Free Wi-Fi network officially launched in Adelaide
A network of almost 300 Wi-Fi access points is keeping Adelaide residents connected for free across the centre of the city.
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One month after iiNet announced the rollout of 700 hotspots to bring free Wi-Fi to Canberra, Adelaide residents have officially welcomed a network of their own featuring 300 access points across the city's CBD.
After a trial run that saw 30,000 people a day taking advantage of free Wi-Fi, Adelaide has now officially launched the network -- known as AdelaideFree -- which is a joint venture between the Adelaide City Council, South Australian Government and Internode.
The network combines roughly 200 new hotspots with the city's existing Citylan network, more than doubling wireless coverage for citysiders -- during early testing in March, AdelaideFree saw peak usage of more than 5,000 simultaneous connections.
The hotspots are located in public areas such as cafes, businesses, and locations such as the State Library and SA Museum, with a further 10 mobile access points that can be deployed for special events. Internode also plans to roll out a further 11 hotspots at the State Library and SA Museum in coming months.
According to Internode chief business officer Greg Bader the network provides "great data speeds" and seamless coverage.
"Already people in Adelaide are embracing this new Wi-Fi capacity," he said. "Internode has recorded about 50 percent increase in use of the Wi-Fi network since announcing AdelaideFree's deployment last year."