Travelin' light.Cerritos' buses are gearing up for the world of Wi-Fi. A 60-day pilot program will start with just one route, but the city intends to hook up all seven of its transit vehicles. Passengers would have to purchase a bus pass, similar to a phone card featuring a log-in and password, to access the wireless network while traveling on the bus. "We're trying to add additional service to the community, to help the people of Cerritos be more productive," said Tony Esfandiari, chief executive of Aiirmesh Communications, the wireless Internet service provider Internet service provider (ISP) Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password. outfitting the buses for Wi-Fi. The bus route passes by Cerritos College Cerritos College is a public comprehensive community college founded in 1955 located in Norwalk, California. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a ranch that served prominently in the region in the 19th century. and a number of high schools, and Esfandiari hopes to tap into the population of Internet users as they go to and from class. About a year ago, Woodland Hills-based Aiirmesh armed the 8.6-square-mile city of Cerritos with broadband wireless See wireless broadband. Internet access See how to access the Internet. . Since then, neighboring cities of Artesia, La Palma La Pal·ma An island of Spain in the northwest Canary Islands. , La Mirada La Mirada (lä mĭrä`də), city (1990 pop. 40,452), Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1960. La Mirada derives from the Spanish for "the view," referring to the panoramic view of the surrounding valleys from atop the city's hills. , Norwalk and Bellflower have been added to the network. Citywide, the company charges $3.99 per hour and offers monthly passes for $7.99. Pricing for Internet-on-the-bus service has not yet been released. Aiirmesh is paying for the deployment, which involves installing antennas and transponders on buses. Esfandiari said he sees it as a capital investment that will pay off later. "A lot of people are trying to figure out how to make money on Wi-Fi,'" he said. "We stumbled upon this--but buses are only part of the services we supply to the municipality." |
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