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Toronto Hydro Launches Free Wi-Fi Network

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the everything's-bigger-in-canada dept.

k. writes to let us know about the launch Wednesday of Toronto Hydro's city-wide Wi-Fi network, at 6 square kilometers said to be the largest in North America by the time rollout is complete in December. The service will be free for 6 months and then will cost $29 (Canadian) per month, $10 for a day, or $5 for an hour. Toronto Hydro gets around fears of the Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse by requiring use of one's cell-phone number as the user ID.

8 of 155 comments (clear)

  1. Oh to hack.. by Siberwulf · · Score: 2, Funny

    Toronto Hydro gets around fears of the Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse by requiring use of one's cell-phone number as the user ID.

    Oh to hack that database... It would probably be better just to submit your SSN in plaintext.

    1. Re:Oh to hack.. by geoffspear · · Score: 4, Funny

      Oddly enough, many Toronto residents for some reason don't qualify for a SSN.

      --
      Don't blame me; I'm never given mod points.
    2. Re:Oh to hack.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      So *you're* the guy who goes around explaining jokes. Speaking of which, I've been wondering the meaning of the chicken crossing the road one. Can you do that?

    3. Re:Oh to hack.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      fowl play

  2. Free? by Otter · · Score: 4, Funny
    Toronto Hydro Launches Free Wi-Fi Network

    As if things weren't complicated enough, now we have free-as-in-speech, free-as-in-beer, and free-as-in-$5/hour..

    Incidentally, if a digitalnetizengeezerologism like "The Four Horsemen" has caught on so poorly that you need to link to some netidinoWiredsaur's email from 1995, it's probably not worth hanging on to.

    --
    What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
  3. Re:Marketing Buttwipes by rikkards · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah but the way Torontonians talk, they are Canada so it would be equivalent as "City-wide" :)

  4. Re:I have a land line, you insensitive clod! by Jonny_eh · · Score: 3, Funny

    Don't forget the $500-$2000 setup fee for people who don't have a computer.

  5. Re:Just to clarify... by kripkenstein · · Score: 3, Funny

    Toronto Hydro is the power company, not the water company. Just in case you were wondering.

    Electricity, water, whatever. Just as long as we are clear that the internet is, in fact, a series of pipes.

    Sure, here we have wi-fi for part of the way, but after that it's pipes galore.