The Lower Manhattan Wireless Network, which will be available free of charge at seven "hot spots" at strategically located open spaces, enables Lower Manhattan residents, workers and visitors to access the Internet wirelessly from laptops and PDAs. The network, which will run during the warm weather months of spring, summer and fall, is designed to enable anyone to walk to a hot spot within five minutes from any point below Chambers Street.
"New York City has the greatest technology infrastructure in the world. The Lower Manhattan Wireless Network will help keep us at the cutting of business technology," said Menchini. "Now, the city that never sleeps won't be forced off-line once they leave their office or home in Lower Manhattan."
In the summer of 2002, the Downtown Alliance installed an 802.11B Wireless Local Area Network in a base station at 25 Broadway to facilitate wireless connections in Bowling Green Park, the oldest public space in New York City. The network, which enabled connection speeds as fast as a DSL connection and could accommodate more than 254 users simultaneously, boasted one of the highest concentrations of use in New York City.
The expanded Lower Manhattan Wireless Network will include similar hot spots at seven locations. The Network will also provide community-building benefits, enabling users to access timely information about the surrounding area such as the day's events, proximate retailers, and neighborhood history.
Emenity, a Manhattan-based consulting firm that specializes in local wireless networks, will install and maintain the network. Emenity's CornerCast technology will provide local information about Lower Manhattan and nearby businesses to visitors at each of the seven hot spots.
To access the free wireless connection, laptop users will require an "802.11 card," which is standard in most high-end laptops and which can be purchased separately (for approximately $60) and installed in most laptops.
