Philly Community Wireless
Philly Community Wireless is a Philadelphia nonprofit, founded in 2020, that builds and operates a free community-controlled wireless mesh network serving North Philadelphia residents and partner organizations across zip codes 19122, 19133, and 19134, using Ubiquiti hardware, PhillyWisper backhaul, and solar-powered nodes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Philly Community Wireless does
Philly Community Wireless (PCW) is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to address the digital divide in North Philadelphia neighborhoods. The organization operates as a fiscally sponsored project of the Movement Alliance Project and is headquartered at the Norris Square Neighborhood Project on N Howard St. PCW builds and maintains a free, community-controlled wireless mesh network serving zip codes 19122, 19133, and 19134 (Norris Square, Fairhill, and Kensington), where only 53% of Black and 44% of Latinx residents have home broadband. The service is provided at no cost, with no means testing, no throttling, and no user tracking, in alignment with net-neutrality principles.
The network is built on Ubiquiti hardware (EdgeRouter-X, LiteBeam point-to-point radios, and Unifi Mesh APs) organized into three tiers: rooftop antenna hosts connecting to PhillyWisper backhaul, indoor/outdoor mesh kits distributing signal within and between homes, and public Wi-Fi access in parks and streets. Solar-powered mesh nodes, co-designed with Holobiont Lab, extend coverage to gardens and outdoor spaces without grid electricity. Since 2023, PCW has layered the Act on Air: Philly Air Monitor Project onto its network, deploying 12+ PurpleAir air quality monitors at libraries, community gardens, and residential host sites, with data published on PurpleAir's public map. PCW also publishes a full replication documentation site at docs.phillycommunitywireless.org and a live network coverage webmap.
The organization is funded almost entirely through grants and donations from foundations including the William Penn Foundation, Digital Literacy Alliance, Independence Public Media Foundation, AARP Community Challenge, Claneil Foundation, Kensington Community Resilience Fund, and Princeton's Pace Center for Civic Engagement, supplemented by merchandise sales and small-donor fundraising. It is staffed by 5 people (Executive Director Alex Wermer-Colan, Community Outreach Manager Leanne Przybylowski, Technician Eugene Ryoo, Content Coordinator Chris Mehretab, and UTP Apprentice Francisco Oquendo) supported by a Board of Advisors and Technical Advisory Board drawn from Temple, UPenn, Princeton, and Penn State. Customers are end-user residents and ~10 community-organization partners (e.g., Norris Square Neighborhood Project, HACE, Free Library branches, GALAEI, West Kensington Ministries); revenue concentration risk is low because end-users pay nothing and organizational sustainability rests on diversified grant funding rather than a small number of paying accounts.
Philly Community Wireless firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Philly Community Wireless
- Legal name
- Philadelphia Community Wireless Project
- Website
- https://phillycommunitywireless.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Philly Community Wireless is a Philadelphia nonprofit, founded in 2020, that builds and operates a free community-controlled wireless mesh network serving North Philadelphia residents and partner organizations across zip codes 19122, 19133, and 19134, using Ubiquiti hardware, PhillyWisper backhaul, and solar-powered nodes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Philly Community Wireless industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Wireless Internet
- NAICS
- Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (517112), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171)
- SIC
- Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Municipal & Community Broadband Networks (HDAIACAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Municipal & Community Broadband ISPs (HDAIADAH)
Keywords
Where Philly Community Wireless is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Philly Community Wireless business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Grants and Funded Programs: PCW operates as a fiscally sponsored project of Movement Alliance Project. Revenue comes primarily from grants including Digital Literacy Alliance, William Penn Foundation, IPMF, AARP Community Challenge, and others. No payment is collected from users for network access.
- Donations and Merchandise: Accepts donations through their fundraising page. Sells merchandise (t-shirts, hoodies, hats) with proceeds supporting operations. Merchandise is screen-printed or embroidered locally.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Public Wi-Fi Network |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Philly Community Wireless product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Philly Community Wireless builds and operates a free, community-controlled wireless mesh internet network in North Philadelphia using Ubiquiti equipment. It delivers baseline broadband (target 25 Mbps) to households, community organizations, and public spaces across the 19122, 19133, and 19134 zip codes through rooftop antenna hosts, indoor/outdoor mesh kits, and solar-powered mesh nodes, with no payment or means testing from end users.
Product overview
Philly Community Wireless operates a single, unified community wireless mesh network offering. The network is built on Ubiquiti equipment (EdgeRouter-X, LiteBeam radios, and Unifi Mesh APs) and is organized into three physical tiers: (1) rooftop antenna hosts and solar mesh nodes that connect to PhillyWisper's backhaul and serve as primary signal sources; (2) indoor mesh kits and wall-mounted outdoor mesh antennas that distribute connectivity within homes and across neighborhoods; and (3) a public Wi-Fi network layer providing free internet access in streets and public spaces. As an added service, PCW also deploys PurpleAir air quality monitors across its network infrastructure under the Act on Air program. All technical setup, configuration guides, and network documentation are publicly available on PCW's docs site, and the network's geographic coverage is viewable via the live network map.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Community Wi-Fi Network (Public Access)
- Rooftop Antenna Installation
- Mesh Kit (Indoor/Outdoor)
- Solar Mesh Node
- Act on Air: Philly Air Monitor Project
Quantifiable outcome
- At least 100 households to be connected within 1-mile radius of Norris Square
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Philly Community Wireless
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Philly Community Wireless technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature4 records
Philly Community Wireless partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- PhillyWispercorePro-net neutrality wireless internet service provider (WISP) providing backhaul connectivity for PCW's network. Operates high sites that PCW connects to via LiteBeam antennas. Supports PCW's commitment to free, open internet without throttling or tracking.
