Posted on September 13, 2006 at 3:16 PM in @earthlink
Note: The below is an archived entry from Earthling, formerly EarthLink's official blog. The blog itself has been decommissioned and is no longer updated, and comments are trackbacks are no longer accepted.
There was a good crowd last night for the Louisiana Technology Council's EarthLink Wi-Fi Tech Tuesday event. Donald Berryman, President of EarthLink Municipal Networks, explained the roots of our municipal Wi-Fi initiative, how it came about in New Orleans, how the network will work, and what it will mean for residents and businesses in New Orleans. It was a pretty comprehensive presentation, and addressed everything from strategic to practical to technical issues. There were lots of good questions afterwards, and it felt like those who came in with an incomplete understanding of the project left with a better sense of what it's all about. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet new CTO Mark Kurt, and speak to many of the members of the LTC as well.
One of the more interesting topics Don covered are the special radios (4210's) that can be mounted in police, fire, and rescue vehicles and draw power from the vehicle. This makes an individual vehicle into a mobile hotspot, allowing rescue personnel to download things like blueprints and building plans at the scene, and a group of these vehicles can provide a temporarily internet access zone wherever it's needed.
There's now a toll-free number for New Orleans citizens to use for information and support on the network, 866-936-WiFi, and a site that has more information about the rollout and a place to sign up to be notified when it's up and running.