Philadelphia hasn’t given up on citywide wi-fi

The city of Philadelphia is purchasing the wireless internet system installed by Earthlink as part of a new wireless Philadelphia project.

The restored system will be the basis of a municipal high tech communications network, that will also offer free wifi to the public.

The city of Philadelphia is purchasing the wireless internet system installed by Earthlink as part of a new wireless Philadelphia project. The restored system will be the basis of a municipal high tech communications network, that will also offer free wi-fi to the public.

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The original Wireless Philadelphia plan hit a snag and was never completed when Earthlink pulled out of the deal. Now the city will purchase the hardware and infrastructure for two million dollars. Allan Frank is the city’s Chief Technology Officer. He says the deal is a steal and will help move the city into the future.

Frank: What happens now is I have an incredible ability to leverage this network for a variety of purposes and as we then looked at the asset we’re getting, literally the scrap value is greater than two million dollars.

The system will replace over a million dollars a year the city is spending in wireless communications to police cars and mobile computers. Frank says he plans to upgrade the system to fourth generation technology, expand it citywide and make it even better for city employees and the public in the future.