Business Chief USA February 2019

CITY OF MISSISSAUGA
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with Cisco Canada the City has been able to
build out an extensive Wi-Fi network in all City
libraries, community centers, arenas, marinas
and many outdoor locations such parks,
Celebration Square, and four small business
areas where district Wi-Fi has been provided.
Being a connected and engaged City is an
important objective and in 2018 over 8mn hours
of free public Wi-Fi was used across the City.
Providing this access in so many locations
across the City is one way of tackling the digital
divide and providing opportunity for those
who might not otherwise have had this access.
In May of 2017, the City of Mississauga was the
first City in Canada to become a virtual campus.
The City partnered with CANARIE and Eduroam
to provide a gateway to over 70,000 postsecondary
institutions from around the world
for visiting students and exchange students
who access its Wi-Fi network. In the first year
there were over 1mn international students
using the service, with over half of them from
Europe. “There’s a term out there that Wi-Fi
is the new oxygen. This really demonstrates
that providing connectivity is a city service.
So, the digital divide is something that we really
pay attention to,” states Slack.
Mississauga has certainly demonstrated
that it is a Smart City leader in Canada and
beyond, but the journey is not over yet; in fact,
“THE CLOUD
ALLOWED US
TO QUICKLY AND
EFFECTIVELY
PROVIDE ACCESS
TO OPERATIONAL
DATA AN D
EMPLOYEE
INFORMATION”
—
Shawn Slack,
CIO, City of Mississauga
FEBRUARY 2019