Last month, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre laid out his plan to finally bring free Wi-Fi to various parts of Montreal, an initiative that aims to “significantly improve the quality of life of all Montrealers.” The first of many deployments of free Wi-Fi has started to happen.
What is being dubbed as “Smart Montreal,” the Mayor announced the “gradual unfolding” of free WiFi is now live in the areas of Old Montreal and the Palais des congrès. The larger goal is to have the entire downtown core be covered with free WiFi by 2017.
City councillor Harout Chitilian said WiFi has become an essential service, saying, “It’s a competitive issue. When you go to another city, one of the first things you do is look for free wi-fi, even if you have a roaming plan. If you’re a business traveller you want to have those basic services, just like opening the tap and having water inside there.”
As part of the $23 million Smart Montreal initiative, the province has plans to launch a fast fiber network, “unleashing municipal data,” and rollout of “intelligent transport systems” that will bring real-time info on your subway/bus/car service.
[source] CTV [/source]
