Municipal Broadband Networks: Market impact and implications, 2006-2011

The emergence of Muni broadband offers opportunities as well as threats to your business.

For a large number of reasons, municipalities are considering the concept of a Municipal Broadband Network as the ``fifth utility.`` These communities are choosing between deploying fibre and a wireless broadband network using Wi-Fi hotspots, mesh networks or pre-WiMAX technology, in many cases using different combinations. We believe that there will be a significant build-out, blending technologies and building on existing service, both wired and unwired. How will these deployments affect the market and your business? Buy this timely report to find out.

As of Q1 2006, there were over 100 operational city and regional wireless broadband networks worldwide, more than 40 of which were in the US. At least 300 US cities are in the planning stages with wireless networks, and the number will double in 2006 and accelerate further, making Muni broadband a very real and significant trend beyond mere hype. Despite legal opposition and pressure from incumbent telcos and cable companies, Muni broadband is coming and is here to stay.

While small town rural deployments were the beginning of the wave, the tide is now embracing large urban metropolises. New York, San Francisco, Rome and Paris are among the major cities planning wide-scale deployments, and more will follow. By 2010/2011, the majority of cities and townships in the US will have a municipal wireless network in place. Find out how these networks will evolve and what impact they will have on the telecoms market by purchasing this report.

This 130+ page report answers questions, such as:

What is driving Muni broadband deployments and what are the applications enabled?
Why have some deployments succeeded and others failed?
What are the Muni broadband business models and what are the advantages and disadvantages to each one? How are fee-based services priced and what has been their take-up?
How should incumbent telcos and cable companies, as well as mobile operators, position themselves in the face of Muni broadband?
What impact have current deployments had in their markets?
What technology options exist for delivering community services and how do they compare in terms of cost? Is wireless necessarily more appropriate to FTTH?
How can value-added services provisioning offset the economics of free broadband access?
How much is being spent on Muni broadband rollouts and what service revenues are being generated, in 2005 and by 2011?
Why you should buy this report:

Wireless ISPs: Gain understanding of the potential barriers and challenges faced by municipalities and their partners. Read about case studies into successful and failed projects, and the reasons behind them.
Fixed-line telcos and cable companies: Discover how Muni networks will affect your business and the market as a whole. Learn what countermeasures and defensive strategies can be employed � Muni broadband is as much an opportunity as it is a threat.
Mobile operators: Obtain analysis into the future evolution of the market and what municipalities embracing LBS, Wi-Fi handsets, VoWLAN and WiMAX will mean to your business strategies.
Vendors: Gain insight into the revenues to be made from partnering with municipalities and the critical considerations when planning Muni networks. Identify opportunities that exist for partnering with municipalities planning broadband networks, as well as the business models and potential pitfalls to watch out for.
Municipalities: This report provides lessons to be learned from past and current deployments, outlining the factors necessary to facilitate a successful deployment. Find out about the various technology options open, the pros and cons of each approach, and the capabilities of the vendors operating in this space.
Investment companies: Learn which Muni deployments are likely to succeed and where investment opportunities lie.