Portland, Ore., taps MetroFi for mesh network

Portland, Ore., taps MetroFi for mesh network

By William Welsh, Deputy Editor

MetroFi Inc. has won a contract from Portland, Ore., to build a citywide Wi-Fi network. The company did not disclose the potential contract value.

Under the contract, MetroFi of Mountain, View, Calif., will build and operate a network that will offer free wireless Internet access to city residents and expanded coverage to city workers.

The Wi-Fi mesh network will be built at no cost to the city, the company said. Revenue from local and national advertisements will support the network. Customers who want Internet access via the network without ads will be charged about $20 per month.

In addition, Portland's public works field personnel and first responders will have greater access to wireless network services for data communications that are essential to their jobs. Once the network is built, public safety, public works, property inspectors and other city employees will be able to download and upload data from the field.

Portland encompasses 134 square miles and has a population of about 540,000. It is the 28th largest city in the United States.

Several other U.S. cities are either building or considering Wi-Fi networks. A small sample includes Anaheim, Calif.; Hartford, Conn.; Houston; Minneapolis; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Tempe, Ariz.; and Seattle.