Lord Mayor the Honourable Michael Harbison today launched citilan, Australia's largest public wireless local area network (WLAN).

The citilan WiFi network makes wireless Internet access available throughout the Adelaide CBD and North Adelaide, creating an easy-access, low-cost "urban hot zone" covering entire city streets.

The network is the result of an innovative collaboration between Adelaide City Council, service providers Internode/Agile and AirNet, network hardware leader Cisco, the South Australian Government and mobile broadband consortium m.Net Corporation.

ISPs AirNet and Internode will provide attractive pricing to casual users and existing customers. Visitors will be able to pick up an instruction brochure from tourist information centres and businesses and register at the citilan website (www.citilan.com.au). 

Lord Mayor Harbison said that local businesses, tourists, shoppers, students and residents will all benefit from the new network.

"citilan shows yet again that Adelaide is a world leader in applying technology," the Lord Mayor said.


"Our City is large enough to create significant breakthroughs, but small enough that we can do it in a collaborative manner.

"The network will boost the State's IT reputation, and provide more opportunities for local startup companies to incubate and grow in the competitive IT field. "

The area has been peppered with more than 40 wireless network access points, each with a range of about 200 metres "line of sight", with more to come as demand grows. In another Australian first, many of these hotspots use city infrastructure such as traffic lights and lamp posts, identifiable by the citilan decal.

Anyone using a laptop or personal digital assistant (PDA) enabled with a wireless card within range of these emblems will be able to access citilan and roam across the city while still connected.

m.Net Corporation chief executive officer Horden Wiltshire said the network is an example of successful collaboration, and will open up new ways to use wireless environments.

"South Australians and visitors will be among the first to use leading edge services developed for mobile users," Mr Wiltshire said.

"When access is easy and inexpensive, you can really start to harness the power of the web. Imagine the mobile services we can provide for people visiting the Fringe or Adelaide Festival of the Arts?

"We believe the model we're using here will be replicated in urban communities all over the world."

About WLAN technology

The citilan wireless network consists mainly of access points that use the 802.11b wireless networking standard. This means a data transfer speed of 11 megabits per second for most users. In future it will include the new 802.11g standard, which promises data speeds up to 56 megabits per second, but which still works with 802.11b.

A hot spot typically provides Internet access to an area of about 100 metres in radius around an antenna connected to a high speed Internet connection. A hot zone uses a network of antennae and doesn't require each location to provide an Internet connection. In a hot zone each location is close enough to the central antenna to feed off a single high-speed line.

The network is operated by AAA Telecommunications, which is a joint venture between Agile Communications (owner of Internode) and AirNet, two Adelaide based licensed carriers. Other Internet Service Providers will be able to join citilan. To find out more, visit www.citilan.com.au

About m.Net Corporation

m.Net Corporation is a consortium of multinational companies, Australian IT&T and research organisations collaborating to give Australia a global lead in the mobile broadband market. The m.Net Australia project is supported by the Australian Commonwealth Government through the Building on IT Strengths (BITS) Advanced Networks Program (ANP) of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.  m.Net has also received strong support from the SA Government and industry.  m.Net provides a range of services to developers and content creators through its Gallery 4 business division.  www.mnetcorporation.com

About Internode and Agile Communications

Internode is a leading Australian broadband enabler with national Internet access services. Based in Adelaide it is SA's premier provider of business-class Internet access and professional services. Its founder Simon Hackett is President of the South Australian Internet Association and is an Internet pioneer stemming from his involvement in AARNet, which brought the Internet to Australia's shores more than a decade ago. To find out more visit www.internode.on.net.

Agile Communications, www.agile.com.au, a sister company to Internode, was the first SA-based company to gain a national telecommunications licence, granted in May 1998. Using Internet Protocol-based technology the carrier achieves price-performance points unavailable through traditional carrier networks.

About AirNet

AirNet Commercial Australia (www.airnet.com.au) is an Internet Protocol based "NEXT-GENERATION Telco/ISP" that is rolling out one of Australia's' most ambitious telecommunications services.