Birmingham, AL (PRWEB) October 17, 2006 — Wireless hotspots in the Birmingham region are popping up in record numbers according to BhamWiFi.com. The listing, started in November 2004 with 50 hotspots, has grown rapidly as Birmingham area companies continue to add this low-cost amenity to their offerings. As reported in various news outlets, wireless access to the Internet is no longer limited to coffee shops, bookstores, and hotels. Increasingly, for instance, restaurants are adding WiFi to attract customers in-between meals. Several city parks in Birmingham and Alabaster are now wireless. And, more businesses like the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce are offering a WiFi connection for use while waiting in lobbies or for use during meetings.
The list of regional hotspots currently sits at 299. TechBirmingham is looking for #300. Area residents can visit www.BhamWiFi.com and submit any publicly available hotspot for inclusion on the list. Hotspots in the 7-county Birmingham/Hoover metropolitan statistical area are eligible to appear on the list. BhamWiFi.com is a collaborative effort between TechBirmingham and IPSA (the Internet Professionals Society of Alabama).
In addition, three regional cities rank in the top 100 for free WiFi according to Silicon-valley based AnchorFree (www.AnchorFree.com), a website that catalogues free wireless hotspots around the world. The City of Birmingham currently ranks in the top 15 nationally alongside such cities as San Diego, Minneapolis, and Kansas City. The City of Hoover ranks #25 of US-cities in a virtual dead heat with San Jose and Washington DC. And, the City of Homewood ranks #33 in a tie with cities like Boulder, Dallas, and Philadelphia. If AnchorFree treated the 3 cities as one, the region might rank in the top 10 nationally for free WiFi. The dynamic listing of top free wireless cities can be viewed at http://anchorfree.com/most-unwired-cities.php.
“With the Birmingham public’s help, we’ll top 300 on the BhamWiFi list and very likely move up in AnchorFree’s national rankings,” said Curtis Palmer, president of TechBirmingham.
About TechBirmingham
TechBirmingham, the Birmingham Area Technology Leadership Alliance, is focused on growing the technology economy in the Birmingham, Ala. region. It is a not-for-profit entity formed by the community to lead, support, and coordinate the start-up, attraction, growth, retention, and expansion of technology-based businesses, investments, and jobs for the entire Birmingham region. The organization was created from the recommendations of the Birmingham Area Technology Task Force (“BATT Force”) in May 2002 and is financially backed by both public and private sources. More details are available at www.TechBirmingham.com.
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[...] In the meantime, you (and the Mayor’s office) can see where the City of Birmingham’s 100 WiFi hotspots already ARE at BhamWiFi.com – enjoy! BTW, there are over 340 public sites (about which we know) across our metro region. If Langford is successul in “The Right Spot” initiative, then Birmingham will certainly rocket up in the national rankings for free WiFi. [...]
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