Boston is expanding its free Wi-Fi coverage to three more neighborhoods after the service hit record usage this summer.
“We’ve seen — in the latter part of the summer — record sustained usage on the system, it’s been really remarkable,” said Jascha Franklin-Hodge, chief information officer for the city. “From the middle part of July into September, there’s been steady growth.”
Last week, users connected to Wicked Free Wi-Fi more than 53,000 times. There have been 50,000 connections per week routinely, Franklin-Hodge said. From Sept. 6 to Sept. 12, 2014, there were 30,584 connections, according to city data.
Wicked Free Wi-Fi will expand to neighborhood business districts in Roslindale, Dudley Square and Hyde Park, and add 37 wireless access points, the city said.
“What we’ve seen in our conversations with neighborhood groups, business leaders, they’re excited,” Franklin-Hodge said.
The free wireless access is designed to give shoppers in neighborhood main streets another amenity, and perhaps a reason to sit on a park bench before more shopping.
“It’s part of our broader strategy to increase connectivity,” Franklin-Hodge said. “We have more expansion in the works.”
He said the city has started talking to some property owners about installing antennas in buildings where the city doesn’t have the right infrastructure.
