The city of Gastonia has been working toward providing free Wi-Fi for businesses, residents and visitors in the central business district for some time now, and they have recently found a way to make it cost-effective. The Wi-Fi infrastructure will be based on a tower at the Gastonia Police Department and will have a signal extending about two miles from the center of downtown using hybrid WiMAX technology to offer web surfing speed that is comparable to that of a 4G cell phone network.
Although the signal will weaken as you venture further away, the city plans to eventually add booster units that will help the signal at locations such as Lineberger and Ferguson parks. This is part of a larger revitalization plan to make downtown Gastonia a more attractive choice to live and do business, as free wireless internet could loosen the budgets of those benefitting from this service and make it an attractive location to open new businesses. The necessary equipment is scheduled for delivery in September and there are tentative hopes that it should be up and running by mid-October.