Cerritos To Get Wireless High Speed Internet Access Across Entire City

Aiirnet would use a variety of facilities to deploy its distributed wireless mesh micro-cell network. These facilities would include the City's traffic intersection safety lights, City building rooftops, and ball field light poles at City parks. Pending agreements with the appropriate individuals, companies and organizations, Aiirnet would also utilize streetlights, school district buildings, commercial buildings and residences. Some 20 micro-cell radios per square mile could be required to provide ubiquitous indoor and outdoor coverage...In larger office buildings, coverage indoors might require indoor network equipment to fill coverage holes or provide additional capacity in areas with higher user density.

Aiirnet's business plan is to serve the residential market with a Wi-Fi based form of broadband access that will serve as an alternative to DSL. The Aiirnet Community Broadband service would be unique because it would also be portable, and may be used anywhere in the community. Aiirnet would also offer its service to businesses, the City, public utility companies and public safety agencies.

A wide range of computers and operating systems can be used with the Aiirnet service. Any standard Wi-Fi (80211.b or 802.11g) device may be used to connect to the Aiirnet network. These devices are available from such retailers as Best Buy and Office Max, or through on-line merchants Amazon.com or Page Computers...

Aiirnet would provide several layers of security for system users. All users of Aiirnet services would be authenticated before being permitted to connect to the network. Internet traffic would also be routed through security gateways at the edge of the Aiirnet network. The security gateways would provide firewall features to monitor and prevent unauthorized external access to the Aiirnet network. Additionally, Aiirnet would use an intrusion detection system to monitor traffic on the network and identify and respond to unauthorized attempts to access the network..

Aiirnet has conducted a beta test of its service in two areas within Cerritos. One test area is located in the southern portion of Cerritos near Coyote Creek and the border with La Palma. Verizon's DSL service is unavailable in this neighborhood. The second test area is located in a northern portion of the City near Cerritos Park East.

City staff attended a demonstration test of the service in both areas. The service connected successfully at high speeds, but did exhibit problems which are characteristic of Wi-Fi technology. As part of the test, the City Council meeting video archive was accessed through the Cerritos web site. The video stream ran smoothly at one home, but displayed a buffering effect at another home. The connection lacked the speed and consistency necessary to continuously play the video. At the third home, some buffering was detected, but the overall performance was good.

Staff also distributed a survey to the 10 Cerritos residents whose households participated in the beta test of Aiirnet's service. The respondents' replies are attached and included positive reports about the service. The beta testers described the service as excellent or good and said they were pleased to have access to a broadband service. Most respondents stated they would subscribe to the service if it became available beyond the beta test.

Aiirnet plans to deploy the network and offer service throughout Cerritos in phases...In Phase 1, Aiirnet would deploy the service with 80 percent coverage in outdoor public areas throughout Cerritos. Phase I would also include coverage in neighborhoods which currently do not have broadband access, including the southern beta test area. Coverage is also planned for the retail portions of the Cerritos Towne Center. In addition, Phase 1 would offer service to business customers seeking an alternative to DSL or T1 line service. Aiirnet would also accommodate the City's request for service at public facilities during this phase. Aiirnet would plan to launch the service commercially starting January 1, 2004.

Phase 2 would begin 60 days after Aiirnet launches commercial service in Cerritos. Phase 2 would incrementally expand the more dense indoor residential and business coverage on demand.

Phase 3 would begin once Aiirnet secures an agreement with Southern California Edison to attach its radio transmitters to streetlights in Cerritos. Phase 3 would provide complete citywide dense indoor coverage. Aiirnet has stated its original plan to deploy service throughout Cerritos neighborhoods has been derailed by the extremely high charges Southern California Edison is requiring for attachments to its streetlight poles. Aiirnet has indicated to the City that SCE has demanded Aiirnet pay an attachment fee that would be impossible to recover with the service fees Aiirnet plans to charge its subscribers. City staff met with SCE representatives and asked the company to reconsider its fee in the interest of providing the community with an opportunity to obtain broadband access. An SCE representative replied the company would not accommodate the City's request.

The City has made a sustained, long-term effort to improve the availability of high-speed Internet access in Cerritos. Staff has worked with Aiirnet to facilitate the launch of its service in Cerritos in an attempt to achieve the goal of widely available broadband service. City staff proposes allowing Aiirnet to attach radio transmitters free-of-charge to City-owned structures and traffic signal safety lights. Once the Aiirnet service is operational throughout Cerritos, the City would obtain 60 subscriptions at a cost of $34.95 per month....