Toronto Waterfront is getting an open network

[toma_alimosh]

Woohoo, just found out today that Waterfront Toronto, the project to restore and improve Toronto's waterfront has decided as one of its sub-projects to build an Open Optical Communications Network at Toronto's waterfront. As well as building a wireless access network in the same area as well. I'm salivating over the idea right now.

I just wish the city of Toronto and the adjoining regions of the GTA would wake up and see how messed up the communications infrastructure in Toronto is and why we MUST build an open network to drive the communications market from an oligopoly into monopolistic competition.

Only then will we have as high speeds and as low prices as Europe, because as it stands, we're screwed over for internet access, TV and telephone. If a project like the condominium project in Quebec ever came to life here, we can finally say "Fuck Off" to both Bell and Rogers.

And if you don't know what an Open Network is, well, the concept is simple: It's a business model for communications in which the owners of a telecommunications distribution network (physical wires) are separate from the company (or companies) that maintain that network and are also separate from the companies that provide services through the network (internet, tv, phone, video conferencing, etc).

This saves a lot of cost by service providers who often have to rely on existing networks, such as cable or phone lines, to distribute their services in the last mile. Not only are those networks slow, but they're also owned by companies that offer the same services themselves, thus, they charge their competitors who want to use their network extra money, in order to eliminate competition by keeping their prices much lower than anyone else.

By having a private netowrk for last-mile distribution (free logistics, not controlled by a service provider), many small competitors can go head-to-head with the communications hot-shots of today (mostly Bell and Rogers in these parts). This will collapse the last big barriers of entry into the industry and encourage competition. Thus, we will have more providers competing with each other on both price and quality = lower prices and higher speeds.

Does anyone here live near such a network? And what do you think about it in terms of services and such, and how much you pay for them? I'm mainly asking our members in Sweden about this, since that's where these types of networks are most predominant.

And if you don't know about these sort of projects and want to find out more, you can read up on the following and google the rest:
http://www.canadaconnects.ca/education/main/1110/
http://www.metronetiq.com/archives/2...e_cutting.html
http://www.packetfront.com/

[Shawn]

Someone told me Vancouver was to get free WiFi in 2008, such as Google provides in their hometown.

I can't find any information on it though, so I think it was probably just a geek's wet dream.

[toma_alimosh]

In 2008 ? I don't think so.
Vancouver does, however, have an open access network project of its own.
And then there's also the Columbia Mountain Open Network, so I'm not surprised if they extend this project into Vancouver and other large cities and towns in British Columbia.

But what you're talking about here is free internet, not an open access local network. Unfortunately, business models that provide free internet just don't work. Lines need maintenance, electricity, oversight ... there's always going to be costs and nobody will cover those costs without the promise of a hefty profit. On another hand, models that provide very inexpensive internet access are very possible (but hard to implement).

The Waterfront Toronto project also has wireless access to the internet all around the waterfront as part of its intent. But whether it will be WiFi or WiMAX is not very clear. My opinion is that it's WiFi. It also doesn't say whether it would provide free access to the internet (very unlikely) or just free access to the network, from which you can access your account with your choice of internet provider ... so you can carry your internet account with you, wherever you can access the network from. Of course, this would all be secured by recognition of MAC addresses combined with other methods of security.

I think even though it won't be free internet, I'd be happy to be able to access the internet from any point in downtown ... without having to pay more than my home internet bill.

[Shawn]

Remember when Alta Vista offered free internet? But the forced ads took up half the screen.

[toma_alimosh]

^ That and NetZero ... oh boy, what a treat that was ... see, that's why internet must be charged for... at least most of the time.