One Out of Two Communities Evaluating Wireless Services, Survey Finds

Government Technology magazine just released the results of its Digital Communities survey that charts current public-sector views on wireless and mobile networks. The results highlight a growing awareness of the tremendous potential value of municipal wireless projects, as well as the real-world challenges to realizing this potential.

• Over 60% of respondents thought the greatest public value through outdoor wireless networks would be for police, fire and emergency response reporting. Public safety came in close behind at 46%. Public Internet access and police and fire information lookup closely followed public safety.
• There is already high awareness of the need for properly implemented security measures over wireless networks. 80% of respondents said that authenticating and protecting the data over public networks were essential. As well, 77% rated protecting data on the lost, stolen or misplaced devices a top concern.

However, many government officials (40%) are still either unclear on the return on investment (ROI) for wireless network deployment or uncertain how to document this ROI to win budget approval. Nevertheless, a full 51% of those answering the survey said their communities were currently evaluating wireless opportunities, intending to run pilots in the coming year or are already running pilots.

Digital Communities was launched in 2005 through the leadership efforts of Intel and key industry partners to provide communities and government leaders with news, information resources, and assistance in pursuing their wireless and mobile initiatives.

The full survey results can be found in the Digital Communities Resource Center.