Urbino wireless campus: A wide-area university wireless network to bridge digital divide

Urbino Wireless Campus (UWiC) is an open wireless access network promoted and implemented by the University of Urbino, in Italy, to virtually extend the University campus over the Montefeltro region, while providing also a significant contribution to bridge the digital divide and promote the widespread diffusion of online services and applications. UWiC has ranked first among the 82 wireless-campus projects submitted by all Italian universities to the Department of Innovation and Technology of Prime Minister's Office. The project was launched one year ago and most of its targets have already been met. This paper presents the project, discusses its technical, organizational, and economic aspects, and presents early results.