Free Wi-Fi Now Available in Times Square

NEW YORK, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Times Square Alliance announced today that they have teamed up with Yahoo! to bring free wireless Internet access to Times Square. Times Square, long known as the Crossroads of the World, will also be the crossroads of the wireless world. Together, Times Square Alliance and Yahoo! are enabling you to connect within the Crossroads of the World so you can access your world and the world around you.

Whether you are accessing free Wi-Fi from your laptop or mobile phone, Times Square Alliance and Yahoo! are empowering visitors to do more with the Web so they can get more out of their experience within Times Square. Visitors gain access through a new portal that offers the latest information about Times Square events and businesses, as well as local weather and news from around the world.

"Times Square has always been a neighborhood on the forefront of creativity and technology," said Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins. "It's among the most plugged-in, linked up and media-saturated places on the planet. So it's only fitting that visitors to the Crossroads of the World enjoy free Wi-Fi as the next step on Times Square's journey to becoming a world-class 21st century public space."

The Broadway Pedestrian Plazas have created a gathering space for the community and visitors alike, and now the addition of this new, free service further provides them with access to the level of cutting edge technology traditionally associated with Times Square.

Pedestrians on the new Broadway Plazas can sit down at a cafe table, or on Duffy Square's iconic red glass steps, and access their email, read the review of a Broadway show they are considering, browse local restaurant menus, or simply see who's playing at Caroline's that evening. Locals could even use the free web access to translate conversations with interesting tourists from around the globe.

The service will be kicked off today, November 10 with a Times Square Internet Cafe operating from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. on the Broadway Pedestrian Plaza between 43rd and 44th Street, just east of Military Island. Patrons will be able to sit down in the internet cafe, enjoy a free cup of coffee and log onto the new Wi-Fi service. Tables will be provided for patrons that bring their own laptops and additional laptops will be available to visitors on a first come, first serve basis.

The Times Square Alliance expresses their appreciation to Newmark Knight Frank and Sherwood Equities for their invaluable assistance in bringing Wi-Fi to the Great White Way.

THE TIMES SQUARE ALLIANCE (www.TimesSquareNYC.org), founded in 1992, works to improve and promote Times Square. In addition to providing safety and sanitation services, the Alliance coordinates many major events in Times Square including New Year's Eve, manages the City's busiest Tourism Center and advocates on behalf of its constituents with respect to a host of public policy, planning and quality-of-life issues.