Juneau launches high‑density public Wi‑Fi network

Juneau, Alaska’s capital and a major cruise‑ship destination, sees summer visitor spikes of up to 16,000 extra guests per day. The surge previously overloaded commercial cellular networks, causing widespread service interruptions that affected merchants, parking‑payment terminals, voice calls and municipal operations.

The City and Borough of Juneau partnered with Northriver IT Services to design, build and manage a dedicated high‑density Wi‑Fi system using Cambium Networks’ ONE Network platform, including 60 GHz cnWave backhaul and outdoor access points. The managed service operates independently of the city’s IT infrastructure, providing predictable performance without additional municipal staff or funding burdens. Chris Murray, IT director for Juneau, said, “When ships were docked during the summer tourist season, cellular signal was absent or very weak and unstable.” The new network separates backhaul and Wi‑Fi from city IT, ensuring reliable connectivity for visitors and local businesses.