Wireless City - Free wireless internet in central Beijing during the Olympics

According to this report in today's Beijing Times, Beijing residents and Olympic visitors will be able to take advantage of free wireless internet throughout large sections of central Beijing during the Olympics. The first phase of the roll out of free internet, part of the Wireless City WiCity initiative (thanks to Banyue at Danwei for the correction and link to the official site), will begin testing today. The area covered in the first phase (see map above) includes the second and third ring roads, the CBD, Financial Street, Zhongguan Cun and the Wangjing Economic and Technological Development Zone. Areas of Xuanwu and Yizhuang are also covered in this first phase which offers high-speed wireless services over an area of around 100 square km.

Starting from today, people in the areas mentioned above can use the new system to get online and come the Olympics the wireless service will be available for free. China Comm, the company behind the project, have also announced that after the Olympics, they plan to extend the wireless zone to first cover everywhere within the fifth ring road by 2009 and then cover the whole city by the end of 2010.

Links and Sources
WiCity Homepage
China News: 北京"无线城市"一期启动试运行 奥运期间免费
The Beijing Times: 北京“无线城市”启动试运行 奥运期间免费开放
Broadcast Engineering: Beijing to be wireless city by 2008 Olympics
PC World: Beijing Prepares for 'High-tech Olympics'
Danwei: Free wireless Internet in downtown Beijing