The three Valley cities are ramping up plans to launch Wi-Fi networks, with Tempe expected to go live by the end of this month.

Downtown Phoenix Partnership is the driving force behind the Phoenix effort, which still is in the research phase.

Scottsdale also is in the research phase, with the downtown area likely to go live within a year.

Tempe tested the Wi-Fi waters back in 1999, but only now is set to make the service widely available downtown. Laptop users should be able to connect wirelessly by the end of this month. Full Story...

AUSTIN, Texas based TengoInternet and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced a pilot program to offer wireless Internet service at five Texas state parks -- Choke Canyon State Park (Calliham) near Three Rivers, Blanco State Park near Blanco, Balmorhea State Park near Toyahvale, Goose Island State Park near Rockport, and Ray Roberts Lake State Park (Isle du Bois) near Pilot Point.


The pilot program to determine visitor interest for Wi-Fi within the state parks system began in early December. Full Story...

SBC Communications Inc. announced that the SBC FreedomLink Wi-Fi service will be made available in 144 The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations throughout California, Nevada and Arizona.

The service will enable customers to use their laptop computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) to communicate online, surf the Internet and connect to corporate networks at speeds 50 to 100 times as fast as a dial-up connection, all from the comfort of the coffee house.

The companies expect FreedomLink service to be available in select The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf(R) locations by the end of the year, with all 144 locations completed in early 2005. Full Story...

Truckstop.net, a commercial Wi-Fi hotspot network serving truck stops shut down this week and the vendor said it won't re-start the service until litigation is completed with Sprint Communications.

In a statement, the company said that it had contracted in 2003 with Sprint to deploy hotspots in 500 truck stops. However, it claims that customers could sign on easily in some locations but not in others.

Truckstop.net said it started breach-of-contract litigation against Sprint in mid-November and that Sprint has since stopped the service.

At some truck stops the owners themselves have arranged for Internet connectivity that is keeping wi-fi service active at their location. In most locations it is available free of charge. Full Story...