Free Wireless Internet Access
Posted on October 25, 2007
Filed Under Internet, Networking |
I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to passing Main and Ross and noticing that gaping hole that was once Atlas Steels. Canal Bank Rd has seemed a bit different in the past eight years since we lost Union Carbide too. Any way you slice it, the City has changed and is still changing.
One of the challenges facinga the City is how to replace the industry that just doesn’t appear to be coming back and the jobs that went with it. A trend in the local economy is the move way from heavy industry and toward a knowledge and service based economy and it’s vital to attract businesses to Niagara in general and Welland in particular.
For that reason, among others, the City of Welland has partnered with Welland Hydro, Talk Wireless, Club 2000 Niagara, RDEE Ontario, Venture Niagara, Industry Canada, and Bowes IT Solutions to sponsor a pilot project to bring free wireless high speed Internet service to many of the venues in town. The service was actually launched over a year ago and WiFi Welland celebrated its first birthday last Friday.
It is also interesting to note that the Seaway Mall was the first regional shopping mall in Canada to offer free high speed Internet access in 2005. According to the Seaway Mall’s press release in July of 2005, the service is meant to help make the Mall a lifestyle destination of choice and the network is maintained in such a way to protect young people from inappropriate content.
Statistics show that since the launch, the number of users has steadily increased along with the amount of traffic on the system. One of the locations, the Welland Library, seems to have garnered some attention and has brought in patrons looking to check email or get some work done away from the office. Other locations include the City Hall, Seniors Centre, the arenas, and the transit building. The future will likely bring the Dragon Boat Festival into the mix.
The pilot has been given the go ahead to run another year and more sites are expected to become available. In the future there may even be large parts of the City where the service is available bringing high speed Internet to families who might not otherwise be able to afford it.
Wireless “hotspots” like WiFi Welland and that of the Seaway Mall make it easier to do business in the City and can help attract people and business to our venues. In a digital world, the ability to pick up a PDA or notebook computer and easily find a nearby restaurant or other attractions is a huge plus.
Finding things to do and places to go isn’t the only useful things someone can do with WiFi Welland. The system supports VoIP (Voice over IP) and Skype so phone calls can be placed between two users with one on WiFi Welland and one practically anywhere else on the planet where high speed Internet is available.
VPNs are possible on WiFi Welland so someone could be sitting in the City Hall Plaza and be connected to the office network as though they were there. WiFi Welland is also easy to use. There is nothing required to get connected other than to scan for available wireless networks and connect to the WiFi Welland network.
Hotspots are popping up all over the country but it is encouraging to be part of a community that is adopting the technology early and using it to benefit the community as a whole. Please help us learn more about your experience with WiFi Welland by taking the survey at http://wifisurvey.bowesit.com
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