• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Meraki and One Economy Team Up to Bring Broadband Access to More Than 100,000 Low-Income Families Globally

Posted on: Wednesday, 14 January 2009, 23:01 CST

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Meraki, an award-winning provider of Wi-Fi networking solutions, and One Economy, a global nonprofit that leverages technology to help people improve their lives, today announced a new partnership that continues the push for digital inclusion by delivering affordable broadband Wi-Fi to more than 100,000 low-income housing families in the United States and around the globe over the next two years.

Meraki's world-class Wi-Fi networking technology drastically reduces the cost of deploying reliable Wi-Fi networks. As part of a multi-year agreement, One Economy will deploy Meraki solutions to low-income communities in every location it provides services to starting with major U.S. cities including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and eventually throughout the globe. Residents of these housing developments will be able to access crucial information and education resources that are available online.

"Everyday, we use the Internet to investigate pressing issues in our lives: education, jobs, immigration, health care and other vital issues," said Rey Ramsey, One Economy CEO. "Meraki's technology has already enabled us to quickly cover a housing development with a strong, reliable wireless signal that doesn't require much upkeep. By taking on this new challenge we are bringing affordable broadband access to the people who need it most."

"We believe open, constantly available access to information has the power to transform lives," said Sanjit Biswas, Meraki CEO. "Meraki's leading technology makes it possible to deliver high-speed Internet access to affordable housing communities across the globe at significantly lower costs and we're excited to work with One Economy to deliver this access to the people who need it most."

Meraki's technology is unlike any other wireless access technology currently available and significantly changes the economics of Internet connectivity. With powerful hardware and integrated cloud-based management services, Meraki is the ultimate solution in medium and large-scale wireless infrastructure deployments. Meraki's patented networking systems and technologies enable rapid network installation and a revolutionary new model of management through cloud computing. Both of these technologies enable the creation of better Wi-Fi networks at lower costs.

One Economy has already used Meraki's Wi-Fi networking solutions to bring free and low-cost broadband to more than 15,000 low-income people across the United States. For example, One Economy used Meraki devices to bring high- speed Internet access to the Park Boulevard housing development, a public- private partnership established with the Chicago Housing Authority. This effort connected 45 units of low-income housing that are part of a larger mixed income development covering two city blocks.

Since its founding in 2000, One Economy has worked to maximize the potential of technology to help low-income people improve their lives and enter the economic mainstream. Working on four continents, One Economy helps bring broadband into the homes of low-income people, employs youth to train their community members to use technology effectively, and creates public- purpose media that inspires, informs and engages.

Meraki's customers span 125 countries and range from operators covering individual buildings, to large carriers connecting entire towns and regions at disruptively low costs. For more information visit: http://www.meraki.com.

About Meraki

Meraki is an award-winning provider of Wi-Fi networking solutions. Meraki's patented networking systems and cloud-based management services are fundamentally improving the quality, speed of deployment, and economics of providing high-speed wireless Internet access. Today there are thousands of Meraki-based networks in more than 125 countries throughout the world. Meraki is located in San Francisco, California, and is funded in part by Sequoia Capital and Google. For more information, go to http://www.meraki.com. For information on becoming a Meraki certified reseller, go to http://www.meraki.com/partners.

About One Economy

One Economy is a global nonprofit that uses the power of technology and information to expand opportunities for low-income people. One Economy delivers online public-purpose resources and innovative programs to individuals and communities. Visit http://www.one-economy.com for more information.

SOURCE Meraki

Source: PR Newswire

More News in this Category