BellSouth enters Wi-Fi fray
BellSouth, which has been notable among telcos for not having a public Wi-Fi strategy, conformed this week by announcing it will build about 100 Wi-Fi hot spots in Charlotte, N.C.
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BellSouth is working with Charlotte Center City Partners to deploy the hot spots in downtown Charlotte, as well as nearby South Park and a hospital district. Customers of BellSouth’s FastAccess DSL and dial-up Internet service will be able to use the hot spots at no charge. Businesses that serve as the hot spots will receive free DSL access for one year.
The deployment was described as a "pilot project" in a statement from Krista Tillman, president of North Carolina operations. She said the Bell company is trying to gauge consumer and business demand for Wi-Fi. Though the deployment, which will go live in the second quarter, will be BellSouth’s first taste of public Wi-Fi, the carrier has been deploying Wi-Fi equipment for some customers’ enterprise LANs since 2001.
BellSouth also is a holder of MMDS and WCS spectrum that could be used to deliver broadband fixed wireless services. An emerging technology like 802.16 WiMAX could be used as the wireless transport link between these hot spots, though BellSouth has announced no such strategy.
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