Prince Charming to save Philadelphia Wi-Fi

Philly looks like it's getting a savior for its beleaguered municipal Wi-Fi network: A group of local investors is reportedly planning to bail at the system, which is being abandoned by Earthlink.

Terms of the deal haven't been discussed, but an ad-supported business model that would ultimately make the service free to users is reportedly being considered.

The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that only 6,000 people had signed up to use the $20-per-month service under Earthlink. That's tragic. It's no wonder why, with revenues of just $120,000 a month, the company couldn't make a go out of things. Of course, users also complained about poor coverage areas, weak signals, and pricing that wasn't much less than getting a real broadband line.

This of course begs the question of how the investor group (including one former Verizon executive) are going to turn things around. Pulling in six figures of advertising revenue each month isn't easy, even with 6,000 people being barraged with ads. The ad model also requires a heavy sales operation to keep the service filled with advertisements, and the Philly network, by all accounts, is drastically in need of a hardware upgrade.

At least it's a glimmer of hope for muni Wi-Fi, which has otherwise largely seen nothing but bad news for a couple of years running now. I certainly hope for the best, but if I was in Philly, I'd also be making alternative access arrangements... you know, just in case.

LINK: Local investors to rescue Philly wi-fi