Philadelphians to get citywide hotspot for $20 a month

EarthLink and the city of Philadelphia have agreed to lay down their arms and put up the towers. The citywide hotspot will become a reality, with Earthlink as the provider.

A series of 700 T-1 links will create a 135-square-mile hotspot that will cover the entire city and some of its outlying areas. Of that allocated area, 22 hotspots will be free to all users. In addition, low-income users will be able to connect for just US$9.95 a month.

The “normal” pricetag for the 1 Mbps Wi-Fi service is to be less than US$20 a month. The faster DSL connections are offered by local behemoth Verizon Communications at US$14.95.