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Updated 01/08/2013 03:13 PM

Google Sets Up City's Largest Free Public Wi-Fi Network In Chelsea

By: NY1 News

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Google is making one Manhattan neighborhood a lot more connected.

The tech giant says it is providing free Wi-Fi in parts of Chelsea, where its offices are located.

This is the city's largest outdoor Wi-Fi network, stretching from 15th to 19th Streets, from Eighth to 10th Avenues.

It extends into a number of the neighborhood’s public spaces, including the Chelsea Triangle, Gansevoort Plaza and about a two-block stretch of the High Line.

The service is sponsored in part by the Chelsea Improvement Company, with support from the city.

The Wi-Fi network will be available in all outdoor areas of the Fulton Houses public housing complex, and will also cover several public schools.

"Here is a pioneer. In a large neighborhood, over 100,000 people and anyone else who walks through the streets here can get free Wi-Fi," said Sen. Charles Schumer. "That’s going to be an incredible thing, and it’s going to help us stay as one of the leaders in tech."

"This neighborhood can now claim to be the first in Manhattan with totally free outdoor Wi-Fi. And that’s great for new Yorkers who live, work or go to school in Chelsea, including the more than 2,000 NYCHA residents here at Fulton Houses," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Officials say the network cost about $115,000 to install and will cost about $45,000 a year to maintain.

There is no word yet on whether any other neighborhoods might be in line for a similar project.