Edmonton’s city council gave Shaw Communications its stamp of approval by voting in favor of letting the cable operator expand its Wi-Fi service to public areas across the city.

The Shaw Go WiFi network will be available not only Shaw’s customers once its completed, but also to city residents and visitors. The new Wi-Fi access points will be added to LRT stations, facilities and libraries as well as areas in Edmonton that have a lot of foot traffic.

“Recent advances in digital communication are reshaping economies and societies of many cities around the world. Having readily available WiFi access in our city has become a necessity to be a fully digitally connected city,” said Edmonton city manager Simon Farbrother. “Our relationship with Shaw provides a cost-effective way to provide our citizens with free online access from all important public and gathering locations across the city.”

The build out of the network will take place over the next two years as Shaw will continually add new Wi-Fi hotspots around the city.

“We are proud to be working with the city of Edmonton on this initiative, bringing Shaw Go WiFi access to Edmonton,” said Shaw Communications President Peter Bissonnette. “In an increasingly connected and on-the-go world, we are expanding our WiFi services across Western Canada to bring the latest technology to our customers – so they won’t miss a thing.”

Edmonton, along with Calgary and Vancouver, was one Shaw’s initial trial cities back when it first launched its Wi-Fi service two years ago after abandoning its plan to build its own LTE network.  

Shaw previously announced it was using gear from Cisco for its Wi-Fi build out across Western Canada.