New Orleans's New Connection

At CC's Coffee House in New Orleans, Doss Hindman, left, John Ryan, Colleen Timmons and Ren French use a WiFi connection last month to get online. The system run by the city is to be operational today in New Orleans's business district and the French Quarter. (By Eliot Kamenitz -- The Times-picayune)

Already, WiFi communications for government services are helping the city speed its recovery. The biggest benefit, Meffert said, has been enabling building inspectors to quickly process paperwork for reconstruction permits without having to travel back and forth to city offices.

Moreover, Meffert said the hurricane provided valuable lessons on the ability of traditional, wired telecommunications systems to withstand natural disasters.

"I know what failed," Meffert said. "Staying with the status quo would be the single most reckless thing I could do. . . . If I put it back the same way that it was, people should fire me before I finish."

City officials said they will battle to overturn the 144-kilobit speed limitation that will take effect when the state of emergency is over.

"It's the blessing of this tragedy," Meffert said. "It's harder to win the been-here-forever vendor argument. Either we do this, or we die."

Chris Drake, operations manager for New Orleans, said the system also proves invaluable for law enforcement. Although first responders will still communicate over a radio-band network, background data checks and other police functions can be done on the WiFi network, relieving pressure on the radio system.

Before the hurricane, city government already had moved to a voice-over-Internet system to save money. And it had deployed a new-generation, wireless "mesh" network for anti-crime surveillance cameras in parts of the city.

The broader WiFi system is an expansion of that network, using equipment from Silicon Valley-based Tropos Networks Inc.

The system uses shoebox-sized devices mounted on streetlight posts to provide the wireless coverage. Some of the devices also beam the signal to existing fiber-optic trunk lines that connect the city to the Internet backbone. About 20 to 25 units are necessary to cover one square mile.

After the hurricane, Tropos donated 50 more units to the city and Intel Corp. paid for an additional 50 units, bringing the total in the city to roughly 200.

"We donated the equipment because good friends of ours were hit really hard," said Ellen Kirk, Tropos vice president for marketing.

Devices also were installed to serve specific locations, such as disaster shelters and cruise ships housing displaced residents.

She said the only previously deployed units damaged during the hurricane were those in which the light pole was knocked down. Backup power quickly restored all the other devices to service.

Paul Butcher, Intel's marketing manager for state and local governments, said the future of communication is wireless.

"The language has changed from two years ago," he said. "The value is in the mobile worker."