Corporate buyout slows citywide Wi-Fi

The firm building the city's wireless Internet network has changed corporate ownership, causing further delays in getting Yuma online.

Kite Networks, a Ridgeland, Miss.-based company, deploys citywide wireless networks to municipalities around the country.

According to previous reports in The Sun, Kite officials stated in February that they would have the network up for paid subscribers by May.

At the time, city officials said Kite had claimed it had more difficulty than it expected in negotiating cost-effective leases for locating access points on private buildings.

That target date was later extended to September. However, Kite is now in a state of corporate flux, which has pushed even that target back.

The company, which has been a wholly owned subsidiary of MobilePro Corp., is being bought by Gobility Inc. of Richardson, Texas.

Calls to Gobility officials were not immediately returned Thursday afternoon.

According to a news release by Gobility dated July 27, Gobility has acquired Kite from MobilePro.

Greg Wilkinson, the city's assistant information technology services director, said the city has been talking "regularly" to Gobility. Their last conference call was Wednesday, he said.

While this does not completely restart the process, it is contributing to further delays, Wilkinson said.

However, he said he does not have a timeline on the Wi-Fi network's installation at this time.

The Wi-Fi system is a private project being built, originally planned to be operated and funded by Kite.

There is little the city can do to expedite the process beyond continued talks.

In April, city officials stated that Kite had $2 million in equipment here waiting to be installed, according to a previous article in The Sun.

The Kite Networks Web site lists Yuma as a Wi-Fi city.

Kite's plan includes four areas, called "drinking fountains," where people could use two hours of free Wi-Fi every day: the Ray Kroc Memorial Baseball Complex, Yuma Civic Center, Smucker Park, West Wetlands Park and downtown. The city's Web site is expected to be accessible at all times for free to anyone with a Wi-Fi-capable device.

Previously, the costs for the service have been proposed at $3.95 per hour, $7.95 per day, $19.95 per week or $29.95 per month.

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Sarah Reynolds can be reached at sreynolds@yumasun.com or 539-6847.