It will likely be many months before the service is anywhere near as robust as Rasansky and his partners would like, and the new company won't promote the network or provide easier access to it until that time. Even then, the wireless signal won't be available inside most Philadelphia homes. The technology simply isn't designed to go through walls, and even a fully built-out network won't change that fact.
But what the service will offer average Philadelphians - if all goes as planned - is completely free outdoor Internet access in virtually every nook and cranny of the city. It won't be fast enough to stream movies or big audio files, but it should more than suffice for, say, a tourist who needs to look up directions.
"When it's finished, I think the average person will be satisfied with what they're going to get," said Craig Settles, an industry analyst and author of a book about Philadelphia's wireless network. "It's a real plus to be able to stop in a city park and look up a restaurant."
It is a far more modest goal than what EarthLink promised yet never delivered: high-speed home Internet access over WiFi, a true replacement for the hardwired services offered by the likes of Comcast and Verizon. EarthLink tried to charge $20 a month for the service, and there were precious few takers.
The new company won't charge average users a dime. Instead, its still-developing business plan anticipates that big institutions - such as universities, hospitals and perhaps City Hall itself - will become paying customers.
It will offer those institutions a package of services, including wired Internet access for indoor use, as well as fast outdoor wireless connections for mobile applications that go well beyond checking e-mail on a laptop.
