Town offers free WiFi

Tom Manners

Tom Manners is now a freelance journalist, previously full-time at MyBroadband from 2009 to 2010. Tom focuses on cellular technologies, gadgets, mobile phones and broadcasting....

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Local authorities in Swindon, in the south of England, will set up 1,400 secure access points around town to create a “wi-fi mesh” offering residents the Internet without having to pay line rental or connection charge.

The one-million-pound (1.7-million-dollar, 1.1-million-euro) project will be funded by a mixture of public and private money, but the council hopes it will eventually turn a profit.

Residents will be limited in their usage of the free service but will be able to sign up to 20Mb upgrades for “significantly less per month” than major broadband competitors, while vistors can use a pay-as-you-go service.

Digital City UK Ltd, which is running the project, is 35-percent owned by the council and hopes to roll out similar wi-fi schemes in other British towns.

“This is a truly groundbreaking partnership which will have real benefits for everyone living in Swindon,” said Rod Bluh, leader of Swindon Borough Council.

The first phase will be switched on in early December, and the council hopes to complete the whole network by April.

Town offers free WiFi