Google’s Tangled Wireless Push

GOOGLE'S TANGLED WIRELESS PUSH
[SOURCE: RedHerring, AUTHOR: KFehrenbacher@RedHerring.com, LGannes@RedHerring.com]
The hurdles Google faces as it becomes involved in building citywide Wi-Fi networks. Building infrastructure and acting as a service provider isn't something with which Google has much experience. Already Google is facing hurdles in the slow-moving, very political process of building what some perceive as a public service. To start with, Google’s local advertising revenue from the network won't come anywhere close to the estimated $15 million in infrastructure costs. That’s because neither the technology nor business model is yet in place to start driving a location-based advertising economy around local businesses. First Google must overcome the layers of bureaucracy surrounding city politics and the real-world intricacies of building a citywide network. The search giant, which prides itself on its “bottom-up” innovation process and flexible approach to development, now has to contend with hiring union workers for network construction and attending endless meetings with public committees and review boards.
http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=16991&hed=Google%E2%80%99s+Tang...