The European Commission has plans to offer free wi-fi across the European Nation within the next four years. The Wi-Fi would be offered in public places such as parks, squares, libraries, and other buildings, with their current budget of €120 million.
The budget would be used for the cost of equipment and installation, however other public bodies would have to come up with the monthly costs associated with the service.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Union’s executive branch announced the plan.
“Everyone benefiting from connectivity means that it should not matter where you live or how much you earn. So we propose today to equip every European village and every city with free wireless Internet access around the main centers of public life by 2020.”
The European Commission also thinks the mobile networks should all become 5G by the year 2025, including having uninterrupted access on all the major roads and railways. They also want to increase the download speeds for both households and hospitals.
Mark Newman, the chief analyst at telecoms consultancy ConnectivityX offers a critical response to the idea.
“I would question whether frugal councils will really see it as a priority to deliver free Wi-Fi in all their buildings and squares.”
