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Kalamazoo may soon hop on the technological bandwagon and go wireless.
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Scientel America, an Illinois-based consulting group, visited Kalamazoo in mid-September to perform a feasibility study as the city takes an initial step to setting up a wireless connection.

Wireless connections allow access to the Internet from laptop computers, cars or handheld devices anywhere.

"It's a direction we see as important for the city," said Duane Hettinger, director of information technology for the city of Kalamazoo.

Drew Brockington, a freelance graphic designer, regularly uses free Internet connections at local coffee joints. As early as next year, he may be able to use his laptop not just in the confines of cafes, but anywhere in Kalamazoo.

He compared the need for a wireless connection to the need for a public-transit system.

"It's the bus system of the digital world," Brockington said.

Turning Kalamazoo into a wireless city would improve the quality of life here, Hettinger said.

The wireless connection wouldn't be a free service, however. Kalamazoo residents would have to pay a subscription fee to an Internet provider that would allow them to use their laptops anywhere in the city, including in their homes. To benefit those visiting Kalamazoo and to provide an added perk, some designated areas, such as Bronson Park, would be hot spots where users could access the Internet free of charge.

Kalamazoo isn't alone in wanting to make Internet access easier. The city of Grand Haven is wireless and some nearby state parks also provide wireless areas. Locally, Western Michigan University offers a completely wireless campus, as do a number of coffee shops.

The $2 million Kingdom Indoor Center, which is set to open soon at 8151 Merchant Place in Portage, is expected to have wireless connections to allow parents to be online while they wait for their children at soccer practice.

After conducting the feasibility study in Kalamazoo -- which will include looking for structures on which wireless access technology could be mounted -- Scientel will propose a price for the installation and implementation of the wireless network.

The city is paying $8,500 for the study, Hettinger said. Scientel declined to provide a figure on how much the entire network, including installation, could cost.

Les Lewis, vice president of sales for Ottawa Wireless, the company that set up a wireless connection in the city of Grand Haven, estimated that the cost of installation for a city the size of Kalamazoo would be about $1 million.

Hettinger estimated that if Kalamazoo goes wireless, residents can expect the network to be running sometime in 2005.

Hettinger said residents can call 337-8588 to express interest in the wireless project.

Copyright © 2004. The Grand Rapids Press.