28/06/2006

Wireless high-speed Internet access is being offered free-of-charge in Constitution Square in down-town Athens, as part of an initiative by the Ministry of Economy and Finance to familiarise citizens with high-speed Internet connectivity and highlight the multiple capabilities it offers for their daily lives and work. This project is part of the Government's Digital Strategy (Plan for the Development of Broadband Connectivity by 2008), is financed by the Special Secretariat for the Information Society and is being implemented by the National Technical University of Athens.

Access to the Constitution Square Public Wireless Network (AthensWiFi) is available to all citizens, provided they have a laptop or PDA that supports WiFi technologies. Specifically, users need only to type the number that appears on their screen when they attempt to access a web page, and they will be connected to the Internet immediately.

The connection speed is especially high (802.11b/g protocols), and the total Internet capacity is 4Mbps. The network covers the greater Constitution Square area, via access points that interface with the Ministry of Economy's main hardware. Similar actions are foreseen for another 85 locations in Greece.

Source: Ministry of Economy and Finance