Wireless and Wired Public Internet Access
Third-party Wireless Pilot Program
The third-party wireless pilots are now completed. Based on the pilots, ITS has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) with hopes of having third-party wireless service available in fall 2010.
Overview
Information Technology Services (ITS) partnered with AT&T and Boingo to conduct pilot programs that made third-party wireless network services available to guests on campus.
The first pilot with AT&T began in August 2009 and lasted to January 8, 2010. A second pilot with Boingo ran from January 11 to May 28, 2010.
The pilot program enabled guests not sponsored by a department to purchase wireless network access while on supported areas of campus through a familiar, trusted process that will not place the university at risk. Sponsored guest accounts will continue to be available through departments.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I provide campus guests with wireless access without charging them?
The current system for sponsored guests remains in place. Departments that would like to provide wireless access for unsponsored guests will be able to purchase coupons for their guests from the Campus Computer Store once a third-party vendor has been chosen.
Why can't the university provide a free and open wireless network?
Policies, laws, and operational constraints require the university to identify all users on its networks and to enforce its Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which states that resources are only used in support of the university mission. Financial constraints also require ITS to focus on the university mission and prevent the university from offering free, unfettered access of Internet resources.
What if a student, faculty member, or sponsored guest is charged by the third-party system before speaking with a university representative?
The login screen for the third-party service will direct students, faculty, staff, and sponsored guests to the university system.
Will this overload the university wireless system?
No capacity issues were experienced during the pilot programs, and ITS does not anticipate third-party usage to overload the system in the future.
As a precaution, however, third-party users are relegated to a lower priority than university users on the university wireless system. Over 12,000 simultaneous users are on the network at its peak during the day, and only a small fraction of these would be third-party users. In addition, most third-party users will be at public venues, such as conference centers and museums, which are designed for heavier third-party traffic.
Will this encourage loitering on campus?
No problems were reported during the pilots. Since users are charged for the service, ITS does not believe that providing third-party wireless access will encourage loitering. Austin offers many free wireless locations with easy Internet access.
Will revenues generated upgrade or expand the wireless network?
ITS does not believe there would be sufficient usage by guests to have a substantial impact on revenue. Any revenues would appear in publicly available ITS budget reports and forecasts.
