Registration for financing Wi-Fi points in public spaces has opened

Municipalities across Europe can, from today, 21 March, register their data on the portal […]

Wi-Fi

Municipalities across Europe can, from today, 21 March, register their data on the “WIFI4EU” portal, before the first call for projects, which will take place in May, in order to apply for European funding to create wireless internet access points in public spaces. 

 

The WiFi4EU initiative offers vouchers of 15 thousand euros to municipalities for the installation of wi-fi access points in public spaces, such as museums, libraries, parks and squares.

As Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, declared, the initiative aims to "interconnect, by 2020, all EU towns and cities with free wireless Internet access around the main centers of public life."

Municipalities can use WiFi4EU vouchers to purchase and install WiFi equipment (wireless hotspots) at local centers of public life of their choice. The costs of maintaining the network will be the responsibility of the municipality.

Vice President responsible for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip said that “with the launch of the portal, we are taking a concrete step today to support municipalities in offering free Wi-Fi. While this is notable progress, I also strongly encourage the European Parliament and the Council to complete work on the proposal for a telecommunications code, to ensure high-speed connectivity across the entire territory of the EU. This includes coordinating spectrum on a European scale and stimulating investments in the high-capacity networks that Europe needs'.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner responsible for the Digital Economy and Society, added that “the WiFi4EU initiative will allow thousands of Europeans to access the Internet free of charge in public spaces across the EU. Thanks to this initiative, local communities will be empowered to create connections closer to citizens, enabling them to fully benefit from the unlimited opportunities of digitization. This is a concrete step towards completing the Digital Single Market.”

€120 million is available from the EU budget until 2020 to fund free Wi-Fi equipment for public services in 8000 municipalities in all Member States, as well as Norway and Iceland.

Ensuring a geographical balance, the Commission will announce the 1000 municipalities benefiting from funding through the first call for proposals. Each participating country will receive at least 15 vouchers.

Over the next two years, four more WiFi4EU invitations will be launched. The networks financed by the WiFi4EU initiative will be free, without advertising and without collecting personal data. Funding will only be given to networks that do not duplicate free offers, private or public, already existing and of similar quality in the same public space.

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