Free citywide Wi-Fi now available in Miami Beach | MuniWireless
After a long period of planning and deployment, Miami Beach (Florida) has launched its citywide free Wi-Fi service. The network provides free Wi-Fi access with 95% outdoor coverage and 70% indoor coverage up through the second floor of buildings. The city is also using the network for public safety and other municipal departments, allowing employees to use laptops and handheld devices to perform tasks that include building inspections, public works and code compliance.
Miami Beach is one of the few cities that offer free citywide Wi-Fi service. Others have abandoned their projects after private companies such as EarthLink left the business. Municipalities, such as St. Cloud in Florida, are struggling to maintain free Wi-Fi access in the face of budget cuts. St. Cloud’s city council had initially voted to shut down the public access side of the network, but fierce opposition from residents, many of whom use the network because they cannot afford to pay for Internet access, has forced the city to keep the network open.
* * * * * * * *
Report on the WiMAX Band (2.5 GHz) after the FCC auction is now available. Click here to find out more and to purchase the report.