Biz Talk - Business Blog Roanoke and Beyond

This is a followup to my post on the Downtown Roanoke Wi-Fi project.   I was recently invited to attend a meeting with Roanoke City regarding the Downtown WIFI Hotzone.  Clearly Roanoke has been identified nationally as a technology leader and as a model for cities considering a downtown Wi-Fi hotspot.  Seattle, WA modeled their system after Roanoke. 

It was clearly recognized by those attending the meeting that the level and consistency of the service has deteriorated over the years and more attention needs to be placed on making the Wi-Fi service readily available in the designated areas.  It was also agreed that there was very little marketing done to promote the downtown Wi-Fi service.

Suggestions included:

1. Help Downtown Roanoke to understand the importance of Wi-Fi as a marketing tool.
2. Getting local downtown businesses involved in promoting the free Wi-Fi hotzone.
3. Work with the technical service provider (Cox) to offer local downtown businesses a hotspot using less expensive hardware to amplify the signal to their business.

These points were aimed to locally heighten the interest in the Downtown Wi-Fi project.  There have also been two recent articles in the Roanoke Times by Duncan Adams.  Roanoke Wi-Fi lingers on fritz and Downtown wireless may finally be fixed.

Based on this second article that the service MAY be fixed, I was delighted and scheduled a business meeting at the Roanoke City Market Building's International Food Court.  I started using the Wi-Fi connection but within 10 minutes it had slowed to a crawl and then it quit.  I was totally embarrassed without my technical tool.

If I were a business person or impressionable young professional visiting the area this would have definitely tarnished my image of Roanoke as a digital or technology leader.

What's the City of Roanoke's next step to monitor and maintain the Wi-Fi consistency?  Brian Brown, from Roanoke City's Office of Economic Development, told me that the City does have a plan.  He said within the next 3-6 months they will be doing a series of improvements, including upgrading the Wi-Fi technology at the City Market Building.  They intend to improve the consistency of the W-Fi connection.  Local users and vistors will greet this improvement with welcome arms! 

Let us know if you have any additions we can add to our Wi-Fi list at www.RoanokeBiz2Biz.com.