What is Wireless Minneapolis?

The City of Minneapolis signed a 10-year contract with US Internet of Minnetonka to provide Minneapolis with cutting-edge broadband technology and become one of the first large cities in the United States to go wireless. When completed, the wireless network will allow the City to serve its citizens more effectively and efficiently than ever, and it will bring a new level of convenience and connectedness to the people who live, work and play in Minneapolis.

US Internet will fund, build, and manage a wireless network covering all 59 square miles of Minneapolis, providing residents, businesses, and visitors with wireless broadband access anywhere in the City. The wireless contract also includes a comprehensive set of community benefits that goes far beyond what any other city in the country has negotiated.

When will the wireless network be completed?

The wireless network will be constructed throughout 2007, with up to 2,000 wireless devices installed throughout the City on light poles, traffic signals, and buildings to complete the network.

Here is the tentative construction map, which shows that the project will be completed in six phases. Work is scheduled based on technology considerations, including the amount of fiber optic cable already installed in a particular area, the number of technical design challenges (tall buildings, lakes, significant tree coverage, etc). Construction begins in downtown then moves to Southwest; Midtown; North; Northeast; and Southeast Minneapolis. The schedule is subject to change; however, the entire network is expected to be largely completed by January 2008.

How will Wireless Minneapolis improve City services?

A wireless network that covers the entire city of Minneapolis will allow the City to deliver services to its residents and businesses more effectively and efficiently than ever before. Firefighters can access building floor plans on the way to a fire, and inspectors will be able to file reports and access data in the field.

Wireless has immense public safety potential. Squad car video can be beamed to police precincts in real-time. Officers on the way to a scene can view security camera video of a crime scene as they approach. Wireless technology will make connecting and coordinating security cameras more cost-efficient and easier than ever. Shot-spotter and other safety systems can be operated on the wireless network.

How will Wireless Minneapolis benefit the community?

As part of the Wireless Minneapolis contract, US Internet is providing a comprehensive set of benefits to the community that go far beyond what any other city in the country has negotiated. Highlights include:

• USI Wireless will provide $500,000 to create a "digital inclusion fund" that will be used to promote affordable Internet access, low cost hardware, local content and training. In addition, US Internet will direct a minimum of five percent of the network's net profits to a digital inclusion fund for ongoing digital inclusion efforts. In total, it is expected that about $11 million will go into the digital inclusion fund over the 10-year term of the contract.
• Free limited-time service will be available in some public locations like parks and plazas in Minneapolis.
• A free "walled garden" level of wireless service to people throughout the city where users can access important neighborhood, government, and community services information.
• Designated community technology centers will receive free wireless access.

What does a wireless Minneapolis mean for the region?

This network will make Minneapolis one of the first cities in the country with this advanced seamless wireless coverage. Wireless Minneapolis will make Minneapolis — and the entire region — a more attractive location for new businesses, residents, students, conventions and visitors.

What does a Wireless Minneapolis mean to city residents and businesses?

Residents and businesses will be able to sign up for wireless accounts with US Internet, which will fund, build, and manage the network. A wireless account will allow users to access the Internet on their wireless-ready devices anywhere in the City, even as they move around!

The contract calls for residential service at $19.95 per month, and that rate is guaranteed for 10 years, and business customers will be able to sign up for wireless accounts at $29.95 per month.

What does a Wireless Minneapolis mean for my neighborhood?

Wireless will connect communities in Minneapolis in new ways. Individual neighborhoods will have the ability to provide local content tailored for their community. This gives neighbors a powerful tool to stay informed and connected, and offers small businesses new avenues to reach and interact with their customers.

What are the details of the contract with US Internet?

The City and US Internet have entered into a 10-year contract, in which the City will become an anchor tenant of a citywide wireless network that will be available to residents, business, and visitors. The City will allow US Internet to use its light poles, traffic signals, and facilities to mount wireless network equipment throughout the city's 59 square miles. US Internet will pay a fee to use City assets.

The City has committed to $1.25 million dollars in annual usage of wireless services as an anchor tenant of the network. The monthly cost of broadband access associated with this network represents a savings over the City's current Internet costs as well as a cost effective option for increased connectivity for the City's mobile workforce and electronic systems.

US Internet will provide ubiquitous outdoor municipal, commercial, residential and roaming wireless broadband coverage and 90 percent indoor coverage for multi-family and high rise residential units at speeds of one to three megabytes per second.

Why did Minneapolis approve a public-private business model?

The public-private partnership spelled out in the business model means that the private partner will build, own and operate a reliable, flexible and open wireless broadband network that uses and builds upon the City's existing fiber optic network assets. Essentially the City will own the fiber and serve as an anchor tenant for network services. The City will allow the private partner to use City buildings, poles and other assets to mount wireless equipment. The private partner will fund, build and operate the wholesale and retail wireless network.

Cost is the key reason for taking this approach. A private vendor can construct and manage the network and meet City government's requirements without using tax dollars. It is estimated that the cost to construct the network and fund the initial start-up phase will be about $20 million, with the expectation that the tech lifecycle will require significant and expensive upgrades every three years.

But cost is not the only factor. Several major cities initially sought public ownership and many are now locked in costly and time consuming litigation with private vendors that are arguing government should not compete with private industry.

How can I stay informed about Wireless Minneapolis?

You can sign up to receive e-mail updates on Wireless Minneapolis as the project moves forward. Pre-register to receive service updates.