[LIS-Forum] Facilitating citywide access to the Internet

Subbiah Arunachalam arun at mssrf.res.in
Mon Dec 12 04:14:02 IST 2005


Here is a news story from Yahoo News.

Arizona Town Will Go Wall-To-Wall Wireless

Call it a municipal status symbol in the digital age: a city blanketed
by a wireless Internet network, accessible at competitive prices
throughout the town's homes, cafes, offices and parks. Tempe, the
Phoenix suburb that is home to Arizona State University, is due to have
wireless Internet available for all of its 160,000 residents in
February, becoming the first city of its size in the United States to
have Wi-Fi throughout. Tempe officials hope that by making high-speed
Internet as accessible as water or electricity across its 40 square
miles, it will attract more technology and biotech companies — and the
young, upwardly mobile employees they bring.

An increasing number of the nation's cities are looking at using
Internet access as an economic development tool. Few cities have gotten
as far as installing systems, "but most cities are realizing that it may
be something that they want to do," said Cheryl Leanza, legislative
counsel for the National League of Cities.

<snip>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051211/ap_on_hi_te/wireless_city

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Is it possible to provide such widespread WiFi access in at least a few
developing country cities - if not entire cities, at least the academic
and business districts? What will be the cost?

Arun




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