Mountain View City Council inks deal with Google for new Wi-Fi network

Google is set to replace its frustrating-to-use Wi-Fi network in Mountain View (CA) with one that is smaller but more capable.

The Mountain View City Council enthusiastically approved a new five-year agreement that will see Google turn the downtown corridor into a free outdoor wireless hotspot. Council members also accepted a $500,000 grant from the company to install and maintain Wi-Fi networks at the community center, library, teen center, senior center and Rengstorff Park. The agreement paves the way for Google to dismantle the existing wireless system that covers 80 to 90 percent of the city. Among the first of its kind in the US when it was launched in 2007, the system is now plagued with reliability and performance issues.