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Plans For Free CBD WiFi On HoldA NSW STATE Government plan to offer free wireless broadband throughout the CBD has stalled, a senior City of Sydney staff member says. Before the state election in March the Premier, Morris Iemma, promised city dwellers that by 2009 they could expect free Wi-Fi internet in the CBD, North Sydney, Parramatta, Penrith and Liverpool, Newcastle, Wollongong and Gosford. The Government was supposed to have finalised a tender process and select a wireless provider by the end of this year. The councils chief executive, Monica Barone, said the Government had asked them to identify some hot spots that could be the first to be granted free wireless, but John Barbeler, the councils director of corporate services, told councillors on Monday night that he had been told the project was on hold. "We have tried to meet with them but have been told its on hold," he said. "They havent gone to tender." A spokesman for the Department of Commerce, which is overseeing the project, said the Government was still evaluating 15 expressions of interest. "The evaluation of the proposals and solutions received in response to the expression of interest is in its final stages. The proposals were both innovative and diverse," the spokesman said. "Due to the diversity and complexity of the responses, the expression of interest evaluation is taking longer than originally anticipated. The NSW Government expects to be in a position to make an announcement soon." The executive director of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce, Patricia Forsythe, said free public wireless was essential for the city to remain internationally competitive. "Paris and San Francisco have headed in this direction. For a lot of businesses, its seen as one of these things that gives you an edge when you are promoting the city," she said. Grahame Lynch, an expert on public wireless systems and director of the industry newsletter Communications Day, said free public wireless services in other cities were "underfunded and prone to technical difficulties". "Theres also a moral hazard element," he said. "The networks are initially promoted by government but outsourced to the private sector, but if the private operator cant make a case of it, the taxpayer or the ratepayer has to pick up the tab." Mr Lynch said in some cities the service was free to a certain point, but users must pay for faster speeds or higher usage. Tag CloudExternal InformationAdditional InformationThe Media Equation: More Than a Sound Bite, This Clip Has Some Teeth...Rights Groups Seek Court OK to Intervene in Wikileaks Case... PS3 price is right: Sony... Microsoft strikes deal with Linux distributor... Where Am I?News Main Page - Business - Plans For Free CBD WiFi On Hold |
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