Internode to deploy free outdoor wi-fi in Adelaide

Internode will deploy a new $1.5 million free outdoor wi-fi network covering the Adelaide CBD.

The contract to build the new network was awarded to Internode by the South Australian Government and the City of Adelaide.

Work on the network has already begun and is expected to be wrapped up early next year.

The network, which will be known as AdelaideFree, will run on over 200 Cisco outdoor wireless access points and fibre optic backhaul provided by Internode, Adelaide City and the SA Government.

It is expected that AdelaideFree will cover about "97 percent of the northern CBD from Wakefield and Gouger streets to North Terrace", and provide "extensive external coverage for the southern half of the CBD."

Internode already runs a free wi-fi network in Adelaide, known as CityLan, with other partners, including Adelaide City Council, though its hotspots are mostly indoors in cafes, restaurants and shops.

The ISP said when completed, AdelaideFree would offer "faster internet access than is currently available over mobile phone networks" in the area.

Separately, Internode said it will upgrade the capacity of the existing CityLan network to make it compatible with AdelaideFree.

"This involves installing 82 additional access points and upgrading all CityLan sites to 802.11n capability, boosting access speeds by as much as five times," Internode said.

Internode is owned by Perth-based national ISP, iiNet.