EarthLink receives accolades for Philly Wi-Fi trial, plans expansion

Municipal Wi-Fi vendor EarthLink Inc. said it will expand its Wi-Fi network in Philadelphia to 135 square miles, a job to be completed by the third quarter of this year, following a successful trial of the service.
Philadelphia’s Wi-Fi agency, Wireless Philadelphia, approved EarthLink’s 15-square-mile test zone. Consumers who signed up for the Wi-Fi test service paid $7 per month for the first six months and $20 per month after that for speeds up to 1 megabit per second. Faster speeds were available for $10 per month for the first six months and $22 per month thereafter.
The approval of the test zone “proves the technology and enhances our commitment to building a state-of-the-art wireless network not only in Philadelphia, but in many other cities across the country,” said Donald Berryman, president of EarthLink Municipal Networks.
EarthLink is building, financing and managing Philadelphia’s wireless network, and is sharing the revenue with Wireless Philadelphia. The revenue sharing in part supports an even further discounted service for disadvantaged residents through Wireless Philadelphia. The city’s Wi-Fi agency was created to make high-speed Internet access more available and affordable across neighborhoods.