Whether the failure of some municipal Wi-Fi initiatives are caused by politics or the doomed mix of business and politics, Cisco has nevertheless revamped its wireless software in a bid to get governments to give wireless nets a second chance.

Cisco said the problem with existing municipal nets is because it focused on free services for citizen access. It argues that successful municipal deployments of wireless are those that treat the technology as an extension of the municipal enterprise network -- the network used by inspectors, police, firefighters and other city employees.

Is Cisco correct in targeting local governments in this way? Could this help inject excitment back into municipal Wi-Fi? Or are the existing (political?) problems going to creep up again?

Further reading:

Cisco close to buying Navini WiMAX maker, report suggests

Cisco re-targets wireless for municipal enterprise networks

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