Kansas City’s east side to receive free wireless gigabit network
May 26, 2016 | Bobby Burch
Kansas City is diligently continuing work to become the most connected city on earth.
Three organizations are now working to create a free, large-scale wireless gigabit network on Kansas City’s east side.
The project — led by Siklu Communications, the Urban Neighborhood Initiative and KC Digital Drive — will help eliminate cost barriers to help bridge the digital divide. The network will be available at such locales as the Historic Lincoln Building, the Mutual Musicians Foundation, several churches and the Ivanhoe Neighborhood Alliance.
The project will leverage “Millimeter Wave” technology to bypass infrastructure limitations that older buildings may present. The project will use Siklu millimeter wave radios that will attach to existing fiber provided by KC Web.
The radios can be quickly attached to building facades, the tops of buildings, poles and other points in the community to create a faster wireless extension of fiber. By using millimeter wave radios frequencies, the radios can transmit gigabit internet with low latency and no interference, Siklu said. The radios operate in the 60, 70/80 GHz spectrum bands.
“We believe that connectivity helps empower communities and lets Kansas City continue our growth as a gigabit leader,” Dianne Cleaver, executive director of Urban Neighborhood Initiative, said in a release. “While blessed with an abundance of fiber, even throughout the east side, we still face barriers to connecting individual homes and critical community anchors. Siklu’s technology will provide affordable gigabit connections throughout the UNI area.”
The new project is the latest in a series of initiatives that will create wireless networks around Kansas City.
Google announced in April that it’s planning to build a massive wireless broadband network in Kansas City. Google expects to spend the next six months delivering equipment for construction of the wireless network.
The moves have compelled Kansas City officials to become more conscious in communicating digital inclusion efforts. Connecting For Good CEO Tom Esselman recently shared his thoughts on digital divide efforts with Startland News.
Featured Business
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KCultivator Q&A: Morgan Perry reads KC on egos, excuses — no Northland passport required
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Library shelves offer more than the theatrics of the written word, said Morgan Perry. Though she sees power in learning through entertainment, the resources available to vulnerable and other hungry audiences in need are anything but…
Beach-loving couple hopes to dissolve fear of sharks with Shark OFF repellent bracelets
Saving limbs, lives, and long-villainized, cartilaginous creatures of the sea — it’s the mission behind a first-of-its-kind Overland Park startup, Shark OFF, said Shea and Geoff Geist. “You’re more likely to get killed by a cow. You’re more likely to die falling out of bed,” said Geoff Geist, half of the husband-wife duo who founded…
LA transplant encourages online shoppers to Continue Good after the sale
Online apparel store Continue Good inspires each customer to complete a small act of kindness, said Mollie Beck, noting the organization’s donations to KC-based anti-trafficking nonprofit Exodus Cry turn the small deeds into a more tangible impact. “I love inspiring people to continue to do good to others, but I wanted to just do more…
Fund Me, KC: Clean Slate hopes to give homeless fresh start with mobile shower unit
Startland News is continuing its segment to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs — like those behind Clean Slate Mobile Shower Unit — to share their crowdfunding stories to gain additional support. Who are you and what is your organization? My name is Kelsha James I am…