For Immediate Release
Panels, keynote speeches, case studies and structured brainstorm workshops explore win-win solutions for deploying broadband municipal-area networks; hosted by W2i in partnership with local-government agencies, the private sector and international development organizations
January 19, 2005 (Boston, Mass.)To provide local government-technology stakeholders with high-level analysis, focused brainstorming sessions and an opportunity to build consensus on the issues surrounding broadband-wireless municipal-area networks, the Wireless Internet Institute will host the W2i Digital Cities Convention in Philadelphia on May 2-4, 2005. Municipal elected officials, industry thought leaders, technology providers and systems integrators will participate in an interactive three-day program to explore the full range of opportunities and roadblocks surrounding the planning and deployment of these networks.
• View the complete program agenda
The Day 1 program agenda features technology and regulatory panels as well as two keynote addresses from high-level representatives of the public and private sectors. W2i will announce the Convention faculty in February.
On Day 2, the program the program then diverges along five tracks to be chaired by Convention steering-committee members and including case-studies panel discussions (morning) and structured brainstorm workshops (afternoon)
• Track 1: Developing a Broadband-Wireless Infrastructure: Elected-Officials Leadership Role
• Track 2: Wireless Broadband Infrastructure: New Road to Municipal Workforce Productivity
• Track 3: Pervasive Wireless Computing: A Path to New and Improved Services for Citizens
• Track 4: Wireless Internet: Shrinking the Digital Divide in Underserved Communities
• Track 5: Citywide Wireless Infrastructure: New Frontier of Local Community Economic Development
Toward the end of Day 2, the Convention shifts into practical planning for municipal area networks with a plenary discussion panel called “Broadband Wireless: An Opportunity for Public-Private Partnerships.”
On the morning of Day 3, plenary discussions continue with “Local Government: Building the Business Case” and “Funding Scenarios.” Following the luncheon keynote, track chairs and their assistants report on brainstorm-workshop findings. The Convention ends with final remarks and a closing keynote address.
An exhibit hall showcasing state-of-the-art vendor solutions will address the needs of local governments and their constituencies in an informal setting propitious to rich exchange of ideas and networking among the participants.
Private-Sector Endorsements
In addition to cooperation agreements with the UN ICT Task Force, the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and CIFAL Atlanta, the W2i Digital Cities Convention is endorsed by the WiMAX Forumä and has secured the early sponsorship of global-technology leaders like Alvarion, Belair Networks, IBM, Infinet Wireless, Pronto Networks, Redline Communications, SR Telecom and Tropos Networks.
“Metro Wi-Fi today looks like the early days of cable TV, with municipalities working together with local service providers to bring new services into town,” said Ron Sege, President and CEO of Tropos Networks in Sunnyvale, California. “The W2i Digital Cities Convention gets inside the many ways this can work by encouraging thoughtful discussion for planning, deploying, and provision of services with these networks.”
“Partnering and working together are crucial to creating win-win solutions for municipalities and service providers,” said Sean Maloney, Executive Vice President of Intel Corp. “The W2i Digital Cities Convention explores how municipalities can make this happen from initial planning stages through to implementation.”
"We're excited about the Wireless Internet Institute's effort to bring local-government officials together with technology and service providers and systems integrators to brainstorm on the sustainable deployment of broadband wireless networks for municipalities in local communities," said Robert Stubblebine, CEO of Infinet Wireless. "Creating municipal-area networks requires thoughtful public and private sector cooperation. We have successfully deployed BWA equipment for broadband school and public safety programs in tens of cities and the local take-up has been very positive."
"The digital city serves different users and constituents, from public-safety employees to community residents, and from private enterprise users to visitors in public areas," said Jasbir Singh, president and CEO of Pronto Networks. "I support W2i's multi-stakeholder effort to explore the range of possible applications and solutions for broadband municipal area networks."
An Ongoing Program
The W2i Digital Cities Convention program was developed in cooperation with an expert Program Committee chaired by Dianah Neff, Chief Information Officer, City of Philadelphia. The Convention gathers together a primary audience of local-government elected and agency officials as well as stakeholders in the emerging broadband wireless ecosystem of regulators, technology vendors, service providers, system integrators, real-estate and rights-of-way owners, and funding organizations.
The W2i Digital Cities Convention will be held annually in each of three regions of the world. In 2004, planning is in final stages for conventions in North America (this May in Philadelphia), Asia and Europe as part of W2i’s cooperation with its international-development institution partners.
For more information on these programs or to partner with W2i, e-mail us at
About W2i
The W2i Digital Cities Convention is the latest in a series of thought-leadership conferences undertaken in partnership with the , the private sector, local authorities and regulators, and international development institutions. The purpose of W2i’s multi-year is to foster the adoption of broadband wireless technologies under the leadership of local government organizations around the world, in support of universal connectivity, the Millennium Development Goals, and the Declaration of Principles of the World Summit for the Information Society in Geneva (2003) and Tunis (2005).
was launched in 2001 as an international, independent think tank bringing together broadband wireless stakeholders to accelerate the adoption of wireless Internet in support of universal connectivity for economic, social and educational development around the world. W2i, a division of World Times, Inc., addresses policy, regulatory and economic models, and sharing of best-practice issues associated with the deployment of wireless Internet technologies.
