Residents in parts of North London will be able to access up to 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi every day after Camden Borough Council agreed a deal with Arqiva to provide public wireless Internet.
The service will be rolled out between 1 June and the end of 2014, with areas of high footfall among the first to be targeted. Phase one will cover the south of Camden, while later phases will cover Camden Town, Kentish Town, Kilburn, Finchley, Hampstead and Belsize Park.
Wi-Fi will be available in open spaces and streets across the borough, with users able to purchase more time from the provider of their choice once the 30 minute period has expired. Camden Council’s online services will be available free of charge at any time.
“Our aim is to make Camden one of the most connected places in the country,” said Councillor Theo Blackwell, Cabinet member for Finance. “This is great news for residents who will be able to access Wi-Fi services in public and open spaces. It will also be a huge benefit to businesses who will be able to trial new advertising techniques to better target their customers.”
It is the latest deal for Arqiva, which earlier this week won £150 million in government funding to deliver the Mobile Infrastruture Project (IPM), which aims to improve mobile coverage in rural areas.
“We are delighted to be working with Camden Borough Council. Our partnership means that Camden’s 212,000 residents, businesses and visitors will benefit from the fast, reliable and ‘always-on’ connectivity which we all have come to expect, wherever we are,” said Nicolas Ott, managing director, government, mobile and enterprise at Arqiva. “This project will involve the breadth of Arqiva’s connectivity solutions and will see the deployment of various wireless technologies, including WiFi and 3G/4G/small cells.
“The first in a line of large-scale, outdoor urban networks, this contract reinforces Arqiva’s position as a key mobile connectivity partner.”
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