Shaw Communications has signed an agreement with the city of Winnipeg to offer its Wi-Fi service in more locations across the city, including libraries, arenas, recreation facilities and community centers.
The agreement still needs the final stamp of approval from the Winnipeg City Council. The Wi-Fi hotspots can be accessed by Shaw subscribers.
“It’s vital the city of Winnipeg provide its residents with the very latest in communications tools,” said Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz. “I know that busy families are going to appreciate Wi-Fi access in arenas and community centers. We look forward to working with Shaw Communications to keep enhancing the out-of-home Internet experience.”
Last year, Shaw announced it was abandoning its LTE network build-out in favor of Wi-Fi. At the time, Shaw said it had picked Cisco to help built out its Wi-Fi network and access points.
Since then, Shaw has built out its Wi-Fi network across Western Canada by forging partnerships with businesses, municipalities, small businesses and property managers.
With the additional hotspots, Shaw customers can use the Wi-Fi service to stream live and on-demand content with Shaw’s TV Everywhere service, Shaw Go. Shaw Go launched last month and includes Movie Central and NFL Sunday Ticket apps, as well as video content from HBO Canada.
“We are thrilled to work with the City of Winnipeg to extend the broadband Internet experience for Shaw customers living in and travelling to Winnipeg,” said Shaw Communications President Peter Bissonnette. “Combined with our leadership in the TV Everywhere category and the popularity of Wi-Fi-enabled devices, this new agreement will provide our customers in Winnipeg with an unparalleled online experience, no matter where they might be in the city.”
Shaw customers only need to register their mobile device once at a Shaw Wi-Fi location, and then that device is automatically connected to all other Shaw Wi-Fi locations across its footprint.