Virgin Media Business to provide free wifi hotspots in Dublin

Virgin Media Business has teamed up with Dublin City Council to roll out free superfast public wifi in more than 30 locations .

The three-year partnership is part of the WiFi4EU initiative, which aims to connect communities across the city and is funded by the European Union and Department of Rural and Community Development. It is part of a €120 million European-wide plan to boost wifi connectivity in public spaces and places.

The new programme will offer communities access to speeds of up to 500Mbps, and aims to boost digital skills.

“We are extremely excited to be selected by Dublin City Council to be the official provider of both the wifi and broadband infrastructure as part of the WiFi4EU initiative,” said Aidan D’Arcy, director of business at Virgin Media Ireland.

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“Our expertise in offering cutting-edge broadband speeds is playing a crucial role in enabling businesses, residents and visitors to stay connected, to keep trading, and to build vibrant and digitally inclusive communities going forward.”

There is no indication yet which locations have been chosen for free access. Free wifi has been previously offered in Dublin city. At the beginning of 2013, the council launched a wifi service at a number of hotspots throughout the city, in partnership with Gowex. The Spanish company subsequently filed for bankruptcy, and the service was discontinued in 2015.

The council said in 2019 it would use the European funding to bring wifi to urban areas outside the city centre, leaving private operators to provide internet access in the city.

Community engagement

"This programme will support connectivity in areas of the city that need it most with a particular emphasis on strengthening community engagement and supporting wider digital innovation initiatives," said Jamie Cudden, smart-city lead for Dublin City Council.

The council has rolled out a number of smart-city initiatives, including the Dublin Cycling Buddy app, which is a community app developed to help the council use shared data to identify cycling routes in the city for development and upgrade. Cyclists can share trip data and advice on safer routes, and in return the app can be used to access information on new initiatives and investments on infrastructure throughout the city.