With the recent demise of EarthLink's entire Municipal Networks division, along with cancelations of planned Wi-Fi networks in cities across America, a wide range of pundits are weighing in on the future of municipal Wi-Fi - and it doesn't look good.

The Economist today suggests the numbers just don't add up - the networks are expensive to install, and the ones that have been installed aren't attracting enough users. "America's biggest network, around Tempe, Arizona, was aiming for 32,000 subscribers, but had only 600 in April 2006 and has not provided figures since," the article notes.

Unstrung's Dan Jones says this week's troubles are a sign of "more tough times to come for this market," noting that many Wi-Fi firms are having serious problems, and that the cities that have budgeted their networks conservatively, and designed them carefully, will - no surprise - be the ones that succeed.

And InformationWeek's Richard Martin says it's the smaller cities and towns that will do best with muni Wi-Fi. "Many of these smaller, less-publicized networks will be aimed at unglamorous city and regional services such as public safety and utilities, rather than blanketing the city with free high-speed access or bridging the digital divide," he writes.