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Lewisville shifts park Wi‑Fi approach to 5G and solar to lower costs and speed deployment
Summary
Staff said the city is expanding free park Wi‑Fi and is now using 5G backhaul and solar‑powered self‑contained units instead of costly fiber, enabling faster and cheaper rollouts to more parks.
Council asked about timing and cost for park Wi‑Fi expansion and staff described a change in delivery strategy that reduces cost and deployment time.
Claire listed parks where public Wi‑Fi has been installed or scheduled (e.g., Central Park, Ellis Creek View Park, Orchard Valley Park, Ralden Lake City Park, East Hill Park, Memorial Park and others) as part of the 2025 plan to expand free park connectivity.
When a councilmember questioned whether rapidly changing connectivity options could make a heavy near‑term investment obsolete, Chris McInn explained the city has shifted from running fiber to parks toward leveraging 5G for backhaul and deploying solar‑powered, self‑contained units in locations without power. He said that approach provides sufficient bandwidth for park services at a lower price and with faster timelines.
"In years past... we've been running fiber out to these parks to provide the back haul for said services. ... What we shifted to last year was really leveraging 5G," Chris said. He added the city is using solar units where power is unavailable to create self‑sufficient Wi‑Fi nodes and that the change is what has enabled the city to increase the number of parks completed each year.
Councilmembers thanked staff for considering technological shifts and for seeking an approach that avoids unnecessary long‑term cost. Staff said they will continue to evaluate connectivity options and return to council if major adjustments to the plan are needed.