- Norris Square Neighborhood Project (NSNP)corePCW's headquarters located at NSNP at 2141 N Howard St. NSNP is a key community partner in Norris Square, hosting installations and serving as base of operations for volunteer activities.
- HACEmajorHACE (Hacer Advancement Community Empowerment) is a community development corporation. PCW has installed air monitors at HACE facilities including Caribe Tower and Somerset Villas.
- Holobiont LabmajorDesigned solar mesh nodes deployed by PCW at gardens and outdoor spaces where electricity is not available. Collaboration on off-grid network expansion.
- Temple University Digital Equity CentermajorAcademic partnership for digital equity research and programs. Provides technical expertise through Board of Advisors members including Will Dean and Jonathan Latko from Temple IT Services.
- Movement Alliance ProjectcorePCW is a fiscally sponsored project of Movement Alliance Project, providing administrative and financial infrastructure. Also houses Philly Tech Justice project.
- Technical.ly PhillyminorRegional tech news outlet that covered PCW's community tech work and awarded Alex Wermer-Colan Community Tech Leader of the Year 2022.
- Free Library of PhiladelphiamajorPartnership with Free Library branches including Kensington and Lillian Marrero locations. Libraries serve as community access points and locations for air monitor installations.
- Big Picture Alliance and Eli LabanminorVideo production partner who collaborated with PCW to create animated infographic overview of community network architecture.
- Dentons (Todd D. Daubert)minorLaw firm providing legal support services to PCW for organizational and operational matters.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Philly Community Wireless competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NYC Mesh: Volunteer-run community mesh network providing free internet access across New York City neighborhoods. Directly comparable to PCW in technology stack (Ubiquiti-based mesh), free service model, and mission-driven digital equity focus.
- Freifunk: Large decentralized community mesh network movement across Germany with thousands of nodes. Comparable in volunteer-built mesh architecture and free community Wi-Fi focus, though operating at much larger scale.
- Detroit Community Technology Project: Nonprofit building community-owned communications infrastructure in Detroit, including mesh networking and digital steward training programs. Comparable mission, urban digital divide focus, and community-controlled model.
- Toronto Mesh: Community mesh networking initiative building decentralized internet infrastructure in Toronto. Comparable in technology approach (wireless mesh), volunteer-led model, and focus on digital equity.
- guifi.net: Large open, neutral, free telecommunications community network in Catalonia, Spain. Comparable in operating a community-owned wireless mesh network with volunteer contributors, though at significantly greater scale.
- Equitable Internet Initiative: Detroit-based program deploying neighborhood-owned high-speed internet in underserved communities. Directly comparable to PCW in digital equity focus and community-controlled broadband deployment in low-income neighborhoods.
- People's Open Network: Community-owned wireless mesh network in Oakland and Berkeley, California. Closely comparable to PCW in operating as a decentralized volunteer-built mesh offering free connectivity in underserved urban areas.
Others
- Open Technology Institute (New America): Policy and technology organization developing open-source tools (formerly Commotion Wireless) for community-controlled communications networks. Comparable in supporting community mesh ecosystem, though focused on policy and tooling rather than direct network operation.
Broad incumbents
- Digital Promise: Nonprofit working on digital equity and inclusion in education. Comparable in digital divide focus and target populations, though operates more broadly across education rather than directly building community network infrastructure.
- Red Hook Initiative: Brooklyn-based community organization offering free Wi-Fi in public housing via the Red Hook Wi-Fi project. Comparable in digital divide focus and urban community Wi-Fi, but operates as a broader community services nonprofit rather than a dedicated network operator.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Philly Community Wireless social profiles
Digital presencePhilly Community Wireless financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Philly Community Wireless leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Philly Community Wireless funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Philly Community Wireless M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Philly Community Wireless
What does Philly Community Wireless do?
Philly Community Wireless builds and operates a free, community-controlled wireless mesh internet network in North Philadelphia using Ubiquiti equipment. It delivers baseline broadband (target 25 Mbps) to households, community organizations, and public spaces across the 19122, 19133, and 19134 zip codes through rooftop antenna hosts, indoor/outdoor mesh kits, and solar-powered mesh nodes, with no payment or means testing from end users.
Is Philly Community Wireless a public or private company?
Philly Community Wireless is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Philly Community Wireless founded?
Philly Community Wireless was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Philly Community Wireless based?
Philly Community Wireless is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Philly Community Wireless make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Grants and Funded Programs are the primary driver. The others are donations and Merchandise.
Who are Philly Community Wireless's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NYC Mesh, Freifunk, Detroit Community Technology Project, Toronto Mesh, guifi.net, Equitable Internet Initiative and People's Open Network. Open Technology Institute (New America) is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Digital Promise and Red Hook Initiative.
Does Philly Community Wireless have an API?
No public API is recorded for Philly Community Wireless.
What industry is Philly Community Wireless in?
Philly Community Wireless's product category is Community Wireless Internet. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAIACAE, Municipal & Community Broadband Networks, with a secondary code of HDAIADAH, Municipal & Community Broadband ISPs. Its NAICS code is 517112 and its SIC code is 4813.