Cities Unleash Free WiFi

In November, Dianah Neff will go to Africa for the first time in her life.

She’s not going for a safari or to buy souvenirs. Instead, she’ll be meeting with local officials in Douala, Cameroon, to discuss how they might set up a municipal Wi-Fi network.

"They have no wired infrastructure," explains Neff. "They’re looking to wireless to connect the entire town."

Neff should know. As the chief information officer in Philadelphia Mayor John Street’s Office of Information Services, she heads a $49-million project — known as Wireless Philadelphia — to blanket the city in a broadband wireless network. The city plans to begin construction by year-end, administering the network through a nonprofit group that will partner with private vendors and ISPs.

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