America’s fastest free outdoor Wi-Fi network coming soon to Downtown San José
America’s fastest free outdoor Wi-Fi network is slated to come to Downtown San José this summer. The City of San José is pleased to officially announce a new partnership with SmartWAVE Technologies and Ruckus Wireless (Ruckus) to deploy one of the fastest Wi-Fi networks available in the nation, at minimal cost to the City, using state-of-the-art technology developed in Silicon Valley.
“We are excited to bring this cutting-edge Wi-Fi network here to San José, the Capital of Silicon Valley,” said Mayor Chuck Reed. “I’d like to thank SmartWAVE Technologies, Ruckus Wireless, and our City’s IT leadership for spearheading this public-private partnership to enhance wireless Internet access for those who live, work and visit Downtown San José.”
Under the direction of Acting Chief Information Officer Vijay Sammeta, the IT Department is spearheading an innovative, new partnership to address the connectivity needs of entrepreneurs, visitors and the businesses in the city center of Silicon Valley. The new network will be accessible through the entire downtown core, from E. St. John St. to the north, portions of Balbach St. and Viola Ave. to the south, N. 6 St. to the east, and Almaden Blvd. to the west. Diridon Station will also offer free Wi-Fi.
“This will bring disturbingly fast Internet access to Downtown, and is part of San José’s strategy to partner with industry leaders who are committed to improving communities and furthering the Silicon Valley experience. Both SmartWave Technologies and Ruckus Wireless will bring the City’s vision of a reliable, free Downtown Wi-Fi to life,” explained Vijay Sammeta, Acting Chief Information Officer for the City of San José.
The new outdoor Wi-Fi infrastructure takes advantage of recent technical advances developed by Ruckus Wireless that leverage the newest ultra-high speed Wi-Fi standards to improve network performance along with patented technology that extends the range of wireless signals and increases the reliability of Wi-Fi connections.
One of the nation’s leading wireless integrators, SmartWave is working with the City to provide expert configuration, site survey, deployment and ongoing support services to ensure non-stop operation of the new wireless infrastructure.
Ruckus is providing outdoor 802.11n access points that will be deployed on light poles and other locations throughout Downtown San José. The majority of these wireless devices will be connected to an ultra high-speed gigabit fiber network that terminates at an Internet peering point called MAE West in Downtown San José. Management of the wireless network will be centralized at City Hall, allowing a single point of visibility, control and tuning of the Wi-Fi network.
“With our great weather, Downtown San José’s outdoor spaces play an important role as places to connect, work, and socialize,” noted Councilmember Sam Liccardo (District 3), who represents the Downtown. “With the addition of the fastest free Wi-Fi network, our businesses, residents and visitors will have an easy, effective way to stay connected with the online world while discovering Downtown San José.”
In 2004, San José was among the first large cities to provide free wireless Internet access in downtown hotspots. The wireless network was a crucial component for the infrastructure of the City’s parking guidance system. As technology changed, the City, 1stACT Silicon Valley, and the Downtown business and event community identified the clear need to improve the speed and coverage of the network.
“There is an inherent expectation that when people visit Silicon Valley they experience the very best in technology,” said Selina Lo, president and CEO of Ruckus Wireless. “The City of San José understands this better than anyone else and is taking aggressive steps to build a world-class wireless network serving local business and visitors who are now demanding more pervasive and reliable mobile connectivity. We are proud to have been selected to help the City realize this shared vision.”
In addition to making free Wi-Fi available in public spaces downtown, the new network will also provide redundant and enhanced connectivity for City facilities. It will greatly benefit the downtown parking infrastructure, namely the pay-to-park meters, parking guidance signs and parking garage systems by improving the speed by which timesensitive transactions occur.
The new Wi-Fi network project will have a one-time cost of approximately $94,000, with ongoing costs of about $22,000 which is similar to the on-going costs of the current system. This project is being funded through parking revenue and the City’s General Fund.
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