EarthLink Launches The City Of Anaheim Municipal Wireless Network
Anthony Townsend
story/06-29-2006/0004389658&EDATE=
EarthLink Launches The City Of Anaheim Municipal Wireless Network
This Municipal Wi-Fi Network Will Deliver Affordable and Portable
Broadband
For Residents, Visitors, Businesses and City Employees
Company Also Announces First National Wholesale Partnerships
ATLANTA and ANAHEIM, Calif., June 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Today,
EarthLink (Nasdaq: ELNK), the nation's next generation Internet service
provider (ISP), officially launched its first municipal Wi-Fi broadband
network in the City of Anaheim. Curt Pringle, the Mayor of Anaheim, will
officially 'unwire' the City at a wire cutting ceremony beginning at
11:00
a.m., PT this morning.
This portable, wireless service will provide inexpensive, high-
speed
Internet access for the City's residents, businesses, visitors and
municipal employees.
"The days when Anaheim residents, workers and visitors are tied
to a
desk to access an affordable broadband network are coming to an end,"
said
Garry Betty, president and chief executive officer of EarthLink. "The
launch of this network enables people to make a choice about how, and
from
where, they want to access the Internet securely."
"EarthLink has always focused on providing the tools and
services that
allow our customers to personalize their Internet experiences. The
launch
of this municipal Wi-Fi network in Anaheim is the latest proof-point
that
we are delivering on that vision," Betty added.
"Anaheim has always been recognized as a leader throughout
California
and the nation. Today, with the launch of this network, Anaheim
becomes the
largest city in the United States to deploy such a technological
advancement," Mayor Curt Pringle said. "Our partnership with
EarthLink will
benefit residents, businesses and visitors, allowing them to conduct
business, answer emails, do school research or interact with our virtual
City Hall anywhere and any time in Anaheim."
EarthLink Wi-Fi
EarthLink has won numerous honors and awards for its Dial-Up and
High
Speed service and, today, officially adds its latest access offering for
wirelessly enabled customers - EarthLink Wi-Fi(SM).
For $21.95 a month, subscribers receive all the products and
support
they have come to expect from EarthLink, including eight mailboxes
and the
ISP's powerful protection tools, such as spamBlocker and the EarthLink
Protection Control Center(TM). Qualifying customers also receive a Wi-Fi
modem for at- home use.
For occasional use customers, EarthLink offers a wireless broadband
service with rates ranging from $3.95 for a one-hour pass to $15.95
for a
three-day pass. Occasional use customers will connect and access account
information from the EarthLink portal page. The network will also
serve as
a platform for City, business and wholesale partners to access
EarthLink's
municipal network for their employees and end-users.
Further, this network operates under an 'open access' business
model,
so that multiple, competing providers can offer their services to
consumers
and businesses along with EarthLink's products and services. For
Anaheim-based small businesses, EarthLink's wireless network will
provide
an affordable alternative for business-class broadband connectivity,
with
speeds comparable to existing T-1 solutions.
In conjunction with its commitment to open access, EarthLink today
announced its first national wholesale partners that will offer
service to
their customers on EarthLink's municipal Wi-Fi network. These
partners are
PeoplePC (EarthLink's wholly-owned subsidiary) and DirecTV. In addition,
EarthLink has reached a non-binding agreement with AOL and is discussing
ways to offer its AOL.com content and Web assets on EarthLink's
municipal
network.
EarthLink also plans to partner with local ISP's that want to
provide
Wi-Fi service in their respective markets, or across the country in
other
EarthLink Municipal Wi-Fi markets.
Network Technology
The official launch celebrates the Wi-Fi build out of Anaheim,
which is
on schedule to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2006. Consumers can
visit http://www.EarthLink.net/wifi and provide their phone number
and address to
see if the network has been built out in their area. If unavailable,
he or
she will be added to a waiting list and will be notified when the
service
is available.
EarthLink has deployed Tropos Networks' (http://www.tropos.com)
MetroMesh Wi-Fi routers on light poles throughout the city that enable
reliable wireless data connectivity between users and the Internet. The
Tropos system forms a wireless mesh, intelligently routing data to
produce
the best possible user experience. The network is operated and optimized
using Tropos Control and Tropos Insight, a suite of end-to-end
configuration, monitoring and maintenance tools. In addition,
EarthLink has
deployed Motorola's MOTOwi4(TM) portfolio of products, including its
Canopy(TM) high-speed backhaul and Wi-Fi mesh network equipment.
"The Tropos MetroMesh architecture is the ideal platform on
which to
build EarthLink's next generation broadband delivery services," said Ron
Sege, President and CEO of Tropos Networks. "Ours is the only wireless
broadband technology that is scalable and intelligent enough to enable
EarthLink's nationwide Wi-Fi plans."
Taste of Anaheim
To kick-off the launch of the network, EarthLink is one of
tonight's
11th annual Taste of Anaheim sponsors. Consumers interested in trying
out
the network will be able to do so from on-premises laptops. In addition,
consumers can sign up for service at the event.
For more information on EarthLink Wi-Fi, please go to:
http://www.earthlink.net/wifi.
For more information on Taste of Anaheim, please go to:
http://www.tasteofanaheim.com.
For more information on the Unwiring of Anaheim media event,
please go to:
http://www.earthlink.net/anaheim/press.
For EarthLink's Podcast about the launch of the Anaheim network,
please
go to: http://www.earthlink.net/about/.
For more information on EarthLink's Municipal Networks business
unit,
please go to: http://www.earthlink.net/muni.
About EarthLink
"EarthLink. We revolve around you(SM)." As the nation's next
generation
Internet service provider, Atlanta-based EarthLink has earned an
award-winning reputation for outstanding customer service and its
suite of
online products and services. Serving over five million subscribers,
EarthLink offers what every user should expect from their Internet
experience: high-quality connectivity, minimal online intrusions and
customizable features. Whether it's dial-up, high-speed, voice, web
hosting, wireless or "EarthLink Extras" like home networking or
security,
EarthLink connects people to the power and possibilities of the
Internet.
Learn more about EarthLink by calling (800) EARTHLINK or visiting
EarthLink's Web site at http://www.EarthLink.net.
About Anaheim
Founded in 1857, the City of Anaheim is one of the nation's premier
municipalities and California's 10th most populous city. As the
oldest and
largest city in Orange County, Anaheim covers 50 square miles, with more
than 345,000 residents and 2,077 employees. The municipal corporation's
annual budget is $1.298 billion. The city boasts world-class
organizations
such as the Anaheim Angels, Boeing, CKE Restaurants, Inc., L-3
Communications, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Pacific Sunwear and The
Walt
Disney Company and the USA Men's National Volleyball team. Annually,
Anaheim also welcomes millions of visitors to the city, truly making it
where the world comes to live, work and play. For more information,
please
visit http://www.anaheim.net
About Tropos Networks, Inc.
Tropos Networks is the market leader for metro-scale, Wi-Fi mesh
network systems. Our mission is to enable wireless broadband access
everywhere for everyone through innovative, low-cost and simple
products,
software tools and services. We have deployed larger and longer-
operating
systems in more municipalities than any other company in our
industry. Our
unique expertise includes high-performance mesh software development,
mesh
RF engineering, metro-scale network planning, deployment and
optimization,
and navigating the municipal approval process. Tropos Networks is
headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, please
visit
http://www.tropos.com, call 408-331-6800 or write to in...@tropos.com.