Brandon Twp.- County officials say that by mid-2007 all 910 square miles of Oakland County will have wireless internet access including the less populated northern sections of the county.
Scott Oppmann, Wire Oakland program manager and application services manager for Oakland County Information technology said the signal for the wireless connection will be a key issue in bringing the more remote sections of the county into the system.
‘Forested areas like in the northern regions of the county including Groveland and Brandon townships are limited due to signal degradation,? he said. ‘But, sometime early next year technology will be available to improve that situation.?
Oppmann said that Wi-Max is a standards-based wireless technology that provides high-throughput broadband connections over long distances including the terrain found in northern Oakland county.
‘In the next 45 days a plan will outlined that will detail when the Wi-Max system will be up and running and residents can expect to be connected.?
Oakland county private-sector partner will own, operate and maintain the project. Free Internet service will be offered at the lower bandwidth, but the private sector partners will charge fees for higher end service.
According to county officials last month The Wireless Oakland Project Team selected seven pilot projects that will serve as a starting point for the deployment of wireless internet service throughout the county. The seven pilot projects are located in the communities of Royal Oak, Pontiac, Troy, Birmingham, Madison Heights, Oak Park, and Wixom.
Last month, MichTel Communications, LLC to provide county-wide wireless Internet service. MichTel Communications is a Pontiac-based company that was selected after a detailed evaluation of 13 responding private-sector bidders.