By the end of the year, Porirua CBD will be set to have the fastest free public Wi-Fi service in Aotearoa, in fact in Australasia.
Porirua City Council signed a contract last month with Smartlinx3 to build a gigabit-speed fibre and wireless network in the city centre by the end of the year with some areas being available as soon as September.
The free Wi-Fi service will be available during the day for the public, and the area will cover from Tutu Place to Mungavin Bridge, and from Titahi Bay Road to Porirua Stream.
The initiative will be costing the city an initial $284,000, with ongoing costs of approximately $40,000 a year.
“Free and fast Wi-Fi across the CBD makes the area more attractive for visitors and residents. When people come to the city they’ll be able to access any information they need about local businesses and services. Everyone’s glued to their phones these days so having a great experience with fast Wi-Fi can add to a visitor’s experience and make it likelier they’ll come back," says Deputy Mayor Ana Coffey.
Smartlinx3 Managing Director Roger MacDonald said the fibre network will form the backbone of the Wi-Fi service. “Other cities like Brisbane may cover a larger area in terms of hot spots, but Porirua achieves a first for speed and accessibility with this initiative.”
Currently visitors to the Porirua CBD can connect to Welly WiFi, a free public wireless internet service provided by Porirua City Council on the back of its own provision to employees, contractors and councillors.