SAN JOSE, Calif.—Free Wi-Fi is coming to 2.4 million Silicon Valley residents by way of Silicon Valley Metro Connect, a consortium that counts IBM Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. as members. The consortium beat out several other bidders, including VeriLAN and MetroFI, for the task of unwiring 38 cities in California’s San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda and Santa Cruz counties.
SVMC said the 802.11b/g-based Wi-Fi network will be built using mesh wireless equipment from Cisco and network design and integration services from IBM. The network is expected to be up and running in some areas by next year. However, it will take several years for the network to be fully built out, as it will include thousands of access points covering 1,500 square miles.
Azulstar Networks will act as the network and service operator, though cities can also work with other providers if they wish. California-based SeaKay, a nonprofit firm that works to provide Internet access in low-income areas, is set to spearhead digital inclusion programs that will customize the network to meet local needs.
SVMC’s proposal provides 1 megabit-per-second data speeds for free alongside a fee-based service with higher throughput speeds, video streaming and voice over Wi-Fi. SVMC said the network could eventually be used by first responders and other government bodies. Additionally, the consortium said it may also add WiMAX capabilities to the network at some point.
Google has already launched free Wi-Fi service in its hometown of Mountain View, which is located in Santa Clara County.
