NTNU - The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim in Norway will soon serve as field test laboratory for wireless broadband information services.

NTNU has signed a formal cooperative agreement with the city of Trondheim, the county and the local chamber of commerce to develop a world-class field laboratory for the testing of mobile and nomadic broadband information services. Under the agreement, NTNU will install full wireless coverage for students and staff on the university's campus, and will extend the wireless network to cover the commercial areas of downtown Trondheim.

The goal is to preserve session mobility (roaming) throughout the entire network. The coverage in the first stage of the development will be approximately 5 km2, with a target start date of 15 August, 2006.

Wireless coverage in the Trondheim region.

The first development phase will employ Wi-Fi technology, but will gradually shift to other technologies, such as WiMAX, as the technology matures. Approximately 20,000 university students are expected to comprise the user community for the planned network during the first phase in the autumn of 2006. The Trondheim Wireless City programme is an effort that welcomes outside enterprises, including content and technology providers who would like to test their ideas in the planned field laboratory.