The City of Vancouver partnered with Shaw to expand free public Wi-Fi

Vancouverites now have even more opportunities to connect to public Wi-Fi, courtesy of regional carrier Shaw.

The City of Vancouver has partnered with Shaw to expand the city’s public Wi-Fi offerings, with VanWiFi covering over 600 locations.

“Shaw’s expansion of #VanWiFi is a huge win for our residents and businesses, covering more than 500 locations in the downtown core and surrounding area,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, in a January 19th, 2018 media release. “People are more digitally connected than ever and good public Wi-Fi access enables locals and visitors to more easily connect and interact online and supports Vancouver’s tourism and economic success.”

Shaw’s work on VanWiFi has equipped nine social housing sites, six outdoor sites, 15 specific locations requested by the City, as well as more than 500 locations spread across the city’s downtown area.

“This vast expansion of the #VanWiFi public network will give residents and visitors to Vancouver easy connectivity in the busiest locations across the city, whenever they want and need it for free,” said Jim Little, executive vice president and and chief marketing and culture officer at Shaw, in the same January release.

Approximately 550 hotspots are currently active, with the remaining locations expected to come online later this year.

Users should expect speeds of 10 Mbps, with no cap or limit on data usage.

Vancouver has also worked with Telus to provide free public Wi-Fi. The City previously rolled outed six Telus-powered Wi-Fi hotspots in October 2015.

A full list of all public Wi-Fi hotspots can be found on the City of Vancouver website.

Source: Shaw