The city of Manchester in the United Kingdom announced plans to build a municipal Wi-Fi network that will cover 90 percent of the city and include as many as 2.2 million people. The wireless network is part of the city’s bid to win a government competition for IT funding. In that competition, called the Digital Challenge Initiative, one region of the country will be selected to receive as much as 3 million pounds to fund IT projects. If Manchester’s bid is successful, those funds would be used in part to pay for the wireless network, though city officials said the network’s development does not depend on winning the contest.
Dave Carter, head of the Digital Development Agency, which is overseeing the Wi-Fi project, said it will have enormous impacts for businesses and residents of the city.BBC, 1 December 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/6199382.stm
You’ve been reading an excerpt from Edupage:
To subscribe or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639