Mexico City looking into citywide WiFi

Mexico has already dipped its feet into the wide world of expansive internet access before, but now Mayor Marcelo Ebrard is looking into hooking the 8.7 million residents of Mexico City up with citywide WiFi. The plan seems to focus on connecting "schools, government offices, and the city's thousands of surveillance cameras," but wide open wireless internet would certainly elicit smiles from anyone actually able to take advantage of it. Interestingly, it was said that the city government is "giving this project the highest priority," which presumably means that the backlog of free Xbox consoles must be runnin' thin. No word just yet on when the city can look forward to unlimited WiFi, but considering that Mr. Ebrard just signed an agreement with China's ZTE to get things moving, we'd say things are well on their way.

[Christopher @ Apr 8th 2007 11:47AM]

And New York City doesnt get citywide wi-fi. Thanks Bloomberg.

[Socko @ Apr 8th 2007 1:06PM]

Nice, in Mexico you can have it all wifi and tv BUT you can't have clean water, make a decent wage or even toilets!

[Andrew Fong @ Apr 8th 2007 3:45PM]

Actually, my roommate just got back from spring break in Mexico, and in Mexico City at least, it's pretty clean. That includes the toilets. I'm guessing our conception of Mexico as a poor backwards country comes from its rural areas, not Mexico City.

[David @ Apr 8th 2007 1:33PM]

Mexico has always toyed with these types of socialistic policies. This is partly why the country is still backwards and poor.

Apparently, Christopher in NY wants to pay even more NYC taxes even after he upgrades to a better service that the city doesn't offer in the future. (Or maybe the city will then not allow competing services?) It is frightening how people think.

[Hector D @ Apr 8th 2007 4:56PM]

Of course, ... most people have another idea of what Mexico City looks like. Maybe thanks to movies or crappy Border towns, on both sides of the border. Like every huge city, there are good parts of town and bad parts. This metropoli competes with the way of living of NY, Chicago and LA. There is absolutely nothing you can't find in Mexico City. Yes, crime is bad, but on par with cities of this size. Thanks to Hollywood, people have the totally wrong idea about this city. Just like people outside of Texas think there are only cowboys riding horses in the state.

By the way, Engadget, you got it wrong, Mexico City has 24 million people, not 8.7.

[TheClashRocker @ Apr 8th 2007 5:42PM]

So, free citywide wifi is mexicos city's priority, even though, they have the worst air pollution...in the world. Get your priorities straight!

[Javier @ Apr 8th 2007 6:36PM]

Of curse it has the worst pollution in the world... i mean, it's the biggest city in the world... duuh!

[Luis @ Apr 8th 2007 7:14PM]

Just here get some fact right

- Mexico City does not have the worst air pollution in the world, it used to in the early and mid 90´s but now it´s like the 30th worst, tha air quality index has improved recently.

- Mexico City´s Population is ~21 million

- Mexico City is NOT the largest city on earth, that honor belongs to Tokyo

- There is clean water and all other basic and nonbasic services in Mexico City and all but the most fucked up parts in Mexico

[logikgr @ Apr 9th 2007 6:17AM]

Mexico City PROPER ~ 8.9M
Greater Mexico City (Zona Metropolitana del Valle de Mexico) ~ 19M

The closer to Mexico City Proper, the better the conditions in terms of basic services (gas, water, electricity, etc.).

[ursula2k @ Apr 9th 2007 1:05PM]

Im a Canadian living in Mexico City. This is a really great vibrant place to live. Many of the misconceptions are usually overblown by the media. I used to live in Toronto, and I would rather find myself in Tepito in the middle of the night than in some places in Toronto.

[Enrique @ Apr 9th 2007 3:00PM]

Some of you guys need to get out more.

[David @ Apr 12th 2007 5:07AM]

As always, almost everyone has a misconception about Mexico... As someone said, some parts of Mexico are indeed poor, others are even richer than the nicest parts of europe, or even united states of america (and i am not exaggerting!)

The population of Mexico City is 8,720,916, from the last official census!