Pittsburgh has gone live with its Downtown Wi-Fi Network. The initiative of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP) in conjunction with the City of Pittsburgh, the network is operated by US Wireless Online and today provides free and fee-based packages for outdoor access in the Central Business District/Golden Triangle, and the growing areas of North Shore and Lower Hill District.
During the opening NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins last Thursday, the city held a promotional kick off for the downtown network signing up 500 users and trialing 45 users prior to this Wednesday’s formal launch. Free access is provided at 512Kbps of bandwidth while fee based packages of $7.99 per day, $14.99 per month or $119.99 per year receive 1 Mbps.
Through the partnership with Tropos, iPass business customers will also be able to connect. “User adoption is key for our network projects, and businesspeople are a key audience that WiFi Downtown Pittsburgh must serve well to succeed,” said Timothy J. Pisula, Chief Technology Officer, US Wireless Online.
In addition to the downtown, it also provides four secured mobile command units now up and running for the City of Pittsburgh public safety use. In the next couple of months, it will address digital divide issues by providing complimentary connections in partnership with Wireless Neighborhoods, an alliance of community and faith organizations committed to support children’s education, promote economic development and address other social barriers.
The $525,000 Pittsburgh network uses more than 55 Tropos Networks’ 5210 MetroMesh Wi-Fi routers on light poles throughout the downtown. Trango gear is used for the backhaul, including their Access5830 Access Point and the Atlas 5010 Point-to-point System.
The City Council wanted to ensure that the entire city eventually gets Wi-Fi, even if different parts of the city are served by different companies. To that end, Councilman William Peduto added a $20 per pole per month fee that is to be waived if half of the service is in neighborhoods considered to be low-income by the federal government.
