Mooley
TK Veteran
Swindon is to become the first town in the UK to provide all its residents with free internet access.
It will be covered by a "WiFi mesh" offering blanket web coverage for its 186,000 citizens.
A total of 1,400 secure access points will be fitted around Swindon and homes will also be able to access the internet without its residents having to pay.
Line rental is free and there is no connection charge, as part of the £1m project.
But a spokesman for Swindon Council in Wiltshire told Sky News Online that the use of free internet by the public will be restricted - possibly to two hours a day.
Residents will have the option of subscribing to faster, paid-for web access, above the free service. And this is how the scheme's backers hope to make a profit.
Subscribers can sign up for 20Mb upgrades for "significantly less per month than major broadband competitors" following a free three-month trial, the council said.
There will also be pay-as-you-go options so visitors to the town can also use the network.
The Wi-Fi project will be funded by a mixture of public and private money.
The first phase will be switched on in Highworth in early December with the remainder of the project being completed by the end of April.
Swindon Council worked with local businessman Rikki Hunt, who came up with the concept, and digital technology firm aQovia to create a new company - Digital City UK.
The council has a 35% share in Digital City UK, which will roll out the technology throughout the town, under the brand name Signal.
Mr Hunt is hoping the project will start making a profit within 9-18 months and says the response from residents has been positive, adding "the value for money is obvious".
There are plans for similar roll-outs of the technology in other towns and cities across the UK.
Swindon Council is known for innovation and caused controversy this year when it shut down all its fixed-point speed cameras.
SkyNews
It will be covered by a "WiFi mesh" offering blanket web coverage for its 186,000 citizens.
A total of 1,400 secure access points will be fitted around Swindon and homes will also be able to access the internet without its residents having to pay.
Line rental is free and there is no connection charge, as part of the £1m project.
But a spokesman for Swindon Council in Wiltshire told Sky News Online that the use of free internet by the public will be restricted - possibly to two hours a day.
Residents will have the option of subscribing to faster, paid-for web access, above the free service. And this is how the scheme's backers hope to make a profit.
Subscribers can sign up for 20Mb upgrades for "significantly less per month than major broadband competitors" following a free three-month trial, the council said.
There will also be pay-as-you-go options so visitors to the town can also use the network.
The Wi-Fi project will be funded by a mixture of public and private money.
The first phase will be switched on in Highworth in early December with the remainder of the project being completed by the end of April.
Swindon Council worked with local businessman Rikki Hunt, who came up with the concept, and digital technology firm aQovia to create a new company - Digital City UK.
The council has a 35% share in Digital City UK, which will roll out the technology throughout the town, under the brand name Signal.
Mr Hunt is hoping the project will start making a profit within 9-18 months and says the response from residents has been positive, adding "the value for money is obvious".
There are plans for similar roll-outs of the technology in other towns and cities across the UK.
Swindon Council is known for innovation and caused controversy this year when it shut down all its fixed-point speed cameras.
SkyNews
