The West Hollywood City Council approved the installation of a pilot outdoor public wireless Internet system (Wi-Fi). The pilot free Wi-Fi program will be available along Santa Monica Boulevard between La Brea Avenue and Fairfax Avenue and will include Plummer Park and the West Hollywood Gateway Center courtyard. As part of its decision to offer free outdoor Wi-Fi, the City Council approved PCC Network Solutions to install outdoor Wi-Fi with state-of-the-art equipment from Tropos Networks. The free pilot Wi-Fi will be available in the fall of 2005.

"This is a win-win idea and continues the West Hollywood vision of having technology bring us together," said West Hollywood Mayor Abbe Land. "We encourage feedback so we can quickly assess the pilot project and adapt it for the whole city."

The West Hollywood outdoor wireless pilot project will consist of seven Tropos Networks wireless access points mounted on street lights at the top of traffic signals. Those equipped with wireless devices will be able to log on to the World Wide Web without the use of phone lines or other traditional wires that tether most Internet use to the office or home. This means that patrons in the courtyard at the Gateway Project – among many other West Hollywood outdoor establishments east of Fairfax Avenue – will soon have the luxury of sipping a drink from one hand and surfing the Internet with the other. Visitors to the city with laptops will also be able to search for conveniences like the nearest spa, pharmacy or restaurant.

"We are extremely excited to have been selected by the City of West Hollywood to design, build and deliver an outdoor public wireless (Wi-Fi) mesh network that will benefit the city’s residents, businesses and visitors," said PCC Network Solutions CEO David Burr. "PCC Network Solutions is in full support of the city’s initiative to deliver broadband wireless Internet services to a pre-defined stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard, with the ability to easily and seamlessly expand the network to other parts of the city to meet future needs."

For more information on the City of West Hollywood’s Wi-Fi pilot project, call the Information Technology Division at (323) 848-6570, or visit www.weho.org/wireless for the latest information.