INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indianapolis company and a downtown club have made it possible for laptop users to access the Internet wirelessly for free on Monument Circle.

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Wireless Users Work, E-Mail Outside The Office

The Columbia Club is sponsoring the service, which is provided by eWireless, RTV6's Julie Pursley reported.

A wireless access point and an antenna on top of the Columbia Club create a "hot spot" that allows people with wireless-capable laptops to roam the circle while using the Internet, Pursley reported.

The co-owner of eWireless, Henry Kurkowski, explained the service.

"Wi-Fi -- Wireless Fidelity -- is a high-speed way of accessing the Internet, and anyone with a wirelessly enabled laptop can access this service," Kurkowski said.

Users can keep up on their workload when out of the office or, like Monument Circle wireless user Mel Green, catch up on their e-mail, Pursley reported.

"I don't have to go back to the office. I don't have to go home between my second job to check my e-mail. I'm doing it right here. I'm sending an e-mail to my boyfriend in Africa right now from Indy," Green said.

Kurkowski said wireless Internet access benefits the city itself as well as its citizens.

"It's an economic development tool that helps attract meeting planners, tourism and the mobile business persons, and we're really trying to push Indianapolis to be seen as a technologically savvy city," Kurkowski said.

Local businesses also have picked up on the wireless trend. Ripple Bagel and Deli in Broad Ripple hooked up with eWireless to provide wireless Internet access to its customers, Pursley reported.

Ripple's Ken Richman said the service is good for business.

"We've seen our business, as a matter of fact, increase as a result of it, and when our customers perceive something is good, we want to make sure that we have it," Richman said.

Businesses that work with eWireless pay a monthly fee so that customers can use the wireless service free of charge, Pursley reported.