Citywide Wi-Fi for KL

Well, it's about time. Perak and Melaka have both pushed ahead with plans to cover the entire state with Wi-Fi. Now, finally, Kuala Lumpur (KL) is on board as well.

KL Wireless Metropolitan is a project initiated by Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (KL City Hall) and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

The vendor chosen to implement this project is Green Packet, one of four WiMAX licence recipients. The technology to be used, though, is Wi-Fi.

I wonder why though. The project is expected to be completed only in 2010. Mobile WiMAX presumably would be ready by then.

Still, Wi-Fi is not a bad choice. It's a wireless technology most laptops are equipped to receive.

But with RM50 million (US$14.9 million) allocated to the project, why would it take so long to be completely deployed?

Wi-Fi is not a new technology. Nor is it rocket science. With enough financial resources in place, it should be possible to complete the rollout much faster.