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Norwich is pioneering a free wi-fi project which covers three sectors of the UK city and its centre. More than 200 antennas are positioned around the city, mainly on lampposts, creating blanket wi-fi coverage. The city is one giant hotspot, utilising a mesh network which means users can get seamless internet access as they wander the streets. The network has two speeds - 256Kbps for the public and 1Mbps for public sector workers - which are slower than typical broadband speeds found in the home. Via BBC

Another Free Wi-Fi access is located at Mountain View:

Google launched a WiFi network in our hometown of Mountain View. Radios hanging on lampposts throughout the city are now broadcasting a “GoogleWiFi” wireless (802.11b/g) signal that brings wireless Internet access to the city’s residents, businesses, and visitors. All anyone needs is a laptop or other wireless-enabled device and a web browser to get online. Then Mountain View users can select the “GoogleWiFi” signal, open their web browser and sign in with a free Google Account. link

Austin, Texas. Free Wi-Fi network covers an area extending from Town Lake on the south to 7th Street on the north, and from Lamar Boulevard on the west to I-35 on the east. Comprised of 28 separate “access points” located on building rooftops and traffic light standards throughout downtown. This is the just the first phase of the wireless mesh project.

List of Top U.S. Wi-Fi hotspots.

Seattle. It is difficult to walk through parts of Seattle with a Wi-Fi enabled phone — as I recently did — and not see the networks popping up on your screen, one after the other. It could be the city’s legendary coffeehouses, which were among the first to discover that a free hotspot draws in more customers.

San Francisco. The Bay area has always been on the bleeding edge of new technologies, and wireless Internet is no exception. “Certainly, San Francisco has a great section of wireless coverage,”.

Austin, Texas. Before San Francisco and Seattle came into their own as Wi-Fi hot spots, there was Austin. Here, high-speed Internet access is pushed from the grassroots. Specifically, the Austin Wireless City Project, which is dedicated to improving the availability and quality of public free Wi-Fi in the city.

Portland, Oregon. You wouldn’t necessarily think of Portland as a wireless city. But if you didn’t, you’d have to think again. It’s hard to miss this city’s rise in the Intel survey’s rankings, not to mention among the travelers I talk to.

Atlanta. How ahead of the curve is Atlanta? The answer may surprise you. It announced its citywide Atlanta FastPass Wi-Fi network back in 2003, long before the idea of covering an entire city with a wireless Internet signal hit the mainstream. continue reading

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