Tel Aviv launches citywide Wi-Fi network
Some 60 hotspots allow residents, guests of Israeli metropolis to surf Internet at limited speed for free in public spaces. Twenty additional wireless access points to be added later on
Video courtesy of jn1.tv
Some 60 hotspots deployed across the city allow residents and guests to surf the Internet for free. Twenty additional wireless access points will be added later on, the Municipality said in a statement.
The Wi-Fi hotspots create a route passing along the coastline, from the Dolphinarium to Tel Aviv Port, along Bugrashov, Dizengoff and Ben-Gurion Streets. Additional sporadic points were deployed in the Kedumim Square area in Jaffa and in places like the Tel Aviv Museum, the Suzanne Dellal Center and Yarkon Park.
The municipality's intention was to offer the service mainly in public spaces – parks, beaches and gardens. Each spot has a connection radius of 100 to 150 meters (328 to 492 feet).
Wi-Fi connecting Tel Aviv (from TA Municipality website)
Even if you live next to one of the hotspots, that doesn't mean you'll be able to start downloading movies for free. Each spot is restricted to 25 users and the average download speed for each is only about half a megabyte, which is just enough to allow users to check their emails and update their Facebook profile.
If you're thinking of using the new service to watch porn online, you're in for another disappointment. The municipal network is blocked to adult mature content and gambling website.
"My first tendency was not to block anything," Tel Aviv Council Member Alon Solar, one of the leaders of the project, said at the start of the infrastructure works. "But first of all, a legal opinion says we must block certain sites. And from a rational point of view, it’s unreasonable that free municipal Internet will allow children to enter what their parents block at home. Besides, I don’t think anyone wants to go to Rothschild Boulevard and watch porn."
