Printer Friendly
The Free Library
14,507,882 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

SBC Communications and State of Michigan Announce Recreational Parks, Road-Side Facilities to Become Wi-Fi Hot Spots.


LANSING, Mich. -- SBC (1) (SBC Communications Inc., San Antonio, TX, www.sbc.com) A large, national telecommunications company that grew from a multitude of local and regional companies, including Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell and Nevada Bell, into a single, unified brand by 2002.  FreedomLink Wi-Fi Service to be Made Available at 10 Michigan State-Owned Parks, Docks, Rest Areas and Welcome Centers

Bug spray, snacks, bottled water, swimsuits--and now, Wi-Fi-enabled laptop computers can be added to the list of items for Michigan vacationers - and just in time for Labor Day Labor Day, holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September to honor the laborer. It was inaugurated by the Knights of Labor in 1882 and made a national holiday by the U.S. Congress in 1894.  weekend. The State of Michigan and SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE NYSE

See: New York Stock Exchange
:SBC) today announced that wireless Internet access See how to access the Internet.  is now available at Holland State Park and Grand Haven State Park Grand Haven State Park is a 48 acre state park in Michigan. The park is located in Grand Haven, Michigan on the coast of Lake Michigan just south of where the Grand River meets the lake.

The park has many campsites and has a very popular beach area.
, the first two parks in the nation to provide this service at state campgrounds. The state's new MiWiFi project will bring SBC FreedomLink Wi-Fi service to a total of ten state parks, docks, rest areas and welcome centers to benefit Michigan residents and travelers.

MiWiFi, powered by SBC FreedomLink Wi-Fi service, will be piloted at Ludington State Park, Mackinac Island Mackinac Island

Island in the Straits of Mackinac, southeastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S. It is 3 mi (5 km) long. It was an ancient Indian burial ground called Michilimackinac when the British built a fort there in 1780. After the U.S.
 State Dock, New Buffalo New Buffalo is:

The name of several towns in the United States:
  • New Buffalo, Michigan
  • New Buffalo, Pennsylvania
Music:
  • New Buffalo (band), musician Sally Seltmann, currently based in Melbourne, Australia
 Welcome Center, Coldwater Welcome Center and Clarkston Rest Area by October. The service will be available at Charles Mears State Park Mears State Park is a state park in Pentwater, Michigan. It is a sandy park directly on Lake Michigan, bordering a channel leading into Pentwater Lake. The park only covers 50 acres but has swimming, camping, and picnicking areas and a one-mile hiking trail. , Sterling State Park and East Tawas State Dock when those locations reopen in April 2005.

FreedomLink enables travelers to use laptop computers and personal digital assistants to wirelessly connect to the Internet and corporate networks at speeds 50 to 100 times faster than a dial-up connection. Customers can gain access to a FreedomLink hot spot when they are within approximately a 150-foot range of its location.

"We are thrilled to make Michigan the first state to offer Wi-Fi Internet access at popular recreational areas like state campgrounds, providing more convenience and enjoyment for travelers and visitors to our great state," said Governor Jennifer Granholm <noinclude></noinclude> Jennifer Mulhern Granholm (born February 5, 1959 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian-born American politician and the current Governor of the U.S. state of Michigan. . "Working together with SBC companies, the State of Michigan is again showing why we are ranked number one in the nation when it comes to digital government."

"We are delighted to provide FreedomLink Wi-Fi access at Michigan's top recreational facilities where travelers can enjoy the convenience of high-speed Internet See broadband.  access in remote areas," added Gail Torreano, president, SBC Michigan. "Travelers will benefit from using our affordable and reliable Wi-Fi service throughout Michigan and at more than 2,300 other locations nationwide."

FreedomLink service at the Michigan recreational areas will be available for only $7.95 for a 24-hour session. Monthly SBC FreedomLink memberships are available for $19.95, with a one-year term commitment, and provide unlimited access to all FreedomLink hot spots hot spots

acute moist dermatitis.
. Travelers and vacationers will have free access to Michigan.gov, the state's top-rated Web site. Free access is also planned for Michigan.org sometime next year.

Teri Takai, Director of Michigan's Department of Information Technology, made the announcement on Wednesday during a presentation at the Holland State Park. "MiWiFi is a shining example of how strong partnership and collaboration can bring great benefits to our citizens," commented Takai. "This would not have been possible without our strong relationship with the Department of Natural Resources Many sub-national governments have a Department of Natural Resources or similarly-named organization:
Australia
  • Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines
Canada
  • Natural Resources Canada
, the Department of Transportation, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and through our great collaboration with SBC companies."

"We are consistently evaluating the feedback at our state parks in order to provide vacationers with the best possible experience," added Rebecca Humphries, Director of the Department of Natural Resources. "This new service appeals to a certain segment of our population, making their trip to our parks even more convenient. We want everyone to enjoy their experience and learn why Michigan's state parks are among the best and most beautiful in the country."

The FreedomLink service is part of an integrated effort to meet customer demand for a comparable broadband experience in the home, office or on the road. To meet this goal, SBC companies plan to make available more than 20,000 Wi-Fi hot spots to FreedomLink customers by the end of 2006 and work with Cingular Wireless to utilize Wi-Fi and Cingular's wireless network to deliver unprecedented coverage.

FreedomLink(SM) wireless connection to the Internet provided by SBC Internet Services. SBC, the SBC logo, FREEDOMLINK(SM) and the FREEDOMLINK(SM) logo are trademarks or service marks of SBC Knowledge Ventures, L.P.(C) 2004 SBC Knowledge Ventures, L.P. All rights reserved.

SBC Communications Inc. is a Fortune 50 company whose subsidiaries, operating under the SBC brand, provide a full range of voice, data, networking, e-business, directory publishing and advertising, and related services to businesses, consumers and other telecommunications providers. SBC holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which serves 25 million wireless customers. SBC companies provide high-speed DSL DSL
 in full Digital Subscriber Line

Broadband digital communications connection that operates over standard copper telephone wires. It requires a DSL modem, which splits transmissions into two frequency bands: the lower frequencies for voice (ordinary
 Internet access lines to more American consumers than any other provider and are among the nation's leading providers of Internet services. SBC companies also now offer satellite TV service. Additional information about SBC and SBC products and services is available at www.sbc.com.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Business Wire
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2004, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Publication:Business Wire
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:Sep 1, 2004
Words:778
Previous Article:Nuance Receives Technology Marketing Corporation's 2004 Innovation Award; Nuance Caller Authentication Selected for Innovative and Unique Attributes.
Next Article:Cortex Pharmaceuticals Appoints Harry Mansbach, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Clinical Development.
Topics:



Related Articles
A WiFi-ing we will go? (Up front: news, trends & analysis).
SBC Communications to Deploy Wi-Fi Hot Spots in 6,000 Venues, Create Integrated Wi-Fi/3G Service to Deliver Unprecedented Wireless Broadband Coverage.
Hughes Network Systems joins Wi-Fi Alliance.
Wi-Fi hotspot service.(2004 Buyer's Guide)
Local firms grabbing piece of Wi-Fi.
Why WiFi? Productivity and convenience.(Internet)(Brief Article)
SBC Communications Announces Wireless Internet Access to be Available in 85 California State Parks; Wi-Fi Deployment is Nation's Largest in State...
Why not wi-fi in parks?(Tip-Off)(Wireless Fidelity technology )(Brief Article)
New WiFi hot spots.(TECHNOLOGY)
Wi-Fi.(SECURITY)

Terms of use | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles