Starting today people north of University Avenue will be able to connect to the internet through a wireless hotspot provided by FibreTech. The service was launched in an 11:00 ceremony at University Plaza parking lot outside McGinnis FrontRow.
Starting today people north of University Avenue will be able to connect to the internet through a wireless hotspot provided by FibreTech. The service was launched in an 11:00 ceremony at University Plaza parking lot outside McGinnis FrontRow.
The service will be free and not use authentication until January 2004 when it will be a pay service.
Manager of Sales and Marketing Ron Kurtz said that while prices haven't been set he expects it to be cost for usage. He estimates that it would cost around $20 base rate per month costing more for extra usage and about $4 for a single day.
"We haven't tested the boundaries of the system, you can get it past Columbia. When we were setting it up Sybase [near Phillip and Albert] told us they could see the signal," said Kurtz.
FibreTech is using the 802.11b protocol and a directional phased array anttena from Vivato located on the roof of the apartment building at 135 University Avenue West.
FibreTech Telecommunications Inc. is a local company owned by the three electrical companies in Region of Waterloo. It is indirectly owned by the citizens of the region because those electrical companies are owned by the Cities and townships in the region.
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http://old.uwstudent.org/article.php?story=20031006132136195