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DOWNTOWN BURBANK LAUNCHES FREE WIRELESS INTERNET HOTSPOT
Downtown Burbank, Calif. � May 2005 � The City of Burbank announces the launch of free wireless Internet access in Downtown Burbank effective May 2005, making it the first municipal broadband wireless hotspot in the San Fernando Valley and among the first in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Effective immediately, visitors to Downtown Burbank can access the Internet for free with any Wi-Fi-enabled device such as a laptop, notebook, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA) or hand-held game device. The service gives users the freedom to surf outdoors or anywhere they choose, because the system works without wires or plugs. Wi-Fi makes possible out-of-office productivity, leisurely Web browsing, E-mail correspondence, and other Internet applications, such as Instant Messenger.
Wi-Fi, which stands for �wireless fidelity,� is the next step in computer technology. Travelers and mobile business professionals increasingly rely on Wi-Fi for placing orders, tracking packages, accessing search engines and finding directions.
Downtown Burbank�s Wi-Fi hotspot is approximately one square mile, covering an area that includes the Holiday Inn on Angeleno Ave., up to Burbank Town Center, the 1.2 million square foot regional shopping center on Magnolia Avenue. Included is every street, sidewalk, bench, caf�, office and retail store along the way.
The Wi-Fi network is comprised of commercial-grade M-Gravity ruggedized 802.11b outdoor access points. The access points are then connected to a Proxim MP.11a system, which complies with WiMAX specifications and allows for future growth. A Bluesocket Wireless Gateway is used to authenticate users and control session limits and bandwidth.
Introducing Wi-Fi in Downtown Burbank is seen as a natural for the city, which boasts 29,000 entertainment-related employees, many of whom work in non-traditional and creative environments.
�As �Media Capital of the World,� Burbank embraces technological advances that encourage new ways of communicating,� said Sue Georgino, Community Development Director for the City of Burbank. �With this technology, residents, employees and visitors to the Downtown can link to the Internet at will, without being deskbound or working from an office.�
A partial list of entertainment companies based in Burbank includes The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros., NBC Television, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, ABC Television and Clear Channel Communications. In addition, there are more than 700 media production and post-production companies in Burbank.
�Laptops and other devices manufactured after 2000 usually come equipped to access Wi-Fi,� says Perry Jarvis, Network Operations Manager for the City of Burbank. �For those manufactured prior to 2000, computer electronics stores carry the insert card necessary to go wireless, often for less than $30.�
Downtown Burbank�s Wi-Fi hotspot is funded by the City of Burbank�s Redevelopment Agency in partnership with Downtown Burbank Partnership, Inc., the nonprofit Property-based Business Improvement District (P-BID) whose sole purpose is to improve Downtown Burbank through capital programs, maintenance & security, marketing & promotions and advocacy & administration.
Downtown Burbank comprises 34-blocks of retail, office, residential and entertainment destinations that includes more than 200 shops and 80 restaurants like Macy�s, IKEA, PF Chang�s, Urban Outfitters, AMC-16 and Burbank Town Center. The area is bounded by Verdugo Avenue, Glenoaks, Burbank Boulevard and the I-5 in Burbank, Calif., and contains more than 9,000 free parking spaces. Dubbed as �one of Southern California�s most appealing urban centers� by Sunset Magazine in February 2003, the district is managed by Downtown Burbank Partnership, Inc., a California nonprofit mutual benefit corporation. www.downtown-burbank.org # # # Media Contacts Gail Stewart Downtown Manager 818.238.5209
Perry Jarvis Network Operations Manager City of Burbank 818.238.5090
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