News

Wireless Internet District gives free high-speed access in Long Beach

January 7, 2003

EVERETT, Wash. - In downtown Long Beach, Calif., anyone with a laptop or Microsoft Windows Pocket PC-equipped personal digital assistant can link to a wireless network at no cost, through an 802.11b radio card.

The new Downtown Wireless Internet District encompasses several city blocks, and is situated in a busy area of shops and restaurants. According to a news release from Intermec Technologies Corp., which designed and installed the wireless network, the system allows users to roam about without losing connectivity.

The weather-proof Intermec MobileLAN 2100 wireless access points, based on the Wi-Fi(TM) 802.11b networking standard, provide a broadband connection to a centrally located switch at speeds up to 11Mbps, 50 times faster than an average dial-up connection.

The project was financed by the city of Long Beach.