[MLB-WIRELESS] Is Melbourne Wireless dead?

[Steven Haigh]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan Flett" <conhoolio at hotmail.com>
To: "'Winder'" <winder at iinet.net.au>; <melbwireless at wireless.org.au>; 
<syd-wireless at lists.sydneywireless.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2005 1:45 PM
Subject: RE: [MLB-WIRELESS] Is Melbourne Wireless dead?


> Hi Gaz,
>
> These are very good questions.  We the proponents of community wireless
> networking must continually ask ourselves "why are we doing this?" and 
> also
> ask "What attraction does wireless networking have for the average user?"

I'm doing this for the same reason I started years ago. I want a cheap way 
to send lots of data fairly quickly between two points. This has blossomed 
and today I see many people with similar goals - but some with totally 
different goals.

> As you point out, a couple of years ago, ADSL download limits were
> restrictive and somewhat expensive and that spurred much of the initial
> interest in Wireless Networking as a way to beat the ISPs at their own 
> game.
> Those that saw a Community Wireless Network (CWN) purely as an "Internet
> Alternative" have understandably lost much of their interest.  But some of
> us see more important uses for such a network.

Oh yeah, If I had $1 for every question or email someone has asked me about 
getting internet access through the MW network, then I'd be able to 
personally fund a Telstra sides rollout :)

> The main attraction of a CWN is that it is Free.  Certainly the hardware
> costs aren't free, but they are relatively cheap and are getting 
> inevitably
> cheaper.  And these are a one-time cost, whereas ISP fees go in forever.

Free and fun - but also a challenge.

> The whole point of the CWN is to create a Metropolitan-Area-Network (MAN)
> which has no data-carriage fees, ever.  Meaning that, in theory, it should
> be easy for any point in the city to be able to exchange data with any 
> other
> point in the metropolitan area, for free.  How that data gets from
> point-to-point and how mobile those points can be is something for the CWN
> group to decide and organise for themselves.

Correct. The technical feats and planning needed to overcome a lot of the 
problems are very challenging - and lots of them are not easy.

> It may be difficult to see at this time why such community-owned
> infrastructure is necessary, especially in the face of commercially-owned
> infrastructure that already exists and already is more capable.

I think it's hard to see why it's needed because it isn't fully workable 
yet. We have nodes around, but we haven't reached close to critial mass. As 
more and more people get set up and the varity of available services and 
functions of the network becomes aparent, then it becomes a lot more 
obvious. On the same point, what is the point of connecting to the internet? 
There's a reason that it boomed - and a lot of the reasons are similar to 
why MW's network will eventually boom.

> Commercial networks charge for access, and charge like wounded bulls for
> mobile access.  The cost of installing and operating a mobile network in a
> city is far lower than laying copper wires throughout the same city, so 
> why
> are mobile phone bills higher than an equivalent fixed-line bill?  Because
> the company can charge what it likes - there are few competitors, and 
> people
> pay for mobile access.

Agreed, but why should be pay for access? Remember, WiFi is still in it's 
infant stage. It's a new technology, and people haven't realised the full 
potential. Yeah it's great to not be able to have to hook in a CAT5 cable to 
your laptop at home or the office, but when you think outside this limited 
scope as to what could be achieved with WiFi in the future, then you realise 
how primative WiFi currently is.

> With a community-owned network in place, which - by government regulation
> -can't charge for access, suddenly there exists an alternative to
> exorbitantly-priced telco networks.  Certainly there are laws which limit
> what CWNs can do in Australia.  The ACA is keeping an eagle-eye on us 
> making
> sure none of us are making "commercial" arrangements with any possible
> "customers".  Nonetheless, as a grass-roots network, we are growing.

Oh yes. And the fun won't stop there. There's a time coming where we'll have 
to talk to a lot of people to make sure we don't break the law with what we 
want to do. After our talking to various government officials back in the 
beginning, MW was looking to be an illegal concept, the law was clarified to 
make us legal. As more gray areas are found, more clarifications will be 
required. We've done it once, we can do it again.

> A CWN can stay within the law and still be a major benefit to the city in
> which it is located.  It can be free for personal use amongst all its
> participants, but I would argue can also supply free data services to
> non-profit and community organisations.  As Dawid Ostrowski pointed out in
> his post - public libraries could benefit.  I would also add community
> centres, charities, volunteer organisations, community legal services,
> community radio and TV stations, student unions, disability and health
> support groups, animal welfare groups - the list is almost endless.  And
> when each of these organisations adds a node to the roof of its building,
> the network as a whole expands and increases in capability.

Yes, this is the big gray area, as at the moment, services offered to these 
places could possibly be illegal. With clarification, it may become 
perfectly legal. I think we can safely cross this bridge when we get to it.

> With just a few of these organisations involved in the network, 
> politicians
> would see the network as a force for public good and would be more
> sympathetic to relaxing the restrictions on "commercial" arrangements.
> Politicians would be much less sympathetic to a network that was flouting
> telecommunications regulations to simply provide discounted Internet 
> access
> to p2p-geeks.

Speaking with the politicians has always been a positive experiance when it 
comes to Melbourne Wireless. After explaining our cause, we have had the 
support of quite a number of people in office. It's a refreshing view of 
politics, and one that can really benefit what we want to do, and why.

> There are a couple of "tipping points" which, when achieved, will make 
> CWNs
> much more appealing.  First is ease of use:  At the moment it is difficult
> for the average user to build and configure a wireless node.  If a
> prefabricated and user-friendly node were available for sale at a 
> reasonable
> price, more people would participate.

Agreed, This would help greatly, and from what I understand, there are 
people with plans to make these.

> The second point is network coverage:  People are much less likely to put 
> up
> a node if they can't connect to the network.  This is Metcalf's Law -
> explained here:
> http://www.mgt.smsu.edu/mgt487/mgtissue/newstrat/metcalfe.htm
> Putting nodes in as many strategic locations as possible will accelerate
> this growth.  These two points affect each other, but both must be at a
> certain minimum point before the network becomes truly useful and popular.

I agree with this 100%. Hence the plans for 2 interconnected major routing 
nodes by the end of this committees term.

> So, if you were interested in wireless networks purely as a way to get 
> cheap
> or free Internet for yourself, then maybe you should be paying for it
> instead.  If you are interested in the idea of helping to create a free 
> data
> network that benefits the wider community (and therefore yourself as 
> well),
> then please, get involved.

Agreed. Melbourne Wireless is not a service provider. If you want Internet 
Access, go see an ISP. If you want local content at broadband speeds, and 
have a vision of being able to watch the local sports, talk to your family, 
or any other digital communication on the MW network for free and with very 
little ongoing cost, then you really should be an active member and get 
those antennas up.

> Cheers,
>
> Dan
>

Signed,
Steven Haigh


To unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo at wireless.org.au
with "unsubscribe melbwireless" in the body of the message