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
Designed by a language of love, ‘my clothing is my ministry,’ says Esmeralda Lole
Kyrie Eleison Couture creates custom pieces that incorporate the customer’s cultural influences, said Esmeralda Lole. Lole works closely with individual customers and draws colors from flags and patterns from their countries of origin, she said. “Everyone has a different love language and my love language is acts of service. So for me, to be able…
Scoops and fruit loops: Quirky collaboration melds Crumble candles, Betty Rae’s Ice Cream
Brandon Love hungered for a Kansas City brand as unconventional as his own high-growth aroma confectionery, Crumble Co. He found his match at Betty Rae’s. “I started trying to pick apart [potential partners] to see who would be the best fit,” said Love, Crumble Co.’s founder and “head fruit loop in charge.” “Our way’s really…
Bridge Space opens doors to creativity, collaboration in Lee’s Summit (Photos)
Set against the historic backdrop of the former Lee’s Summit post office, the past and present intentionally collide to create Bridge Space — a 13,000-square-foot coworking space that elevates entrepreneurs in the city’s bustling downtown business district, said Ben Rao. “I’m in the hospitality business. It’s about this experience that people have. We’re not just…
Fountain City FinTech first cohort named; could draw coastal, international companies to KC
A half-dozen companies from outside Kansas City earned spots among the first cohort of Fountain City FinTech, said Zach Pettet, hopeful the metro could attract the firms to stay or build long-term partnerships. “There’s a good chance that a number of firms will be putting down roots and creating jobs in Kansas City. We don’t…