A well connected wireless executive shared with me that the ad supported model for muni-WiFi that is being deployed in Philadelphia is working very well.
While San Francisco is stumbling along, the Earthlink deployed Philadelphia system is gaining traction.
I’ll be in Philadelphia in a few weeks to see how much it has improved over the summer. While VoIP is not what the network is for, and won’t be for a few years, the fact that Earthlink is able to address digital inclusion and help bridge the digital divide in my home town is music to my ears.
I wish though that their SF deployment could be playing the same tune. The well informed say that SF is fraught with tons of political issues. At the same time, Earthlink is now reportedly trying to figure out its next moves with their new CEO. Tea leaves aside, based on the volume of Linked In requests, Plaxo updates and other whispers, it seems there may be some staff departures very soon there in WiFi and elsewhere beyond the few who already have departed. This is largely due to what is becoming obvious. Earthlink may stick with the deals already in place, but they won’t be bidding for anything new until the figure out the business model that really works.
Andy, did they give any indication of what “working very well” means in terms of revenues vs. cost?
It almost sounds like corporate speak for “Yes, our expenses for last month were $25,000, but we increase our ad revenue to a new high … $1500.
I’d be very interested in the bottom line.
Larry,
My source said, “greatly exceeding expectations.”