Google bids to take San Francisco WiFi
Sees the free wireless as an opportunity to test other products.
October 3, 2005: 4:43 PM EDT
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Google Inc. attempted to break into yet another
sector of the Internet business with a recent bid to provide free wireless
Internet access to San Francisco.
The Internet search engine, which launched a free e-mail service and map
program around the time its shares soared following an initial public
offering last year, was among several companies that submitted proposals to
the city, Google spokesman Nathan Tyler said Monday in an e-mail.
Google (Research) proposes placing 20 or 30 connection boxes per square
mile on city lampposts. The boxes, similar to regular WiFi boxes, would
give users high-speed Internet access without the need for a physical
connection or a monthly Internet bill.
The boxes then all connect to a few fixed-line locations throughout the
city, such as existing cable, phone or fiber-optic lines operated by local
or long distance phone or cable companies.
Tyler said Google has plans to partner with a cable or phone company for
the project, but he declined to name which one. He also declined to say how
much the project would cost. But the Wall Street Journal Online, which
first reported the story, said costs could run anywhere from $10 million to
$20 million.
The Journal also said the service could end up in direct competition with
cable or phone companies that provide most of the current hookups, but
Tyler said Google has no plans to expand the service outside the San
Francisco area.
While the service will be free, Tyler said it would give the company a
chance to test "new location-based applications and services that enable
people to find relevant information exactly when and where they need it."
Some of those applications could include a service that uses Google maps to
provide directions according to a user's location, or they could provide
local advertising that targets customers in the immediate vicinity of the
business, according to the Journal.
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Find this article at:
http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/03/technology/google_wifi
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