Norwich, UK, offers free WiFi across the city

By on February 13, 2007 in News

Got this in via Jon Snow’s Channel4 Snowmail newsletter.

Wireless in Norwich
====================
Finally, good old Norwich. And I am not using the acronym pasted on the back of so many Valentine cards this week, I am talking about the East Anglian town. They have decided to offer free Wifi across the whole city.

Needless to say the mass of multinationals who like charging between £10 and £30 a month are up in arms. Ben Cohen is there logging on chilling out and doing it all for free.

See you at seven

Jon

I bet the multinationals are absolutely outraged! ;-)

I haven’t managed to find any other news sources for this — when I do, I’ll post them. Very, very cool.

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  • Mike

    Oh deary me.

    Can someone please explan: How is it that the cities of Philadelphia and San Francisco, with the full backing of Google / Earthlink no less, cannot make municipal WiFi work? ‘Quagmire’, anyone?

    http://www.theregister.com/2007/01/26/sf_wifi/

    http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=116915490259067400

    I’d love to believe that something free can have value. Sadly, that just ain’t the case. Tragedy of the commons & all that. Early adopters may have an OK time, but ramp up the numbers and suffer the exponential effect of interferance on a system never designed to be a wide-area technology.

    People are prepared to pay for quality, hence why after the initial flush of applicants the so-called ‘free’ broadband services are not doing so well. Quality costs, ini fixed-line or wireless. People with WiFi-enabled laptops are generally not going to put up with ads or rubbish service. They will pay the £10 or £20 a month, for fast, secure access. Oh, that would be 3G mobile then ;-) bang goes yet another Wifi business case.

    Cheerio

    Mike

  • DoshSaver
  • Mike

    Kurt Frary, Open Link project manager for Norfolk Country Council, said in response, “We’re not selling a service and we’re not competing with telcos, because it’s an outside wireless network”.

    “You may get it in your house but it’s not being sold that way – we’re not giving the same class of service.”

    Note that: this is *not* designed to be a Starbucks or public library replacement.

    It *won’t* work in your house or office, unless you happen to be close enough to throw your laptop/Dual-mode handset at the AP. this is the SF experience, and unles the laws of physics are differnet in Norwich, the same will apply.

    Great for parking wardens and managers tracking the bin men, but *ahem* rubbish for the ‘normal’ user.

    Cheers,

    Mike

  • ewan

    Arse

  • loopy

    We have sometimes had meetings in a nice little place in London [The couch - in Dean street]. It beats paying the high rates for office space in places which rent offices per day.

    They give you free WiFi, they treat you respectfully. They love the idea that guys/gals are coming into their restaurant/bar and working on new businesses.

    And they serve good food at reasonable prices. What a winning formula.

    Why don’t other establishments in London use their space more efficiently like these guys.

    On a more serious note. WiFi is on a par with VOIP. A chase to zero. Companies like the Cloud and others are going to be put upon with the likes of FON and smaller emerging newbies.

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