Wi-Fi zone now just outside MSOEs door
| Published: 07/28/2003 |
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Internet service to downtown public spaces
With high-tech companies and information-savvy urban dwellers in abundance, Milwaukee becomes even more tech-friendly by becoming one of the first cities in the country to turn popular downtown public spaces into wireless hot zones
Today, Mayor John Norquist launched the much-anticipated Milwaukee Free Wi-Fi Network at Cathedral Square Park -- just off the MSOE campus.
A partnership of the City of Milwaukee, SBC Communications and Cisco Systems, the network allows users to connect to the Internet for free from Cathedral Square, Pere Marquette Park and the sidewalks around them. To access the system, users just need laptops or PDAs equipped with wireless card.
As a growing tech center and a vibrant and popular place to relax and spend time, downtown Milwaukee is a natural place for one of the nation’s first city-sponsored wireless networks, said Mayor Norquist. "Our new hot zones are another strong sign that Milwaukee is ahead of the pack in becoming a connected city," he said. “It’s really a great fit since downtown is Wisconsin’s top technology center and its most popular gathering place. I expect to see a lot of people logging on to this system.”
Norquist decided to explore creating Milwaukee Free Wi-Fi after hearing that leaders in Long Beach, Calif., had turned public spaces there into hot zones. Randy Gschwind, the City of Milwaukee’s Chief Information Officer, led the effort to create the system and did so at minimal cost to city taxpayers through partnerships with technology companies that provided the essential equipment and broadband connection.
While considerably faster than dial-up service, the Milwaukee Free Wi-Fi connection is slower than regular DSL service because the signal is broken up into 128K packets so that no one user uses up too much bandwidth with memory-intensive activities such as video and music downloads.
Wireless expertise for the project was provided by Joseph Simonds of Green Wireless and Henry Hile of Telco Systems. The Milwaukee School of Engineering also provided key assistance.
Just how well connected is downtown Milwaukee? Kahler Slater, a multi-disciplinary design firm, spent 12 months mapping out LIVE WORK & PLAY activities in the 9-1/2 square mile downtown area. Kahler Slater found 200 technology companies and 155 creative companies concentrated in the downtown hub, supported by approximately 4,000 apartment and condominium units and over 350 restaurants, coffee shops and bars – creating the kind of lively, mixed-use environment that is known to attract highly educated workers and foster high-level economic growth.
Founded in 1903, MSOE is celebrating its first 100 years.
MSOE is an independent university with about 2,600 students. MSOE offers 16 bachelor’s degrees in areas such as engineering, nursing, business, management information systems, technical communication, engineering technology and construction management. Graduate study includes engineering, engineering management, environmental engineering, structural engineering, medical informatics and perfusion.