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AT&T and MetroFi Bring Citywide Wi-Fi to Riverside, California

6:55 am on July 10, 2007 | Category: Internet, Telecom Services, Wi-Fi, Wireless Technology

America’s largest telecom carrier, AT&T Inc., launched its first citywide Wi-Fi network yesterday, in partnership free internet provider, MetroFi, in the city of Riverside, California.

Phase one of the project involves a three-square-mile network covering downtown Riverside, Hunter Technology Park, and an industrial estate known as the Adams Auto Center. The network will eventually grow to cover 55 square miles of the city, providing both free and paid wireless internet services to residents, businesses, and municipal authorities.

MetroFi will provide low-income residents and occasional users with free, ad-supported internet access, while AT&T will offer a faster, paid tier of service. The telecom giant will also sell visitor passes aimed at tourists and business travelers. These short-term prepaid passes will include unlimited access for $7.99 per day or $15.99 per week.

The launch of a citywide Wi-Fi network in Riverside, one of California’s fastest growing communities, highlights AT&T’s strategy of embracing public Wi-Fi technology as a complementary service to DSL, rather than opposing it like Verizon and many other big-name telecoms.

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