15 UK Municipalities Win EU Funding to Install FREE WiFi Networks

The European Commission has announced the winners from their latest round of applications for the €120m WiFi4EU initiative, which includes 15 municipalities in the United Kingdom that will now receive vouchers worth up to €15K (£13.5K) to help them install FREE WiFi wireless broadband hotspots by 2020.

The original plan for this scheme is that it would aim to equip “every European village and city with free WiFi internet access” by 2020. Under this approach municipalities can use the WiFi4EU vouchers to purchase and install Wi-Fi equipment (wireless access points) in their chosen centres of local public life, although any on-going costs for maintaining the network must be covered by the municipality.

The funding is ultimately expected to help fund equipment for free public Wi-Fi services in up to 8,000 municipalities across all EU Member States, as well as Norway and Iceland. The vouchers themselves are distributed on a “first-come, first-served basis” and each participating country will receive at least 15 vouchers (capped at a maximum of 224 vouchers).

Following an initial pilot, a much larger call for proposals was issued last month, which attracted 13,000 municipalities from 30 different countries. In the first round some 2,800 municipalities have been chosen (estimated budget of €42m) and a second call will be launched at the beginning of 2019 for those that missed out. Overall 15 municipalities in the UK won a voucher in the first round.

The 15 UK Winners (Municipalities) – WiFi4EU

Rhondda Cynon Taf – Rhondda Cynon Taf
Midlothian
Dundee City
Perth and Kinross
Fermanagh and Omagh
Ryedale
Isle of Wight
Caerphilly – Caerffili
Aberdeen City
Blaenau Gwent – Blaenau Gwent
West Dunbartonshire
Swindon
Darlington
Knowsley
Liverpool