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Paris to go WiFi by 2007, Says Mayor

Paris might become the most connected capital in the world. Mayor Bertrand Delanoe said on Tuesday that Paris wants blanket wireless internet cover all over the city by the end of 2007. A new initiative plans to set up 400 free WiFi spots across the city and allow internet service provider to install antennae on strategically located buildings.

"We will act fast and firmly... to create the most favorable conditions for Paris," Delanoe told reporters at city hall. "It is a decisive tool for international competition and thus important for the city." The Mayor also wants to cut down taxes for companies that lay down fiber optic cables. The goal is to have 80 percent of all buildings in the city connected to broadband high-speed internet networks by 2010.

"Sixty percent of Parisian households already have high-speed connections. ... Our goal will be not only to maintain this but also to move a step ahead," Delanoe said. It is not enough the people are connected in their own houses, Mayor Delanoe wants people to remain connected when they walk the streets of Paris as well.