Wi-Fi Planet's Eric Griffith today reports that Denver-based Ricochet Networks is launching a citywide network in its hometown using Wi-Fi and WiMax, which will replace its current proprietary network in the city. The company is calling the project "Wi-Fi in the Mile High."

"Remember Ricochet?" Griffith asks. "Metricom launched the wireless ISP way back in 1994 and unwired 21 major U.S. cities with proprietary wireless modems -- but the company went into bankruptcy in 2001, leaving a few thousand subscribers in the lurch. The network trademark, technology and patents skipped from owner to owner until landing with equipment maker Terabeam in 2004."

As Wi-Fi Networking News' Glenn Fleishman points out, "The Denver deal allows Ricochet to use its current rights of way for its 20th-century service (state of the art back in its day) to expand into the 21st. The first segment will be 2.5 sq mi in downtown. While Ricochet shut down most of its service, it's been running a network in Denver since 2002, possibly to preserve these rights-of-way agreements."

The Wi-Fi and wimax equipment will come from Proxim, which Terabeam also owns.

More here from TMCnet ... and the press release is here.