A joint venture between Smart Telecom and Cork City Council has claimed some 2,500 people have logged on to the new Smart Telecom Wi-Fi network.
The service, which was launched four months ago, covers a 1.5sq km area of Cork City and is capable of allowing users to roam within the entire coverage area without losing their internet signal.
“This is fantastic technology and we are delighted the uptake has been so enthusiastic in the Cork area,” commented Smart’s CEO Oisín Fanning.
“One of the reasons why this service has been so successful is because it offers great value for money. At just €5 for four hours of access, Smart Wi-Fi is half the price of similar services offered in the area. Given the success of the service in Cork City, we are looking into extending the network to cover a larger area in the near future,” Fanning said.
The Smart Wi-Fi network is accessible on any Wi-Fi-compatible device such as a PDA or a laptop and can be paid for via credit card or laser card. It delivers internet broadband speeds to support fast web browsing and email access at speeds of up to 2Mbps.
The network consists of a self-configuring routed mesh network supporting 802.11b/a/g device. The network uses the recently commissioned Cork metropolitan area network installed by the council to provide the backhaul for the Wi-Fi network.
By John Kennedy
