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Ian O’Donnell, executive director of Edmonton’s Downtown Business Association, said he has not heard any demand for better internet in at least the past four years. He said private networks such as Shaw Open and cellular data plans may have diminished the demand.

“It wouldn’t be something we would drive, but we would support it,” O’Donnell said.

Jacqui Chesterton, strategic co-ordinator for the city’s information technology branch, said her department’s current mandate is to expand it to more LRT stations. An average of 11,000 people connect to Open City Wi-Fi each day.

“We are not in the marketplace as a competitive provider,” she said. “Cellular connectivity is much more flexible in what you can get out of it. The signals are wider, there is established infrastructure … I (plans) were not so prohibitive, that would be the direction most people would go.”

While the scope and cost of similar blanket coverage in Edmonton would significantly outweigh London’s, major cities around the world have stepped up to the task.

New York, Seoul and Helsinki are a few examples of places that have used either private, public or combined partnerships to create long-reaching free public networks. In addition to helping low-income residents gain increased access, free public networks are welcomed by tourists.

Renee Williams, communications director for Tourism Edmonton, said the organization is grateful to businesses and attractions that provide their own network, such as West Edmonton Mall, and said an expanded public Wi-Fi network would improve guest experience.

“We would love to see more on the free Wi-Fi side of things,” Williams said. “A lot (of tourists) are so excited to be experiencing certain things and would love nothing more than to share that in real time with the markets that they are from.”

Williams added that Wi-Fi is a method of payment for some tourists, and would help them navigate the city between galleries and attractions.

“It would be nice to spread it out a bit more,” she said. “That extra step in the visitor’s experience makes a mark in their mind.”

mgoldenberg@postmedia.com