Beijing operator embarks on ambitious WiFi plan

Chinese service provider CECT-Chinacomm and infrastructure provider Azalea Networks have embarked on an ambitious plan to unwire Beijing in time for the Summer Olympics. The city, which spans 6,500 square miles, will provide public access, traffic management and military/public-safety applications along with serving as the wireless backbone for the Olympics. CECT-Chinacomm is funding the network buildout but the Beijing government is serving as an anchor tenant.

Azalea Networks says Phase 1 of the WiFi, which represents about 10 percent of planned mesh footprint, should go live in April.

For more about the Beijing project:
- check out this article from MuniWireless