San Francisco's Mayer, Edwin M. Lee, has launched free Wi-Fi in the city's busy Market Street.
Lee announced, Monday, that free Wi-Fi access will be available to everyone who can access the service with their smartphone, laptop, tablet or any other Wi-Fi enabled mobile device.
The mayor said that around a quarter million people walk down Market Street every day. Providing a free Wi-Fi connection in the busy street is just the first step towards a larger vision of Wi-Fi connectivity for the entire San Francisco city.
The Department of Technology (DT) developed the Wi-Fi network, which is also advertisement-free. The San Francisco Market Street Wi-Fi project has been made possible by a public-private partnership from Ruckus Wireless that donated the hardware required for setting up the Wi-Fi network.
Layer42 Networks, a connectivity and data center hosting solutions provider also contributed 1GB of Internet access service to allow the Market Street network to reach the public Internet.
"The speed we provide on upload and download as well as the friendly user experience with no ads and no strings attached reflects the spirit of San Franciscans," said Marc Touitou, director and chief information officer of DT. "Whether it's accessing a bus schedule or finding a bargain at a local store, this network will do wonders for improving the quality of life for our residents while also accommodating our visitors who contribute to our local economy."
The Wi-Fi network at the Market Street is built to reach speeds of up to 50 Mbps (both download and upload), which is better than the Internet speed that many people receive at their homes. However, factors such as the device used to access the Wi-Fi, congestion on the network and user's physical distance to the access point may reduce the actual connectivity speed.
In July this year, Mayor Lee and Supervisor Mark Farrell, in partnership with Google, revealed its plans to install free Wi-Fi for the general public at 31 parks, plazas and open spaces across San Francisco, including at Civic Center Plaza and Union Square. The installation of free wireless Internet service in City parks is expected to begin in spring 2014. Authorities expect that Wi-Fi connectivity at all 31 sites should to be fully complete and accessible by residents and visitors of San Francisco by summer 2014.
Users can get more information on how to connect to the Market Street Wi-Fi network by visiting www.sfgov.org/sanfranciscowifi.
