Feb 3, 2007

Wi-Fi tests set to start up

Trial networks in Palo Alto, San Carlos may be up by next week

By Kristina Peterson / Daily News Staff Writer

An agreement setting up wireless testing areas in Palo Alto and San Carlos could be finished in less than a week, the co-chair of the Wireless Silicon Valley task force said Friday.

Co-chair Brian Moura, assistant city manager of San Carlos, said that the Palo Alto City Council could be looking at the paperwork that would set up a one-square-mile testing ground for the regional wireless network as early as Feb. 12. In San Carlos, the deal may only need "administrative approval," he said.

"I'm thrilled because Palo Alto has always been at the cutting edge of cities using technology to upgrade and enhance services for the public," said Palo Alto Council Member Judy Kleinberg, also vice president of policy and programs at Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network, which is managing the wireless initiative.

In total, the wireless network under development will provide free outdoor Internet access across 1,500 square miles of Silicon Valley, covering 41 agencies from South San Francisco to Santa Cruz. Building the network is a team of vendors called Silicon Valley Metro Connect, which includes project lead IBM, Cisco, the nonprofit Azulstar and SeaKay, which will provide community outreach.

IBM spokeswoman Clay Helm said the project is likely to cost "upwards of $100 million." She said Azulstar will provide a chunk of the startup funding, and IBM will finance the rest in anticipation of later revenue returns.

"Wireless is a big business for us," Helm said. IBM already provides wireless access to Rhode Island, she said.

The one-square-mile testing spots in Palo Alto and San Carlos may be ready as soon as late February, Moura said. Between 35 and 40 "access points" will be installed on street poles for about 120 days, he said.

Jason Grant, a Cisco wireless specialist, said the access points constructed by Cisco will be "the star of the show." Typically, an average of 30 access points is installed per square mile, but that number may be increased for dense downtown areas, Grant said.

Moura said installation of the access points will likely begin before the task force has finished the deal's paperwork with the vendors. Construction of the entire network should take between 12 and 15 months.

"Rather than wait for the negotiations to finish, we decided to start the tests," Moura said. The model agreement that all 41 agencies will individually sign with the vendors is "pretty far along," he said. The task force is also finishing the Joint Powers Agreement, which details governance of the system and a document that arranges for cities to purchase premium services or equipment at slightly higher costs.

During the testing period, the vendors will actually pay a small fee to the cities "in the hundreds of dollars" to compensate for electricity that is used, Moura said.

On Friday, IBM Solution Architect Paddy O'Mara demonstrated features being developed to help improve public navigation on the network.

Users who are colorblind can manipulate the screen colors to create contrast, while blind users can run a mouse over words to hear them read aloud.

"You can hear it slower or faster, up to crazy New Yorker speed," O'Mara said.

E-mail Kristina Peterson at

kpeterson@dailynewsgroup.com