Minneapolis opened WiFi for free during collapse
Steve Safran August 10th, 2007
Minneapolis has city-wide WiFi, which is available on a subscription basis. But during the bridge collapse, USI Wireless (which runs the system) did something absolutely right: it opened the system for free. USI Wirless then put in more WiFI capability in the area near the bridge collapse as well to ensure a strong and fast signal. It also installed three WiFi cameras at the scene and provided a live feed to the command center. Wireless web usage on the network jumped sixfold during the disaster, and USI Wireless says the network worked perfectly. Citywide WiFi is often pitched as a security need during disasters and if this was any sort of test, it proved very helpful.
6 Comments Add your own
1. Anonymous | August 10th, 2007 at 9:54 am
One emergency communications system we need is government-mandated peer-to-peer text message technology on cell-phones that can be unlocked by service providers during an emergency. That way, instead of having the whole city’s cell network go down at the most critical time for communication, we’ll be able to use the tranception capacities of the cell phones around us to get text messages to our loved ones.
2. Safran | August 10th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Fantastic idea.
3. Mike Escutia | August 10th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Kudos to USI Wireless. That’s a fantastic gesture.
4. Rick Ellis | August 10th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
On a somewhat related subject, an under-reported story from the bridge collapse was that cell service in much of the Twin Cities was unavailable during the first hours following the collapse.
Which makes me wonder just how reliable cell service would be in any sort of wide-spread disaster.
5. Rex | August 10th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Also noted: a good, long post on citizen journalism during the event:
e-strategyblog.com/2007/08/minneapolis-bri.html
6. Rick Brandt | October 30th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Cursed are they who will not sell the corn. Well it goes the same way with wifi. We payed to put the satelites and build up technology in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s with the blesing bestowed on us by those who lived in the depression and the world wars. So now we have internet providers and telephone compamies with cell phone compamies and on and on with our investment gone over to them to control us, when the King of Glory said to communicate and distribute are the sacrifices he is well pleased with. If we all distribute then we all own it all and therefore it is now free in the end. The technology is ours and is to be used immediatly to help all the world. Give it back now. Rick
Leave a Comment
(Please keep URLs out of the comment body or the spam filter will block you.)Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed