Internet service is painfully slow and hard to come by in NYC, but at least it’s about to be free for residents of 95 Manhattan blocks!
It is simply called the Harlem Wi-Fi Network and once completed, it will be the largest outdoor Wi-Fi network in the United States, serving approximately 80,000 Harlem residents, New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“Our new Harlem wireless network brings critical connectivity to residents and visitors, giving them 24/7 access to everything from education materials for kids, to information about Harlem’s rich history and attractions, to everyday needs like paying bills, checking library hours — or even just keeping tabs on the Knicks and Nets,” Bloomberg said in a press release.
The network will be completely free of charge, have speeds of at least 2mbits and will cover the area from 110th to 138th streets, between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Madison Avenue. The first phase of the network's rollout will be completed by the end of December, and officials said the last phase will be finished by May 2014.
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The network is not supposed to be a free alternative to expensive wired networks provided by companies like Time Warner Cable, as new York City's Chief Information and Innovation Office Rahul Merchant said.
Merchant said they created the network "so that folks who are walking through the neighborhood through the city are able to just get an access to anything they want in terms of data," and that "this is a pure public service,” not a competitor for wired home providers.
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This is the latest step in Bloomberg's efforts to improve wireless connectivity in the city, which have been ongoing for years.
At the end of September, Bloomberg announced a series of new public Wi-Fi networks to be installed across the five boroughs in a bid to make the city even more appealing to entrepreneurs and startups.
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