Port of San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal Offers Free Wi-Fi

Thursday, 11 March 2010
Contact: Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216

The Port of San Diego is adding its name to the list of public Wi-Fi hotspots.

As a courtesy to cruise ship passengers, the Port has activated Wi-Fi Internet service within the B Street Pier Cruise Ship terminal to lead them to local businesses and attractions.

The service, called OpenPort, offers users four hours of Wi-Fi access, free of charge at a lower bandwidth. Higher speed access is also available for all-day use at $5 per day.

The Wi-Fi landing page site includes information about the most popular San Diego attractions as well as Port tenants within walking distance of the cruise ship terminal, such as the USS Midway Museum, Seaport Village and the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Also available on the site are maps and links to Port tenant dining specials and hotel accommodations via TheBig Bay.com. Visitors can also learn more about the Port of San Diego.

OpenPort allows travelers to gain access to their e-mail, share photos or browse the Internet when embarking or disembarking from cruise ships. Wi-Fi capable devices such as a personal computer or mobile phones send and receive data over wireless networks through the service.

"We are pleased to offer this service to visitors at the Cruise Ship Terminal and through the OpenPort landing page can also provide visitors information about nearby attractions and amenities," said Thomas Lockwood, Network Systems Analyst in the Information Technology Department.

The advertised speeds of 250 Kbps and 1Mbps are maximum speeds, but actual speeds will vary depending on the number of people connected. During a cruise ship call there are typically 50-100 devices connected to the service, Lockwood said.

Currently, the service is only available within the B Street Cruise Ship terminal but there are plans to expand this service in the near future. The Broadway Cruise Ship Terminal, which is currently under construction, will include the service.

There are also plans to expand coverage outdoors onto the Embarcadero in front of the cruise terminals.

The system was installed at a cost of $10,000.

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