Swindon to become first UK wi-fi town
Author: The Times - Nov 18, 2009
Until yesterday Swindon was stuck squarely between Bristol and Reading on the M4 corridor in Wiltshire. Now it has moved one step closer to Silicon Valley with plans to become Britain’s first wi-fi town, and free internet access for its 186,000-strong population.
No one within the borough boundary will be out of range of a wireless connection after April next year, when 1,400 access points will be placed on street lamps to form the "Swindon mesh". The aim, according to the leader of the borough council, which is backing the project, is for the region to show the way for the rest of England.
The project is a partnership between the borough council and two private companies, both of which hope to recoup their investment by offering paid-for upgrades to businesses and heavy users.
However, every Swindon resident will receive free wireless access for a limited period each day.
The town, which is home to a number of high-tech businesses, already has the country’s highest broadband usage. Even so, the average broadband speed is 2.8MB; far slower than the 20MB connections promised by the consortium.
Rod Bluh, leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: "This is the future of England. The idea is that everyone will have time-limited access and then they will be able to buy extra. It hasn’t yet been decided whether it will be two or three hours a day but it will be at the same speed as the paid-for access."
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