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New Orleans launches free Wi-Fi service
Biggest such effort by a major city yet
Updated: 9:19 p.m. ET Nov. 29, 2005
NEW ORLEANS - To help boost its stalled economy, hurricane-ravaged New Orleans is offering the nation's first free wireless Internet network owned and run by a major city.
Mayor Ray Nagin said Tuesday the system would benefit residents and small businesses who still can't get their Internet service restored over the city's washed out telephone network, while showing the nation "that we are building New Orleans back."
The system started operation Tuesday in the central business district and French Quarter. It's to be available throughout the city in about a year.
undreds of similar projects in other cities have met with stiff opposition from phone and cable TV companies, which have poured money into legislative bills aimed at blocking competition from government agencies ? including a state law in Louisiana that needed to be sidestepped for the New Orleans project.
The city had been working on a Wi-Fi network before Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29, and police already were using the wireless system to monitor street security cameras.
Nagin said Katrina, which knocked out communications throughout the region, frustrating coordination of relief efforts, showed the need for a more-advanced system.
In case of another storm, the network will be able to connect telephone calls via the Internet.
"What we learned is a network like this is important as a backup in case all other communications fail," the mayor said.
The system uses hardware mounted on street lights. Most of the $1 million in equipment was donated by three companies: Intel Corp., Tropos Networks Inc. and Pronto Networks. The companies also plan to donate equipment for the citywide expansion. Tropos is connecting the system to the Internet at no charge.
The network uses "mesh" technology to pass the wireless signal from pole to pole rather than each Wi-Fi transmitter being plugged directly into a physical network cable. That way, laptop users will be able to connect even in areas where the wireline phone network will take time to restore.
Biggest such effort by a major city yet
Updated: 9:19 p.m. ET Nov. 29, 2005
NEW ORLEANS - To help boost its stalled economy, hurricane-ravaged New Orleans is offering the nation's first free wireless Internet network owned and run by a major city.
Mayor Ray Nagin said Tuesday the system would benefit residents and small businesses who still can't get their Internet service restored over the city's washed out telephone network, while showing the nation "that we are building New Orleans back."
The system started operation Tuesday in the central business district and French Quarter. It's to be available throughout the city in about a year.
undreds of similar projects in other cities have met with stiff opposition from phone and cable TV companies, which have poured money into legislative bills aimed at blocking competition from government agencies ? including a state law in Louisiana that needed to be sidestepped for the New Orleans project.
The city had been working on a Wi-Fi network before Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29, and police already were using the wireless system to monitor street security cameras.
Nagin said Katrina, which knocked out communications throughout the region, frustrating coordination of relief efforts, showed the need for a more-advanced system.
In case of another storm, the network will be able to connect telephone calls via the Internet.
"What we learned is a network like this is important as a backup in case all other communications fail," the mayor said.
The system uses hardware mounted on street lights. Most of the $1 million in equipment was donated by three companies: Intel Corp., Tropos Networks Inc. and Pronto Networks. The companies also plan to donate equipment for the citywide expansion. Tropos is connecting the system to the Internet at no charge.
The network uses "mesh" technology to pass the wireless signal from pole to pole rather than each Wi-Fi transmitter being plugged directly into a physical network cable. That way, laptop users will be able to connect even in areas where the wireline phone network will take time to restore.
