The Community Improvement District Board approved a 6-month pilot project for free WiFi in selected areas downtown. We've put out a Request for Proposals and encourage all interested vendors to apply.
While there are a number of privately provided wireless hotspots throughout The District, the CID is considering offering free WiFi in the public areas downtown. Free WiFi would be an added customer benefit and would serve to bring people into The District more often and extend their stay once they arrive.
Possible uses include:
- Conventions/ travelers
- Attracting and retaining “Digital Nomads” – sales people, consultants, freelancers, web workers, technical workers and students who work on the go
- Increased use of outdoor spaces such as parks and plazas
- District apps/mobile sites for shopping, dining and entertainment
- Festival apps
- Mapping/wayfinding (ie, Tom Tom, Google maps)
- Public art tours
- WiFi walking tours
- Increasing street activity
- Nearly 98% of WiFi consumers log onto WiFi networks once daily
- Nearly 57% log in multiple times every day
- 91% of those surveyed expect WiFi when on the road
- 84% want citywide WiFi
- People access WiFi on their smart phones more often than their laptops
- 81% prefer WiFi over 3G, and 82% want their service provider to offer special 3G/WiFi packages
- 90% of survey respondents make hotel and travel decisions based on WiFi availability
- Nearly 96% expect it to be free
- 25% of the people in a typical public spaces would not have visited before wireless was available
- 70% said they came more often because of wireless access
- The average laptop user makes 2, one hour visits to a public space per week if wireless is an option
