An exploration of user-generated wireless broadband infrastructures in digital cities

Catherine A. Middleton, Amelia Bryne
2011 Telematics and informatics  
This paper examines the broadband connectivity options available in digital cities. It offers an overview of services provided by commercial operators, the public sector and by citizens themselves, arguing that shortcomings in existing fixed broadband and commercial mobile broadband services provide an opportunity for citizens to share their own wireless broadband connections. It explores Wi-Fi hotspot provider FON's approach to extending mobile broadband infrastructure by enabling shared
more » ... tions within communities. The paper outlines some reasons why this specific user-generated approach to infrastructure provision has been unable to deliver highly robust broadband infrastructure, and discusses ways in which users and the public sector can be involved in developing new mobile infrastructures that will meet citizens' needs. Introduction This paper discusses the provision of broadband infrastructure in digital cities. In Section 2, it identifies three categories of infrastructure providers, and explores whether their fixed and mobile broadband offerings meet the connectivity needs of digital citizens. Noting that fixed broadband services are currently more likely than mobile broadband services to deliver affordable, high quality and reliable connectivity, in Section 3 the paper investigates a usergenerated approach for providing wireless broadband connectivity. The demand for ubiquitous network access is increasing as citizens embrace mobility (Sandvine, 2010), using netbooks, laptops, tablet and smart phones to connect to information and government services, entertainment content and each other while moving around cities. User-generated infrastructure could help increase network availability, for example by using wireless networking technologies to extend the reach of individuals' broadband connections. In Section 4 the paper describes how the FON community has supplemented broadband connectivity in digital cities by facilitating sharing of Wi-Fi hotspots. Section 5 notes the various challenges that arise in relying upon individuals to develop good broadband infrastructure. The paper concludes with discussion of why user-generated infrastructure is unlikely to provide a foundation for connectivity in digital cities (Section 6). Opportunities for municipalities or communities to develop wired and wireless networks to provide high quality, reliable infrastructure, possibly through a hybrid approach, are noted, and closing remarks are provided in Section 7. Infrastructure for Digital Cities "Digital city" projects are the most recent in a long line of efforts to use communication technologies to connect citizens to each other, to local governments, and to information repositories. The digital cities of the twenty-first century "build an arena in which people in regional communities can interact and share knowledge, experiences, and mutual interests" (Ishida, 2002, p. 76), and "create a seamless environment between local government and constituents" (Center for Digital Government, 2008, p. 2). Digital cities now offer a combination of "grassroots community and civic networks, municipal information and communication networks, city oriented commercial websites, virtual communities, and social ICT experiments in neighborhoods" (Van Den Besselaar, 2005, p. 4). To make use of these services or participate in these civic networks, citizens need broadband Internet access. Over the mid-1990s and the early-2000s, residential Internet access became common in households. As users switched from dial-up to broadband access (Rainie and Horrigan, 2005; Horrigan, 2009), the location for digital engagement with government and community remained in the home. Since the mid-2000s, interaction with the digital city has moved beyond individuals' homes, into community spaces and other locations, indoor or outdoor, wherever network access is available. This expanded footprint of the digital city has been enabled by wireless networks, based on Wi-Fi, WiMAX and 3/3.5/4G cellular technologies (Lehr and McKnight, 2003; Johnston and Aghvami, 2007; Lemstra and Hayes, 2009; Otsuka, 2009 , describe these technologies), along with growing use of laptop and netbook computers, smart phones and other mobile devices (e.g. ebook readers, Internet tablets). The unwiring of access can change the ways that citizens engage with digital city environments, allowing interaction from places and at times that are convenient to them. As more citizens roam their physical cities with connected network devices in hand, their expectations move beyond visions of digital cities as specific, government-led projects toward visions of digital cities as places that offer seamless integration of digital technologies, content and services for any purpose. Cities are becoming digital spaces, where connectivity supports citizens' interactions not just with local governments and local residents, but with content, applications, services and people located anywhere. Indeed, the National Broadband Plan in the US notes that "broadband is essential to opportunity and citizenship" (Federal Communications Commission, 2010, p. 5), and accessible, affordable, reliable infrastructure is an essential foundation for digital cities. Many countries are developing strategies to improve their broadband infrastructures (e.g.
doi:10.1016/j.tele.2010.08.003 fatcat:ws7nob5jyzct7ejn34rw4la6ou