Growth of public wi-fi.(News & Numbers)(Brief article)

According to a new research report by Muniwireless.com, more than $3 billion will be spent over the next four years to build and operate public wireless networks for U.S. municipalities. The success of many initial municipal network deployments in smaller communities is prompting larger cities and counties to accelerate their plans to launch public wireless plans. Beyond interest from large cities and counties, regional municipal coalitions are exploring adopting public wireless for a wide range of applications from public safety and economic development to bridging the digital divide.

According to the research, spending for municipal networks will exceed $235 million in 2006, which is significantly higher than the forecast of $177 million made last year. For 2007, spending is forecast is reach $460 million and spending in 2008 is expected to grow 105 percent to $940 million. Spending of $1.8 billion is predicted by 2008.

Among the other research findings:

* Public safety, building inspections, and public works are the three most prevalent applications for public wireless networks

* Large cities with populations greater than 500,000 currently account for one-third of all municipal wireless spending

* Approximately 44 percent of all 2006 expenditures will go toward hardware and packaged software products, with the remainder allocated to services such as applications development, training, systems design and integration, and consulting.

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