Free wifi takes off in Dutch towns
Friday 26 October 2012
Heerlen, Rotterdam, Arnhem and Leiden are among the towns where residents and visitors can now benefit from free wifi, paid for by the local council, BNR radio reports on Friday.
Many other towns and cities have plans to introduce the free service, the broadcaster says. Enschede town centre will have wifi available from December and there is also political pressure to introduce it in Breda.
'As the city council, it is our responsibility to make the city as attractive as possible,' Enschede executive Hans van Agteren told BNR. 'Enschede is a knowledge city and the university has had free wifi since 2003. Demand was strong from entrepreneurs and users, so we are making a start.'
The move has been prompted by the rise in popularity of smartphones and tablets and the rising cost of mobile internet services. Wifi is now an integral part of city marketing efforts in many places.
The broadcaster does not say what telecom firms think of the competition.
What do you think? Share your thoughts using the comment box below.
© DutchNews.nl
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long over due
people in sf calif had this since many years ago
By dork | 26 October 2012 11:06 AMSounds good so it's not gonna happen' ( or it will but with a few 23.490 restrictions ,making it unusable).
By Gheo d'Carpati | 26 October 2012 12:43 PMI got just one tiny question or request, I went to the PUBLIC library and I must pay 2.40 euros per hour to use the computers. I find that just over the top shocking in a country who pays their queen over 800 thousand euros a year. I mean it's a rip off that you even have to pay over 30 euros a year for a library card too. I would like to see a library be free.
By Questions | 26 October 2012 1:11 PMSo we need to cut back costs, while the government is wasting money on free wifi so people can fiddle around more with their iphones. Strange to say the least.
By Sir Charles Moore | 26 October 2012 3:48 PMMay I conclude from the first 4 comments, that no matter what, people will complain.
By pepe | 26 October 2012 5:07 PMI still have a Boston public library card , it was free of charge and i have not got any bill from them!!!!
By dork | 26 October 2012 5:21 PM@Pepe,it's called "ervaring".
By Gheo d'Carpati | 27 October 2012 10:03 AM(From Wikipedia : "Ervaring is kennis hebben van de gebruikelijke gang van zaken, verkregen door observatie en betrokkenheid bij bepaalde processen of toestanden. ")
You are pretty new around ,isn't it?
Today you can find free WiFi almost at every corner.
By Kars | 27 October 2012 4:27 PMFor finding a free hotspot there are several Apps available or you can search on online portals like www.shareair.net
This looks like an incentive to people to find a house to live in the city centre. We would save about 20 euros a month!
By GGG | 29 October 2012 7:35 AMThis looks like an incentive to people to find a house to live in the city centre. We would save about 20 euros a month!
By GGG | 29 October 2012 7:35 AMIn the USA the library is free for everyone.Books ,computers,DVDs,CDs,newspapers ,Magazines and so much more. We have the right to these things. charging for them is just wrong. The American Library Association (ALA), addresses this role of libraries as part of "access to information"[5] and "equity of access";[6] part of the profession's ethical commitment that "no one should be denied information because he or she cannot afford the cost of a book or periodical, have access to the internet or information in any of its various formats." They should use some of those high taxes to fund them !!!! Mabe the people will finaly see there tax dollars at work for once.
By Destiny | 29 October 2012 9:40 AM