Manchester (and Bristol) to offer free wi-fi access

Manchester City Council will unveil plans today to provide free wireless
internet access to 2.2 million people over an area of 400 square miles.

The scheme, covering 90 per cent of the Greater Manchester population, is by
far the largest municipal wi-fi project envisaged in the UK. It has been
inspired by programmes in San Francisco, Seattle and Amsterdam, which
provide free internet access across large urban areas.

The council will invite potential commercial partners to submit plans on how
they might take part by January 8. Groups including The Cloud, Pipex, BT,
easynet and Metronet are understood to have held early talks.

It aims to have a pilot scheme in place by next summer, funded by a
combination of public and private money. Manchester also hopes to win £3
million in initial funds through the Government's Digital Challenge
Initiative, a scheme put in place to counter "digital exclusion".

More at http://business.timesonline.co.uk/ar...480518,00.html

Separately, Bristol has signed up with Cityspace to extend a 3km zone which
offers free Wi-Fi to all comers, and supports council workers. Islington is
extending its Technology Mile, which covers the A1 road, also with
Cityspace.

Regards
Sunil

(E-Mail Removed) declared for all the world to hear...
> Manchester City Council will unveil plans today to provide free wireless
> internet access to 2.2 million people over an area of 400 square miles.
>
> The scheme, covering 90 per cent of the Greater Manchester population, is by
> far the largest municipal wi-fi project envisaged in the UK. It has been
> inspired by programmes in San Francisco, Seattle and Amsterdam, which
> provide free internet access across large urban areas.

Don't forget Norwich! We already have free public Wifi in the city
centre!

--
Regards
Jon

"Jon" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) t...
> (E-Mail Removed) declared for all the world to hear...

> Don't forget Norwich! We already have free public Wifi in the city
> centre!

I noticed the otheryday here in Yarmouth they`ve now stuck Aerial`s on
Traffic lights here, did read they were branching out the free WI-FI through
certain parts of Norfolk so Yarmouth could well be the next place.

> I noticed the otheryday here in Yarmouth they`ve now stuck Aerial`s on
> Traffic lights here, did read they were branching out the free WI-FI
> through certain parts of Norfolk so Yarmouth could well be the next place.

Might be more to do with allowing emergency vehicles right of way at traffic
lights. Certainly have that system here in Worcester.

Dave

Sunil Sood said the following on 01/12/06 03:43:
> Manchester City Council will unveil plans today to provide free wireless
> internet access to 2.2 million people over an area of 400 square miles.
>
> The scheme, covering 90 per cent of the Greater Manchester population, is by
> far the largest municipal wi-fi project envisaged in the UK. It has been
> inspired by programmes in San Francisco, Seattle and Amsterdam, which
> provide free internet access across large urban areas.
>
> The council will invite potential commercial partners to submit plans on how
> they might take part by January 8. Groups including The Cloud, Pipex, BT,
> easynet and Metronet are understood to have held early talks.
>
> It aims to have a pilot scheme in place by next summer, funded by a
> combination of public and private money. Manchester also hopes to win £3
> million in initial funds through the Government's Digital Challenge
> Initiative, a scheme put in place to counter "digital exclusion".
>
> More at http://business.timesonline.co.uk/ar...480518,00.html
>
> Separately, Bristol has signed up with Cityspace to extend a 3km zone which
> offers free Wi-Fi to all comers, and supports council workers. Islington is
> extending its Technology Mile, which covers the A1 road, also with
> Cityspace.
>
> Regards
> Sunil

I don't know if anyone saw this but The Gadget Show's Jason Bradbury
urged viewers to sign a petition to get the government to put in place,
free wifi nationally.


Just leave your name and email address;
<http://gadgetshow.five.tv/campaign/wifi/>



Richard.

--
"Naturally the common people don't want war, but they can always be
brought to the bidding of the leaders. Tell them they are being
attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and
endangering the country. It works the same in every country."
Reichsmarshall Herman Goering, Nuremberg, 1946

"Richard Brooks" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...

