Wee-Fi: Caribou Roams Free; OK Wi-Fi Network A-OK

Caribou goes free: Caribou, like its totem animal, has spent a while roaming and grazing. It started with SBC FreedomLink (now AT&T Wi-Fi), moved to Wandering Wi-Fi, and then, sticking with that firm, has opted to drop the free-with-an-order or modest fee service. It’s now all free.

Nintendo DS lost free McDonald’s-Fi last year: Not with a blam blam, but with a whimper, did the Wi-Fi-enabled game player’s two-year deal with Wayport expire. The Web site Knowzy revealed the agreement ended in Nov. 2007, and notes that because the DS lacks a Web browser, it’s essentially unusable at public hotspots.

Oklahoma City has 555 sq mi network: Fortunately, not 666 sq mi down there near the Bible Belt. The municipal network has 150 applications available on it, and uses Tropos gear. The network covers 95 percent of the city’s core area, with the whole network having 100-percent dedication to city workers and public safety purposes. This includes real-time video from 300 cameras. Tropos says 150 applications are available over the network. The network cost a tiny amount, just $5m, relative to the high cost of public access Wi-Fi. These sorts of networks are far easier to build. Funding came from city funds designated for capital improvement and public safety. The real question, of course, is whether savings in efficiency—and lives saved, even—can be measured over time.

Buh-Bye, Philly