CHICAGO, Oct. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — As previously reported by Crain's, together with Cisco and the Chicago Park District, Everywhere Wireless delivered free wireless Internet access (Wi-Fi) to five Chicago beaches in an effort to give back to the community. With so many people using the networks, it begs the question – how much speed does one really need and use? Well, the beaches are now closed and the statistics have been compiled and reported.
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For the 2013 beach season, the City of Chicago focused on a limited coverage area at North Avenue Beach, Foster Beach, Montrose Beach, Osterman (formerly Hollywood) and Rainbow Beach. In the two months following the "go live" date of July 19th, approximately 985,000 wireless devices communicated with the Wi-Fi networks across the five beaches. From these near million devices, more than 50,000 users actually authenticated with the network and utilized the free service, while processing more than 1.1 terabytes of data. During the air and water show alone, the five beaches had nearly 6,000 users who gained access to the network.
While data is talked about, it's really speed that gets most of the attention. How much do we really need? Well, you may be surprised by the answer. Although Comcast and other major Internet providers continue to artificially drive demand with Internet packages up to 100 Megabits per Second (Mbps) in certain locations, the average Netflix video requires less than 2 Mbps. At North Avenue, with more than 20,000 users in less than 60 days, Collin DeMeritt, Everywhere Wireless' Director of Business Development, stated "that these 20,000 users never consumed more than 15 Megabits per second of total bandwidth."
Everywhere Wireless plans to expand both physical coverage and the number of beaches each year until Chicago's eastern border is covered. Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel is on board too, along with more expansive ideas: "I am committed to making Chicago one of the most connected cities in the world by expanding access to high speed internet in people's homes, businesses and in public spaces. In the coming months, we will build off of this initiative and the free Wi-Fi offered in Millennium Park by extending free Wi-Fi services to additional parks and public spaces throughout Chicago."
Everywhere Wireless specializes in the delivery of wholesale, fiber-optic Internet. Everywhere Wireless can be contacted by phone at (866) 923-0982 or online at www.EverywhereWireless.com.
Media Contact:
Collin DeMeritt, Director of Business Development
(866) 923-0982