SOLANA BEACH — A proposed municipal wireless Internet network for the cities of Solana Beach and Del Mar, formally known as the Surf & Turf Wireless project, has been put on hold indefinitely.

According to Solana Beach City Councilman Dave Roberts, the project hasn’t been able to partner up with any vendors or service providers since both cities issued a Request For Proposal in March.

“It’s disappointing because it is something we’ve been working on,” Roberts said. “The cities of Solana Beach and Del Mar, as well as the 22nd Agricultural District, are still very interested in partnering up for this. We’ll just have to meet again and discuss other options.”

The wireless network was to provide online access within 5.2 square miles through a paid subscription, and would have been available to more than 17,000 permanent residents and 3 million visitors each year.

In addition to the general public, the service would have been available to city government and emergency personnel.

According to Solana Beach City Manager David Ott, the main reason behind the hesitation from potential vendors is the current state of wireless Internet technology.

“Municipal wi-fi networks have only been tried a few times through the United States and haven’t been met with a lot of success,” Ott said. “It’s partly due to the fact that wi-fi has typically been used for smaller residential areas rather than larger, communitywide networks.”

Ott said that two Internet providers, Go Networks and Azulstar, showed initial interest but then backed out.

“As of now, there are places here and there in Solana Beach that provide wireless access such as The Java Depot, Starbucks, the library and other isolated sites,” Roberts said. “We’d like to have it all over the city so people aren’t tied to their desks or homes.”