service as more outdoor radios are installed, and subscriber equipment is upgraded in some cases. Pilot subscribers will be contacted on this and other new features prior to implementation.
More specific information on service offerings, project plans and schedules, how to subscribe, and how to have a successful wireless experience will be developed over the next several weeks and shared with all community members. Those who pre-registered for the citywide service will be contacted by early December with additional details.
The public hearing on this project occurred October 16. Council received an update regarding bids on the project, as well as related costs and technologies proposed. The public also had an opportunity to offer opinions. One interesting feature of the bid currently under review is the use of solar technology to power the wireless radios mounted outdoors. This provides both cost savings from reductions in energy charges as well as flexibility in network design. Beyond the wireless Internet initiative, it is also an environmentally sound energy option.
Given the better than expected bid prices, the service is now projected to pay for itself through retail residential and business subscribers (32% of residents and 15% of businesses). The retail business model assumes no benefits from the wireless network for public safety, public services, education, or economic development. However, the network would also be used to provide these benefits. Public safety alone uses lower speed wireless services that currently cost taxpayers $20,000 per year. The lower speed services also do not provide the capacity to transport video and other large files.
ParkWifi has been available in pilot form in selected areas of the city since April. More than 350 households signed up for the pilot, and many more are pre-registering for possible city-wide service (see link above). Pre-registering for the service at this time does not commit people to the service or obligate people to pay any fees. It is one more indicator of interest the council will consider in its decision on city-wide service. Because public interest and participation have been positive, the council authorized a request for bids for city-wide wireless Internet service at its Aug. 7 meeting. This action was taken to determine if cost and revenue projections are realistic before making a final decision on city-wide service.
Pilot Project: Data have been compiled on results from the pilot areas, which went live on April 20. In addition, projections on likely technical, market, and financial outcomes of a possible citywide project have been completed. Much has evolved in the mesh wireless marketspace since the City Council approved the pilot project in November 2005. Staff took these factors into account along with lessons from the pilot when providing information to the Council in its July 10 and 17 study session reports.
Staff reported continued significant interest in the wireless service and general satisfaction in the pilot areas. Especially for a pilot project, the network is reported to be reliable. Over 25% of pilot households signed up for the service within 8 weeks. The original wireless business plan called for 36% of households and 15% of businesses to sign up within the first 12 months of an approved citywide service. However, the pilot revealed that costs of supporting new high-speed Internet users and technical needs to keep the wireless network responsive are somewhat higher than projected.
More than 400 households signed up for the pilot wireless Internet project, with over 350 households in the actual pilot areas. And people are now pre-registering for a possible citywide wireless service.
The City's private partners, Unplugged Cities and First Mile Wireless, have worked tirelessly to provide the best possible service during the pilot. As expected, both private partners have run into challenges during the pilot project, including initial help desk support and technical aspects of the wireless equipment. A lot of learning occurred, and that is the purpose of a pilot.
Pilot Areas: After completing field engineering, here are the current boundaries of the pilot areas:
(Click here for city map)
Northeast Pilot Area (click here to see map):
- 27th Street on the North
- 29th Street on the South
- Monterey Parkway / Avenue on the East
- Webster Avenue on the West
Northwest Pilot Area (click here to see map):
- 14th Street on the North
- 22nd Street on the South
- Between Utah and Texas Avenues on the East
- Westwood Hills Curve on the West
Southeast Pilot Area (click here to see map):
- Vallacher Avenue on the North
- 42nd Street on the South
- Monterey Avenue on the East
- Between Toledo and Utica Avenues on the West
Southwest Pilot Area (click here to see map):
- 29th Street on the North
- 32nd Street on the South
- Xylon Avenue on the East
- Decatur Avenue on the West
Pilot projects are useful learning tools. And they also do not mirror as high a quality of service (speed and reliability) as expected in a citywide installation. There are design limitations within the small pilot areas. Limited pilot equipment purchases, trees, building construction, terrain, location and availability of street lights, and curvature of streets are just a few other factors that affect coverage in pilot areas. While some subscribers have experienced technical issues, most subscribers report more than satisfactory performance during the pilot.
There were three phases in the pilot rollout based on address proximity to the wireless access point (radio mounted on a street light pole). Phase 1 subscribers have the closest proximity and are in the first rollout. Phase 2 subscribers have intermediate proximity and are in the second rollout. Phase 3 subscribers have the most distant proximity and are in the third rollout. This phased rollout allows the best possible attention and adjustments related to technical calls subscribers make. This ensures the best possible subscriber experience during the pilot, a learning process for all involved. Note that Phase 2 and 3 locations are not a true test of how a city-wide implementation would perform. Phase 1 is closest to citywide performance, where subscribers are closer to radios, increasing coverage and signal strength.
Project Background: The City Council initiated study of wireless Internet services in November 2004. At the City Council's request in November 2005, city staff has been moving forward on a pilot project for the city to partner with private sector companies to provide low cost, high speed wireless Internet access to residents, businesses and institutions in St. Louis Park. The community response has been very supportive and positive thus far.
Four pilot areas were selected to test technical, operational, and market conclusions from a study completed earlier in 2005. This pilot is also intended to provide a platform to move to city-wide implementation of the wireless service, which would be completed in mid-2007 if the City Council provides approval later this year.
Questions? Click here to view wireless project Frequently Asked Questions and answers.
To learn more about pilot project service pricing and options or pre-register, contact Parkwifi at (763) 235-3028 or www.parkwifi.com. For more general information on this project, contact Clint Pires, Director of Technology and Support Services, at cpires@stlouispark.org or (952) 924-2517. To follow this issue and learn about study and bid progress, periodically check this web site.
