Mountain View is set to ditch the free Wi-Fi provided by Google.
Officials in the city have decided to replace the service with a new $130,000 system, following complaints that Google’s service was poor.
It had been suggested by residents that it was often difficult to connect to Google’s Wi-Fi in the local library and in the City Hall.
Both Google and local politicians have blamed the huge increase in Wi-Fi usage across the city for the deterioration of the network’s performance.
In an interview with itworld.com, Mountain View assistant city manager Kimberly Thomas revealed that plans were already in place for the launch of the new Wi-Fi.
She said: “The city has received many complaints in recent months regarding the performance and reliability of the free Google Wi-Fi system in Mountain View, particularly at our library. The current system will remain at its status quo condition until options for its future are finalized.”
Google, which has its headquarters based in the north of Mountain View, equipped hundreds of light poles with wireless nodes back in 2006 at no cost to the city.
Patch.com reports that the new Wi-Fi will be located in the City Hall and stretch as far as the local library. It should launch within the next month.
