Perth CBD gets free Wi-Fi

Thousands of people in Perth’s CBD have access to free wi-fi connectivity indoors and outdoors following aCure Technology’s decision to provide unrestricted access to its metromesh wireless network.

aCure’s network has been a subscription-based service since 2006 and was also used as a worldwide demonstration network and test bed for the company’s own Acurix wireless equipment.

The company is offering Wi-Fi access in the CBD area from St George’s Terrace to Adelaide Terrace through 50 radio sites as a trial. Its remaining sites will come online in early 2013.

Perth has the jump on the South Australian government and Adelaide City Council, which announced last week that Adelaide would introduce free Wi-Fi in the CBD by the end of next year.

aCure’s data centre sales manager, Grant Farrow told CIO that the news about free Wi-Fi in Adelaide prompted the company to announce a service was available in Perth.

“We’ve actually had free Wi-Fi available in the [Perth CBD] since October, but we haven’t had much buy-in from the city of Perth whatsoever,” he said.

According to Farrow, the company’s mesh network – based on its own wireless equipment – is now “paid off”, which was one of the reasons it is offering services free of charge.

“We don’t have to outlay [money] for equipment and licensing,” he said.

Farrow added that the wireless network can be used as a platform to advertise services to people in Perth.

aCure’s technical director, Mark Middleton, said the company was completing major 3G and 4G offload projects overseas and it was time to see this technology evolve in the local market.

aCure claims to be the largest privately-owned data centre operator in Western Australia.