People in the Calgary neighbourhood of Hawkwood may soon be the first residential community in Canada to enjoy a mesh network providing free wireless internet service.

Crews are installing 23 internet nodes — phone-book sized boxes on top of lamp posts — this month in the northwest community.

'That's a real sort of trend and a real change in how wireless networks are deployed.'—Geoffrey Messier, University of Calgary

Naeco, a small company that specializes in wireless technology, is paying for the installation of GoNaeco and its free low-speed internet service. Each node costs about $5,000.

"They can now take their home speed that they've got with their laptop, they can go anywhere they want, said Alain Dubreuil, Naeco's vice-president of marketing and business development.

"This is the only one of its kind for Calgary and for Canada for that matter."

The company is relying on people in the suburban neighbourhood to upgrade to high-speed service to turn a profit, Dubreuil explained.

The fee structure has not yet been finalized but he said it will cost less than the main broadband providers in Calgary.

Potential expansion

Kevan Newman, president of the Hawkwood Community Association, said it wasn't a difficult decision to give GoNaeco a try.

"It would be an alternative to the big providers out there — the Shaws and the Teluses. So for sure, I'd like to sit in a park with the laptop and check things out," said Newman.

Geoffrey Messier, an associate professor at the University of Calgary's Schulich School of Engineering, said the model in Hawkwood could be a taste of things to come.

"That's a real sort of trend and a real change in how wireless networks are deployed. It's a lot cheaper," said Messier.

"I think we're going to see most wireless companies go to smaller coverage areas for their wireless devices and that's not just going to be just new companies like this one, it's also going to be companies like Telus and Bell."

The installation is expected to be finished in time to have the GoNaeco network working by Dec. 1.

Dubreuil said the company plans to expand to other communities if the pilot project in Hawkwood goes well.