Residents of Tempe will soon be able to enjoy Tempe Town Lake, local coffee houses and public parks without having to abandon their Internet connection.
Tempe plans to become the nation's first major metropolitan area that provides complete, border-to-border wireless Internet access, according to Dave Heck, Tempe's deputy information technology manager.
"We're finalizing deals with the company that's installing and managing the network," Heck said. "They'll probably start deploying service by the end of August."
Heck said he expects that many major areas of the city will be ready to provide access by August, and that the entire city will have service by the end of year.
The company that is setting up the system, MobilePro Corp., offered to install antennae at no charge to the city in exchange for elevated building space and a chance to sell service to Tempe residents.
"The agreement we have is we're trading use of light poles for their service. It's a benefit that doesn't cost us anything."
Residents will still have to pay for their Internet-service provider but Heck said the cost is all there is.
"The system will support multiple [service providers]," Heck said. "You'll be able to use the provider you want for about $40 per month. If you don't want the service, you just don't pay for the service."
The idea that Tempe should have citywide Internet service is not a new one. MobilePro Corp. was tapped to complete the project after it was started and left unfinished by a financially unstable company, said Tempe councilmember Leonard Copple.
"It started out when we had a technology committee four or six years ago. There was a company that put up boxes on light poles, but before they were finished they went bankrupt," Copple said. "We ultimately inherited those boxes, so we reactivated our interest in providing citywide wireless service."
Tempe councilmember Pam Goronkin, who was a part of the technology committee that recognized the feasibility of the project and planned for its implementation, said she views the project as a trailblazing example that other communities will follow.
"We're working very hard to brand Tempe as a smart place to be," Goronkin said. "Having a border-to-border wireless network will help us make that claim."
Goronkin said offering wireless networks to citizens is important because Tempe is a college town and also wants to be on the cutting edge of technology.
"Communities offering wireless to residents, especially one with a university and one that wants to tout its technology, is critical."
But psychology junior Ian Tingen, a Tempe resident, said he has their doubts about the system. He fears they could be susceptible to security breaches.
"I think it's a boon for those who don't care about privacy or security in their Internet transactions," Tingen said. "It's a hacker's wet dream."
Reach the reporter at jason.ludwig@asu.edu.