February 12, 2019
ESP-PUBLIC-WIFI Network Accessible Throughout Concourse and Corning Tower Observation Deck
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
The introduction of a new and free public Wi-Fi system at the Empire State Plaza concourse was announced today by New York State Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito and Office of Information Technology Services Chief Information Officer Robert H. Samson. The new system allows visitors to walk the entire length of the Plaza's concourse level without experiencing interruption in their wireless service and provides access to important online State resources.
"OGS and ITS have collaborated to modernize the Empire State Plaza concourse by providing visitors with an easily accessible Wi-Fi system they can use for free to surf the web and take advantage of all the online services the State provides," Commissioner Destito said. "Just by logging on, Wi-Fi users will be brought to our website, empirestateplaza.ny.gov, and gain immediate access to information about places to eat, activities, and exhibits going on at the Plaza, including the time of the next Capitol tour and the history of the Empire State Plaza Art Collection."
"ITS is pleased to partner with OGS to deploy technology that makes it easier for visitors to the Empire State Plaza to stay connected," CIO Samson said. "Visitors can now use the publicly available Wi-Fi to more easily conduct their business or learn more about the Empire State Plaza, showcasing the latest example of how New York State is delivering innovation that matters."
The new Wi-Fi network extends the length of the concourse, from the Madison Avenue entrance to the Empire State Plaza Visitor Center and Gift Shop, as well as on the Corning Tower Observation Deck, and provides visitors with free internet access in all retail locations, dining areas, meeting rooms, and the Convention Hall.
Previously, Wi-Fi was available in a limited number of locations at the Plaza, such as the Convention Center, and required a password to sign in.
To connect to the system, select ESP-PUBLIC-WIFI and log on to the guest wireless network through a web browser by clicking on "continue to internet."
The system will automatically take users to the OGS website, empirestateplaza.ny.gov, where they can find online resources that are useful when visiting the Capitol and Empire State Plaza, including how to for plan a visit, what to see at the Plaza, and information about dining options, events, tours, exhibits, and the Convention Center.
About ITS
The New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) was created in 2012 to transform IT services in an effort to make New York State government work smarter for its citizens and enable the state to be accessible for businesses through the use of technology. ITS provides statewide IT strategic direction, directs IT policy and delivers centralized IT products and services that support the mission of the State. ITS operates data centers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to support statewide mission-critical applications for over 50 Agencies, over 17 million citizen accounts, 120,000 employee accounts, 60,000 phones, 99,000 desktops and laptops, and 3,433 Virtual Desktop remote connections. ITS operates a secure network of over 1,600 miles of fiber to deliver telecommunications, Internet and Intranet services, enterprise email systems and support, IT training, networking, data storage and processing to State government entities in addition to developing new services in support of citizens, businesses and State Agencies.
For more information, visit https://its.ny.gov and follow us on Twitter @nysits.