[IP] Free WiFi for all in Sunnyvale
Begin forwarded message:
From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: December 3, 2005 2:25:28 PM EST
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Free WiFi for all in Sunnyvale
Reply-To: dewayne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Posted on Sat, Dec. 03, 2005
Free WiFi for all in Sunnyvale
METROFI MAY OFFER NON-PAY SERVICE IN OTHER CITIES
By Jessie Seyfer
Mercury News
<http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/13319065.htm>
Mountain View-based MetroFi is expected to announce today that it
plans to bring free, advertising-supported wireless Internet service
to all 130,000 residents of Sunnyvale.
The network has already been installed in areas serving about a third
of households in the 24-square-mile city. Those citizens can get free
online access using MetroFi's network if their computers can pick up
wireless Internet, or WiFi, signals. The rest of the city's
residential and business districts will be able to access the network
by spring, MetroFi Chief Executive Chuck Haas said.
For free access, customers must accept a half-inch advertising strip
-- much like ``banner'' ads commonly found on Web pages -- at the top
of their Web browser at all times. MetroFi plans to run local and
national ads on the service, but will not track the browsing habits
of its customers, Haas said. The only thing MetroFi will know is that
their customers are in Sunnyvale, ``which is valuable to local
advertisers.''
MetroFi has already installed WiFi networks in Santa Clara and
Cupertino, but residents there pay $19.95 per month. However, they
are not required to keep any portion of their screen clear for
advertising while they browse the Internet. The speed at which
information travels on those cities' networks -- 1 megabit per second
for downloads and 256 kilobits per second for uploads, comparable to
typical DSL speeds -- is the same on the new Sunnyvale network.
Haas said he considers the Sunnyvale project a test, and if it works
well, MetroFi will offer the free, advertising-supported service to
Santa Clara and Cupertino, in addition to the fee-based one. The
company hadn't developed the technology to bring a free network to
those cities before, he said.
``I think we'll have customers that take both services,'' he said.
``Rather than limiting our market to just free or just paid, we have
the best of both worlds.''
[snip]
Weblog at: <http://weblog.warpspeed.com>
-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as roessler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To manage your subscription, go to
http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip
Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/