Scores of wireless networking transmitters are popping up atop public buildings, traffic lights and other structures in a bid to bring high-speed Internet access to virtually every corner of this Southern California city.

The project is being touted by Aiirnet Wireless, its operator, as the largest wireless networking, or WiFi, deployment in the nation, with broadband access provided to an 8.6-square-mile area.

The city struck a deal with the company that allows Aiirnet to place transmitters throughout the city free of charge, said Annie Hylton, the city's public information manager.

The city agreed to buy 60 subscription accounts, each at $34.95 a month, for its field employees.

Brian Grimm, spokesman for the Wi-Fi Alliance, which certifies and promotes the technology, said he couldn't verify Aiirnet's claim but noted Cerritos is the only city so far that has said it intends to establish citywide wireless access.

WiFi radiates an Internet connection that multiple computers within 300 feet can share at fast speeds.

Some small towns, including Half Moon Bay and Athens, Ga., have started experimenting with WiFi as a way to provide relatively cheap, easy access to high-speed Internet.

The 51,000 residents of Cerritos, 26 miles southeast of Los Angeles, have not had DSL broadband access to the Internet because the city is too far from the telephone company's central office. Cable Internet access has not been an option, either, Hylton said.

The service is being rolled out in phases, with access at outside locations set to become available next month, followed by coverage for residential neighborhoods, Hylton said.

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