BOSTON — Boston’s free WiFi service will expand to more neighborhoods under a plan announced Wednesday.
The service, designed for outdoor use, will reach into parts of Roslindale, Hyde Park and Roxbury, according to the city’s Department of Innovation and Technology.
“Our Main Streets Districts are the economic engines of our neighborhoods, and free Wi-Fi service provides a valuable amenity and helps all residents stay connected,” Mayor Martin J. Walsh said in a statement about the Wicked Free WiFi expansion. The city has 20 of the districts and plans call for 130 WiFi access points.
Throughout the city, there are access points placed on municipal buildings, including police and fire stations, and libraries. At least some of the additional access points will be located on streetlight poles. Under the just-announced moves, 37 hotspots will be added, increasing the number of districts to four.
“We are committed to ensuring that every resident and business has access to affordable, high-speed Internet,” said Jascha Franklin-Hodge, the city’s chief information officer, in a statement. “Free public WiFi is one of the ways we can help Boston stay connected.”
The service isn’t meant to work indoors but in places such as parks, on benches and sidewalks. It may be spotty in some areas and can be affected by environmental factors, particularly weather conditions. The available bandwidth is also limited, which may affect data transfers and streaming, the city indicated.
You can find an interactive map of the existing WiFi access points here:
