A relative newcomer to the muni-WiFi market appears to be the only WiFi firm left willing to foot the bill to build networks for cities. Florida-based E-Path Communications was the only responder to an RFP issued by the city of Trenton, N.J. The company plans to build a network that will serve both the city exclusively and offer access to constituents. The company says it will build the network with its own money and sell services back to the city to recoup its investment. Does E-Path know something larger players such as Earthlink and MetroFi don't? Both of those firms have said to receive a viable return on investment, municipal governments need to step up and become meaningful anchor tenants before construction. Given the fact that E-Path was the only bidder on the network, we can guess that it doesn't have a "meaningful" anchor-tenant deal with the city. E-Path, in conjunction with partners, is also planning to build and operate a massive WiFi network in Suffolk and Nassau counties on New York's Long Island.
To read more:
- take a look at this article from The Times
- check out this posting from WiFi Net News