By Wendy Tanaka
After nine months of negotiations, EarthLink announced late Friday that it reached an agreement with San Francisco officials to build a wireless Internet network that covers the entire city.
San Francisco“The network ensures universal, affordable wireless broadband access for all San Franciscans, especially low-income and disadvantaged residents,” Donald Berryman, EarthLink’s municipal networks president, said in a statement.
EarthLink spokesman Jerry Grasso also said the San Francisco deal is a coup for the company. “San Francisco is one of the largest cities in the U.S.,” he said “It’s considered one of the tech centers of the world. This is another example of EarthLink transforming itself from a dial-up ISP to a total communications company.”
San FranciscoU.S.The company said it will foot the bill for the new network, which it estimates will cost $7 million to $8 million to build and cover 49-square miles. Mr. Grasso said EarthLink likely will charge $21.95 per month for high-speed wireless Internet service.
Internet king Google said it will provide free service at a slower speed to the city’s 1 million residents and visitors. As part of the agreement, Google said it will pay EarthLink to use its network.
EarthLink said San Francisco’s board of supervisors still needs to approve the agreement before it can start building the network. Spokesman Jerry Grasso said the company doesn’t know when the deal will be approved and can’t say when the company would start offering service.
San FranciscoEarthLink and Google already offer Wi-Fi service in several municipalities in the United States. In August, Google began offering free wireless service in its hometown of Mountain View, California. Atlanta-based EarthLink offers Wi-Fi in a number of cities, including Milpitas, California, New Orleans, and Philadelphia.
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