Earthlink is betting on urban Wi-Fi — and Anaheim
In the past decade Garry Betty has experimented with just about every possible way of connecting his customers to the Internet — and wiped $1 billion of his shareholders’ capital off the balance sheet in the process. But now the chief executive of Earthlink says he sees a way to take his revenge on the giant rivals who have long beaten him bloody.
In Anaheim, Calif. Earthlink has attached little white boxes to 1,500 traffic lights. At the end of the month Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle will cut a ceremonial wire, turning on those boxes and powering up America’s first big-city Wi-Fi network, which will offer residents high-speed wireless Web access across Anaheim for $22 per month.
While many cities have fought bitter public battles over building urban Wi-Fi networks — phone and cable companies loathe the idea of the cut-rate competition — Anaheim is about to become the first major-league city to do it.
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