AT&T has decided to get in on the action, signing an agreement with Springfield, Illinois to develop and deploy a WiFi network that will cover the 25 square mile area around the city center. Residents outside that zone will be able to connect to the network via external antennas. While the network will initially use 802.11g, plans are in place to incorporate WiMAX over the next couple of years as that technology becomes more widely deployed in the US.

Springfield residents will have their choice of free, low-speed access and faster, paid access. As is the case with other municipal networks, the free access will be ad-supported. The faster tier of service will be available on a daily or monthly basis, with pricing undetermined. AT&T will also market the service as an add-on feature for its DSL customers.

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