Why Border-to-Border Wireless in R.I.?
RI-WINs has become the envy of the wireless world. From the U.S. to Korea, RI-WINs has garnered national attention for its unique vision and approach. Rhode Island's location, size, and accessible public and private sector networks create a real-world laboratory for testing new ideas. We call the idea Innovation@Scale. Why? Because ideas tested in Rhode Island's unique ecosystem are better positioned to be scaled-up for national and global expansion. This capacity for Innovation@Scale, paired with a border-to-border wireless network, will strengthen Rhode Island's ability to serve as an innovation laboratory for organizations from both within and outside the state.
Phase 1: Feasibility
In May 2005, BIF, with RPM's leadership and RI-WINs partners American Power Conversion, IBM, Intel, Lucent, MetLife, Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, Rhode Island Economic Policy Council, and Rhode Island Commodores, released results from a study that assessed the feasibility of cost-effectively constructing a border-to-border wireless network in Rhode Island.
Study results indicate that constructing a statewide network is economically and technologically feasible and that organizations from across the state, both private and public, would utilize a border-to-border broadband wireless network to increase their capacity for innovation. With RPM's help, BIF developed a business plan that enabled it to move into the next phase – a pilot network.
Phase 2: The Pilot
In June 2006, RI-WINs went live with its pilot phase. The pilot, now in full swing, is operating several applications on a small-scale version of the network to test the network's effectiveness, demonstrate that pilot applications can be extended to larger user bases, and troubleshoot issues in advance of a state-wide roll out.
RI-WINs pilot participants, a public/private partnership, includes Atrion Networking Corporation, Brown University, Cox Communications and Cox Business Services, CVS/Pharmacy, the Ocean State Higher Education Economic Development and Administrative Network (OSHEAN), RPM, the Rhode Island Department of Administration, the Rhode Island Port Security Communications Network, Stratum Broadband, among others.
Read more about RI-WINs pilot applications
Phase 3: Statewide Roll-out
RI-WINs is moving full stream ahead to begin the build out the network. Planning is currently underway to determine the most technologically and financially efficient strategy for moving the network towards its goal of statewide coverage as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The RI-WINs team expects to present a detailed plan for statewide expansion in early 2007.