Jerusalem, the first Israeli city to go live with a free wireless internet network, will join other major cities around the world providing a combination of entertainment and business service, conveniently, easily and at high speed (54 megabytes per second). Every resident and visitor to Unwire Jerusalem WiFi zones will be able to surf the internet without the need of a cable connection, and enjoy free internet services by means of a laptop computer, hand-held computer or external wireless card connecting an existing computer.
In the first stage of the project, a wireless infrastructure was laid and "hot spots" were installed in central areas in the city, providing free WiFi Internet access for basic web surfing and email. The networked sites are: Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall and side streets, the Rivlin - Nachlat Shiva mall, Shlomzion Hamalka St., and Safra Square. Use of the wireless network and the internet connection will be free to all users for the first year. Phase 2 will include coverage of Emek Refaim, extending cloud of phase 1, and the central bus station. Phase 3, slated for the second half of 2005, will include e-government and additional services.
Unwire Jerusalem is a project of the Jerusalem Business Development Corporation, a non-profit organization founded in order to help the economic renewal of Jerusalem. The project has three main co-founders: JBDC; Compumat (led by Mati Herbst), a provider of outsourced IT solutions to mid-sized corporations in Israel and the United States maintaining offices in Jerusalem and New York; and Intel, through their Jerusalem Fab8 management, represented by Shai Kavas, who is responsible globally for WiFi within Intel facilities on an operational level. The co-founders have been joined by strategic sponsors including Golden Lines, Cisco, Checkpoint, and Jerusalem Ventures Partners, as well as the Jerusalem Municipality.
To mark completion of the first stage of the wireless networking infrastructure in Jerusalem's city center, there will be a launch event organized by the Jerusalem Business Development Corporation, with participation and support from Intel, Compumat, the Jerusalem Municipality, Cisco, 012 and Check Point. The event will take place on Monday November 1, in Safra Square.
The event will be broadcast live on the Jerusalem Municipality website: www.jerusalem.muni.il
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Intel, founded in Santa Clara, California in 1986, has been operating in Israel since 1974. The company is mainly engaged in the development and manufacture of network and communication products and micro-processors. The company has four development centers (Haifa, Yakum, Jerusalem and Petach Tikva), and two production plants (Kiryat Gat and Jerusalem), and directly employs over 5,400 people, in addition to several thousand external employees.
www.intel.co.il
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Compumat Computers was founded in 1996 by Matti Herbert and is located in Jerusalem and New York. The company provides IT solutions and integration for systems in medium sized organizations and businesses.