>
> I don't know if anyone saw this but The Gadget Show's Jason Bradbury
> urged viewers to sign a petition to get the government to put in place,
> free wifi nationally.
>

Nothing is free, so who will end up paying for it? And when you say 'free',
does that mean anyone in range can use it as little or as much as they like,
no limits whatsoever?

Ray

"Ray" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Richard Brooks" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>>
>> I don't know if anyone saw this but The Gadget Show's Jason Bradbury
>> urged viewers to sign a petition to get the government to put in place,
>> free wifi nationally.
>>
>
> Nothing is free, so who will end up paying for it? And when you say
> 'free',
> does that mean anyone in range can use it as little or as much as they
> like,
> no limits whatsoever?
>
> Ray
>
> critcher said........................
true, nothing is free, we will all pay in some way or other

>

Ray said the following on 01/12/06 11:38:
> "Richard Brooks" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>> I don't know if anyone saw this but The Gadget Show's Jason Bradbury
>> urged viewers to sign a petition to get the government to put in place,
>> free wifi nationally.
>>
>
> Nothing is free, so who will end up paying for it? And when you say 'free',
> does that mean anyone in range can use it as little or as much as they like,
> no limits whatsoever?
>
> Ray

From what I remember of the segment he returned to a previous article
he did about a year ago, about the wonderful promises of the relatively
new wifi network.

Then he continued with comparisons with other countries that have free
wifi including one small island in the tropics somewhere that has the
island totally covered with free wifi.

Then he compared the other places back with good old blighty. So proud
it made you want to wear a stovepipe hat, waste coat and take a trip on
the Rocket but that's how we are with technology.

Some technical bod can possibly tell us whether it's used for other
services but I don't personally care as I don't use wifi. I just gave a
link to a petition that would be sent to the Government.

Richard.





--
"Naturally the common people don't want war, but they can always be
brought to the bidding of the leaders. Tell them they are being
attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and
endangering the country. It works the same in every country."
Reichsmarshall Herman Goering, Nuremberg, 1946

On Fri, 1 Dec 2006 03:43:42 -0000, "Sunil Sood"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>
>The council will invite potential commercial partners to submit plans on how
>they might take part by January 8. Groups including The Cloud, Pipex, BT,
>easynet and Metronet are understood to have held early talks.
>

The problem with these wifi-hotspots is that it is a free for all for
anyone to set up a network as the spectrum used is license free and
unregulated. Existing hotspots in London seem to have trouble with
voip, see:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12...otspots_voice/

Interesting that the most common problem was the hotspot being
on the same channel as another network, and that this could be fixed
by a site survey.

Do the hotspot operators then claim squatters rights to stop
anyone using that channel again?

Sunil Sood wrote:
> Manchester City Council will unveil plans today to provide free wireless
> internet access to 2.2 million people over an area of 400 square miles.
>
> The scheme, covering 90 per cent of the Greater Manchester population, isby
> far the largest municipal wi-fi project envisaged in the UK. It has been
> inspired by programmes in San Francisco, Seattle and Amsterdam, which
> provide free internet access across large urban areas.
>
> The council will invite potential commercial partners to submit plans on how
> they might take part by January 8. Groups including The Cloud, Pipex, BT,
> easynet and Metronet are understood to have held early talks.
>
> It aims to have a pilot scheme in place by next summer, funded by a
> combination of public and private money. Manchester also hopes to win £3
> million in initial funds through the Government's Digital Challenge
> Initiative, a scheme put in place to counter "digital exclusion".
>
> More at http://business.timesonline.co.uk/ar...480518,00.html
>
> Separately, Bristol has signed up with Cityspace to extend a 3km zone which
> offers free Wi-Fi to all comers, and supports council workers. Islington is
> extending its Technology Mile, which covers the A1 road, also with
> Cityspace.
>
> Regards
> Sunil

It looks like Birmingham, Newcastle and 6 others are going to be set up
by BT and Motorola

http://www.itweek.co.uk/vnunet/news/...a-city-wide-wi

- though if BT is involved, we can guess it won't be free