Grab your laptop or your Wi-Fi enabled mobile device and surf the Internet for free.

Starting of today, the Mountain View dwellers can use their notebooks and Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices to access the Internet over a free wireless broadband connection. The service is provided by Google, free of charge, and with no ads inserted.

Google’s network includes 380 access points throughout the city, which has about 72,000 residents and covers a 12-square mile area, said Chris Sacca, Google’s head of special initiatives.

It will offer 1Mbps of throughput both upstream and downstream, and that capacity can be increased if necessary, he said.

People can gain access to the Wi-Fi network using their Google username and password. Those who don’t have a Google account will be able to create one by simply choosing a password and and entering an e-mail address.

Google’s Wi-Fi network will be absolutely free and no plan to deliver online ads have been announced. Google is not even charging the city anything for building the network. In fact, the city should receive payments from Google for the placement of equipment on city-owned light poles. The maintenance and utility costs will also be supported by Google.

“We have no business plan for this network,” Sacca said. Google hopes to benefit indirectly by the increased availability of Internet access, and it believes it is contributing to its home city, where more than 1,000 of its employees live, he said.

Google initiative will certainly bring satisfaction to Mountain View residents but the rest of us, can only hope for other such initiatives from Google in other cities as well. Maybe even in Europe…