San Jose will be 1st to benefit from Facebook Wi-Fi in pilot project
SAN JOSE (BCN) - San Jose will be the first city nationwide that will benefit from Facebook's high-speed WiFi network project later this year, city officials announced today.
The public-private partnership between the city and tech company plans to deploy a public "gigabit-speed" outdoor network accessible on streets throughout downtown, city officials said.
"Cities worldwide are searching for ways to ensure that all residents can enjoy the benefits of internet connectivity by broadening access to fast and affordable broadband service," Mayor Sam Liccardo said in a statement.
"San Jose is proud to work with a global tech leader like Facebook to pilot a next-generation technology that can help us achieve these goals and support research to support communities around the world," Liccardo said.
The project from Facebook's Connectivity Lab will use its Terragraph wireless system to help bring reliable, high-speed Internet to dense urban areas at a low cost, according to Tim Danford, Facebook's network deployment product lead.
"Challenges attaining fast, reliable wireless internet can be found anywhere, even in the heart of Silicon Valley," Danford said in a statement.
Under the pilot project, Facebook will be using its hardware and software on city streetlights and other infrastructure, city officials said.
The city and tech company will also look into bringing the network to underserved neighborhoods and transit corridors, according to city officials.