Earthlink has bagged a 10 year contract to provide wireless internet service across Philadelphia. The service comes for wholesale rate of $9 a month to the Internet service providers and they would then resell the service to city residents. Philadelphia incidentally became the first big city to announce wireless Internet network plans which not only will give them a low cost access Internet access but also would help to span the digital divide.



No specific pricing plan is disclosed as of now. However, city’s chief information officer Dianah Neff said the wholesale price would be affordable enough for the citizens and enabling of ISPs won’t be difficult.



Construction will start once the contract gets a green signal from the City Council. Once first phase of building network in Northeast Philadelphia is over by spring 2007 the citywide service will be turned on.





Via [news.yahoo]