Wired city

The idea of an entire city connected to the Internet is getting closer to reality, and one Naples startup is on the leading edge of the trend.

German-born engineer Uli Altvater has developed an ingenious street light with room inside the light casing for a computer that connects anyone nearby to the Internet. Customers include municipalities and utilities. “We can do citywide Wi-Fi with street lights,” Altvater says.

Apollo recently got a boost when it announced a partnership with California-based Trilliant, which already provides communication networks for utilities that serve a combined 85 million customers. “We resell each other's products,” says Altvater. “It basically gives us market access.”