Conquering the wire(less)

Local governments are proving to be a pioneering, if not over optimistic force, in the field of wireless technology, writes Deepanshu Bagchee

Local government may not be the typical place to go looking for cutting-edge advances in Wireless technology. But according to Councillor Ian Wilder, the London borough of Westminster at least "will be the most advanced wireless provider in the world within 18 months".

Wireless technology is already the latest craze in the private sector. Business people use hand-held computers to connect with their offices via mobile and Wi-fi (wireless fidelity) internet networks. Now it is starting to take off in the public sector and a number of councils in the UK are using or working on initiatives to use wireless communication to improve their services.

Councillor Wilder is overseeing the launch of Westminster's project, dubbed "Westminster 4G". It is a wireless network that will give parking attendants, refuse collectors and noise management teams in Westminster hand-held computers and a real-time connection to the Council’s computer system. The network is due to be up and running in the Soho area by mid-May and will involve the installation of about six "smart boxes" in the neighbourhood. As wireless signals are so short, the smart boxes function as the "middle man", receiving the signal from the hand-held device and sending it back to the central office.

The council has recently spent £2 million on 30 new traditional CCTV cameras. With wireless networking, Wilder says, "we could expand our CCTV coverage at a fraction of the current cost." It also means that noise sensors can be installed which will allow noise levels to be accessed at the click of a mouse.

If the system is successful, it will also provide high-speed Internet access to the public at cheaper rates than private service providers.

Carmarthenshire County Council in Wales is already using existing mobile networks to help improve efficiency. Covering over 1,000 square miles, Carmathenshire is one of the largest and remotest counties in the UK. The Council’s 140 tradesmen complete 35,000 repairs on council buildings and houses every year. Now they carry hand-held computers on which they receive job assignments, order building materials, submit bills and download receipts, without ever having to go into the council offices. As a result, the council has been able to do away with its costly storage depots and most of its paper-work.

The project is a three-way partnership between the council tradesmen, Northern Ireland based software provider Consilium Technologies and building materials provider Travis Perkins. “This is a pilot project that nobody else is doing and we’re quite excited about it", explains Ray Symes, depots and purchasing manager for Carmathenshire Council. "Ten other authorities have already come down here to look at what we’ve been doing.”

In April, Consilium Technology announced that they had won a £580,000 contract to supply Derbyshire County Council with computer systems and mobile technology. Changes to the efficiency of local government services are beginning to catch on.

However, Nigel Deighton, vice president of Gartner Research, which provides research and analysis of the information technology industries, is less optimistic. He believes that Wilder's claims are unrealistic. "If the idea behind local government providing wireless Internet access to the public is to make money" he says, "they don’t have a cat in hell’s chance. The current 802.11b standard of Wi-fi is restricted in terms of usage and the new 802.11h standard is still some way off."

And there are other problems with Wi-fi. Security experts question the safety of using it for public services, given the problems that the technology has had with hackers. Deighton agress that, "unless you provide a fool-proof security system, there is still considerable risk”

Despite the risks, it seems the UK is now in a rush to catch up with similar technological developments happening across the US. Cities in California, for example are linking up security and safety equipment using wireless networking and are using Wi-fi as a magnet to draw people into leisure and business areas.

But whatever the motivations, the signs show that wireless technology is definitely on the increase in the UK. After all, as Wilder rightly asks, "Why should we be so far behind everyone else?"