Wi-Fi Downtown is about to get 600 times better.
Installation will begin next week of 21 wireless access points that will establish public wireless access to the Internet from Hemming Park south to the St. Johns River and from Julia Street east to The Elbow entertainment district.
The installation will increase free Internet access outside city buildings from about 50 simultaneous users currently to more than 31,000.
“It will blanket most of Downtown,” said Ken Lathrop, city chief of information technologies.
The system is designed to accommodate the maximum anticipated demand, such as during First Wednesday Art Walk, Florida-Georgia weekend, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival and TaxSlayer Bowl, he said.
Paid for with $100,000 from the Downtown Investment Authority economic development fund, the first new wireless access points will be installed by April 6 at Hemming Park.
The system is scheduled to be complete by May 13, about two weeks before the jazz festival.
The project was outlined in the authority’s Community Redevelopment Area Plans, and approved by City Council in March 2015.
The system will help promote the urban community by attracting people and businesses to Downtown, according to the project summary in the plan.
The devices will be placed on streetlight poles, traffic signal poles and some buildings.
The units are designed for high-capacity service and are weatherproof.
They will be connected by fiber cable to the city IT department, which will provide the free Internet access.
The city offers free public Internet access at Hemming Park, the Jacksonville Landing and inside city buildings Downtown. Some businesses provide free Wi-Fi for their customers.
The new system will establish free public access along the major urban pedestrian corridors.
Guy Parola, DIA redevelopment manager, said the project is related to economic development, quality of life and improving the Downtown experience.
“It’s another way to make Downtown competitive in attracting tech businesses, entrepreneurs, residents and visitors,” he said.
@DRMaxDowntown
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