In a bid to remain internationally competitive and encourage technological advancement, the city of Paris has made plans to blanket the entire city with free wireless internet access by the end of 2007. The system would consist of 400 access points and would be setup and maintained by firms which win the contract bids that will begin in early 2007. "We will act fast and firmly... to create the most favorable conditions for Paris," Mayor Bertrand Delanoe told reporters at city hall. "It is a decisive tool for international competition and thus important for the city."
Plans do not stop there, though. Paris will also drastically cut taxes on laying fiber optic wire and license fees for maintaining such networks. The city plans to have 80% of all buildings connected to ultra high speed networks by the year 2010, further increasing their competitiveness in the digital world.
Mayor Delanoe will submit the plans for approval by the city council next week.
News source: Yahoo! News
