CERRITOS JOINS
THE WI-FI AGE
— The entire city will have high-speed Internet access
through wireless data transmitters. —
Cerritos, CA — The city of Cerritos is planning to become
the biggest Wi-Fi hot spot in the nation.
The city inked a deal Monday with Aiirmesh to install
wireless data transmitters throughout its borders to give
residents, businesses and city employees high-speed Internet
access.
Wi-Fi, short for wireless fidelity, operates at speeds comparable
to DSL and cable-modem service. It is popular in so-called
hot spots — usually no wider than a 300-foot radius
— such as hotel lobbies, coffeehouses, airport lounges
and malls. Experts expect it to spread as new technology allows
for wider service areas.
When Cerritos' Aiirmesh service goes live in January, customers
will have a seamless online connection throughout the city,
whether from a desktop computer at home or a laptop in a city
park.
"The community is excited about this," City Manager
Arthur Gallucci said. "We've been getting complaints
almost every week from people who want high-speed service
and can't get it."
Until now, some of Cerritos' 50,000 residents have had only
one choice for high-speed Internet access and the rest have
had none.
Verizon Communications Inc., the local phone company, can't
provide DSL service to the southern third of the city, and
the cable service, recently sold to Knology Broadband of California
Inc., hasn't upgraded its wires to provide high-speed service,
Gallucci said.
Verizon Communications Inc., the local phone company, can't
provide DSL service to the southern third of the city, and
the cable service, recently sold to Knology Broadband of California
Inc., hasn't upgraded its wires to provide high-speed service,
Gallucci said.
Aiirmesh has identified about a dozen Southern California
communities that fit that description, but Hirschman wouldn't
disclose the names.
Turning an entire city into a Wi-Fi hot spot hasn't been
done before, though some companies have gone bankrupt trying,
said David Chamberlain, a Michigan-based analyst for Probe
Group, a research firm.
Aiirmesh will deploy its shoe-box-sized radio transmitters
for free on traffic light poles, ball park lighting structures
and city-owned buildings throughout Cerritos, Gallucci said.
The city will have to pay only for the Aiirmesh accounts it
wants for 60 building inspectors, code enforcement officers
and others who work in the field and need access to the office
computers.
Meta Group analyst Chris Kozup of San Francisco warned that
interference from other Wi-Fi systems could present a major
problem to Cerritos customers. Wi-Fi operates on an unlicensed
area of the spectrum, and that inevitably leads to collisions.
And it's only going to get worse as more wireless technologies
and customers crowd into the market, he said.
But Aiirmesh's chief technology officer, John Griebling, says
the company's technology can reroute calls when a path is
blocked by interference or for other reasons.
Both the company and the city tested Aiirmesh's network over
the last few months, looking specifically for interference
and other problems.
"We have a very accurate picture of who's transmitting
at what frequencies," Griebling said.
The contract makes Cerritos the largest customer for 9-month-old
Aiirmesh. Gallucci said doing business with a company that
lacked a track record wasn't a problem.
"It's easy when you don't have the service and no one
else is willing to provide it," he said.
Written by James S. Granelli, Times Staff Writer,
Los Angelos Times
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