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Google and EarthLink to Offer Free Wi-Fi

A new wireless internet service will be available for the entire city of San Francisco free, courtesy of Google Inc, and EarthLink. The new service will enable the companies to know the exact location of the user up to 100 feet, and provide him with location specific advertising.

Google says users linking up with wi-fi transmitters placed around cities can be located to within a couple of blocks. This would open up a new level of advertising opportunities for the company, allowing it to serve tightly focused ads on its web pages from local businesses in the immediate area.

The Department of Telecommunications and Information Services said late Wednesday that the city would begin contract negotiations with EarthLink and Google. EarthLink and Google are working with wireless equipment suppliers Motorola and Tropos Networks to construct a mobile network for residents, businesses, municipal government and visitors. EarthLink also has been selected to build a municipal Wi-Fi network for the city of Philadelphia, and more recently, for Milpitas, California, in Silicon Valley.