Cities Learn to Extract Value from Metro WiFi Networks
Released on = August 14, 2006, 10:44 am
Press Release Author = Shaun Markey
Industry = Telecommunications
Press Release Summary = Summary of presentation by John Woronczuk VP of Netistix Technologies in which he explained how cities can take advantage of their wireless infrastructures to monitor driver habits and realize cost savings in municipal utility, enforcement or public safety vehicles.
Press Release Body = Cities Learn How to Extract Value from Municipal WiFi Networks
Wireless fleet monitoring provides value creation opportunities for cities and businesses
August 14, 2006, Ottawa, ON: At the recent MuniWireless SV 2006 conference, municipalities learned that they can leverage their existing or planned municipal WiFi infrastructure by deploying a wireless fleet monitoring solution to lower fleet maintenance costs, increase efficiencies in city vehicles, and improve service to businesses.
In a presentation titled, "Municipal and Public WiFi Projects and Fleet Vehicle Services,"John Woronczuk, VP of Marketing and Business Development for NetistixT, explained how cities can take advantage of their wireless infrastructures to monitor driver habits and realize cost savings in municipal utility, enforcement or public safety vehicles.
"Our customers normally find that the payback period for a fleet monitoring system is six to nine months if they need to install their own dedicated WiFi infrastructure," says Woronczuk. "When operating the FleetPulseT wireless fleet monitoring solution under the wireless fabric of an existing or planned metro WiFi project, the payback is even shorter because the infrastructure cost is spread across multiple business applications."
Several major cities throughout North America including San Francisco, Philadelphia and Toronto are moving quickly to develop \"mesh\" networks that run on the WiFi wireless standard. These networks can be constructed at a reasonable cost and, in turn, they can be used to provide Internet access to city residents.
Attendees at the conference learned that the NetistixT FleetPulseT solution accesses these WiFi networks to securely transmit information from a fleet vehicle to a monitoring application at no charge. It is a cost-effective alternative to traditional cellular-based monitoring solutions, which require customers to pay monthly cellular airtime fees for the same data transmission. "Maintaining and managing a municipal fleet can represent a significant expense for a city," explains Woronczuk. "By using a wireless fleet monitoring system, a city can take advantage of existing municipal WiFi infrastructure to help it cut those costs and increase efficiencies in fleets through effective, low-cost fleet monitoring." Not only does the municipality benefit directly, but other commercial fleets within the city can also take advantage of the city-wide network to deploy wireless fleet monitoring solutions for their own operations.
Woronczuk demonstrated how a fleet monitoring system lets municipalities monitor vehicle driver habits to identify poor driving behaviour and track wasted or stolen fuel. Woronczuk's presentation also outlined how a small to mid-sized city could reduce fleet expenses by 10% by using the FleetPulseT solution.
"If a city already has a WiFi infrastructure in place, it makes sense to make full use of it," adds Woronczuk. "And incorporating a wireless fleet monitoring solution like FleetPulseT is one valuable way to do just that."
The MuniWireless 2006: Silicon Valley conference was held June 19-21 in Santa Clara California. A copy of Mr. Woronczuk's presentation can be downloaded at: http://www.netistix.com/downloads/index.php?cat
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