Good news.
Funding has been secured from the European Union to introduce free Wi-Fi hotspots to public spaces in Ireland.
The EU is making €120m available for local authorities over the next three years as part of the Wifi4EU scheme, with local authorities invited to apply for the funding.
The funding, referred to as vouchers by the EU and worth €15,000, is to provide free public Wi-Fi in town centres, parks, libraries and museums and according to the EU, 150 Irish municipalities applied for the vouchers.
As a result of this first round of applications, with the total budget of €42 million, 2,800 municipalities across the EU will receive vouchers of €15,000 to set up Wi-Fi hotspots in public spaces.
Speaking on the announcement, Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune said: “The beneficiaries will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Every participating country is guaranteed a minimum of 15 vouchers and can potentially win a maximum of 224 vouchers.
“With the voucher, the Local Authority will be able to set up a Wi-Fi hotspot in public spaces, including town halls, public libraries, museums, public parks or squares.”
So Ireland is guaranteed to get at least 15 vouchers but could potentially receive a lot more.
WiFi4EU-funded networks will be free of charge, free of advertising and free of personal data harvesting.
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