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San Francisco chooses Google, Earthlink proposal

San Francisco has chosen the joint Google/EarthLink proposal to provide affordable -- or maybe even free -- wi-fi access to the entire city.  The two companies and San Francisco will start negotiations soon to work out the details of the project which could change the way people in that city use the internet.
Written by Garett Rogers, Inactive

San Francisco has chosen the joint Google/EarthLink proposal to provide affordable -- or maybe even free -- wi-fi access to the entire city.  The two companies and San Francisco will start negotiations soon to work out the details of the project which could change the way people in that city use the internet.

"We are thrilled that the San Francisco TechConnect Committee has selected the EarthLink proposal, and we look forward to taking the next step to negotiate a contract to build a municipal wireless broadband network.  San Francisco is one of the most progressive cities in the world and our combined offerings with Google, Motorola and Tropos Networks will stretch the possibilities of what a mobile network can do for residents, businesses, municipal government and visitors.  We look forward to getting started in building a solution that will bring the incredible possibilities to reality." says Donald Berryman, Executive Vice President of EarthLink.

Google has recently filed for three patents outlining technologies that could offer affordable wireless internet access. These patents mention offering advertising through a wireless internet connection based on access points. With Google teaming up with partners such as EarthLink to build and implement this wireless network -- they can quickly and easily capture a large portion of the market.
The following patent applications were filed by Google employees Wesley Chan, Shioupyn Shen and Georges Harik.  They aim at lowering the cost of wireless access by providing advertisements through the service.

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