MetroFi and City of Sunnyvale launch free, advertising-sponsored community WiFi

December 5, 2005

2 Min Read

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- MetroFi, the leader in designing, building and operating citywide Wi-Fi networks, announced the launch of the country's first free, advertising-sponsored community Wi-Fi service in Sunnyvale, California. Although other cities have such services planned, none has come as far as Sunnyvale, a city of 130,000. Residents and visitors alike can now enjoy surfing the Internet for free, while area businesses can target local customers.

"We're proud to be the first city in the United States to implement free advertising-sponsored Wi-Fi service for the benefit of residents and local businesses," said Otto Lee, vice-mayor of Sunnyvale. "We think it's fitting that one of the major cities in the Silicon Valley, home to headquarters of leading high-tech companies, be the first to get advertiser-sponsored service off the ground."

Sunnyvale's new Wi-Fi service allows anyone with a Wi-Fi enabled device such as a PC, laptop or handheld computer to receive a high-performance, portable link to the Internet. Ads will be displayed in a small window in the user's browser. Users connect to the Internet via access points mounted on street light poles throughout the city. The southeastern portion of Sunnyvale is activated at this time and can be accessed by anyone in the area. MetroFi plans to offer service citywide by next spring.

"There's been quite a lot of buzz in the Bay Area about free community wireless service, and MetroFi is the first company to deliver on its promises to implement it," said Chuck Haas, CEO and co-founder of MetroFi. "Our Sunnyvale advertising-sponsored network, recently-launched free hot zones in San Francisco and subscription-based networks in Cupertino and Santa Clara make us one of the most experienced and action-oriented Wi-Fi providers in the country."

MetroFi Inc.

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