Facebook promising to improve Wi-Fi in San Jose

SAN JOSE (KGO) -- Facebook is promising to make the Wi-Fi in downtown San Jose that is bigger, faster and better than the current Wi-Fi system already in place.

The service is called Terragraph and just like Wickedly Fast Wi-Fi, the service free for people to use. That was put in about three years ago. It will be pumped out from metal boxes on light poles in downtown San Jose.

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Mayor Sam Liccardo is excited about the opportunity and would like to make it available citywide in the future, particularly in neighborhoods where families cannot afford internet access. So what about the cost to the city?

"Facebook is building on top of existing infrastructure, so we really allowed our city to be the platform for their technology. They carry the cost and our residents get the benefits," said Liccardo.

The Silicon Valley Business Journal reports Facebook said the Wi-Fi would be used mainly outdoors with hopes to eventually make it accessible inside buildings. The company has plans to expand the service to cities around the world.

You can expect the service to go online later this year in San Jose.

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