AnchorFree Wireless Inc. recently announced that its subscriber base in its five San Francisco Wi-Fi Hotzones (Cow Hollow, The Castro, Marina District, Pacific Heights and Union Square) has grown 250% in the last five months, making it the largest provider of free wireless Internet access in San Francisco. AnchorFree first launched its service in February 2005 by blanketing the commercial portion of Chestnut St. in San Francisco with free 54-Mb (802.11G) Wi-Fi Internet access. Thousands of San Franciscans and businesses have already benefited from free wireless Internet access outside of their homes and offices.
On Aug. 16, 2005, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom issued a Request For Information (RFI) on the possibility of blanketing the entire city of San Francisco with free wireless Internet access. On Friday, September 30, AnchorFree answered Mayor Newsom's request by submitting the necessary RFI paperwork.