Aberdeen City Tenders for Free In-Building Wi-Fi Service in Public Buildings

The Aberdeen Council in Scotland has put out a new tender that offers grant funding of up to £300k for wireless infrastructure and a further £300k for network connectivity, available under the Accelerate Aberdeen Super Connected Cities programme, in order to roll-out a WiFi service in public buildings across the City.

The tender document – visible here – reveals that the council wishes this network to be built as part of a 3-year contract (with options for further extension) and kept separate from their existing corporate circuits. It’s worth pointing out that Aberdeen’s Central Library and all Community Libraries can already access a free wifi service.

Statement from the Tender Document

The Council wishes to select a suitably qualified and experienced Tenderer to design, deploy and operate a Managed Wi-Fi Service across its property portfolio. This will serve to widen access to internet based services across the City, bridge the digital divide and aid social inclusion. This service will offer visitors access to a world class Wi-Fi facility in all public accessible spaces.

The project appears to be a similar design to those being planned by each of the other 22 UK cities that have also won a slice of the UK Government’s £150m+ Urban Broadband Fund (Super-Connected Cities Programme), although most of those have targeted city-wide coverage both inside and outside of public buildings.