Residents can be initially apprehensive about the prospect of a public WiFi network in their town or city, and councils can have a hard time convincing them. But there are providers out there that can satisfy all parties.

The Oxford Mail recently reported on an abandoned proposal for a public WiFi network in the Covered Market area of the historic University city. The plan was thrown out due to the £25/month cost that each trader would have to make to aid Oxford City Council in funding the network.

Though £25 on a monthly basis does not sound like a great deal of money, the financial burden – together with the other expenses associated with running a market stall (rents, etc.) – was just too much to bear for some traders. ‘We’ve got to scrimp – every expense has to be justified,’ said one.

Responding to the proposal being turned down, the council stressed the benefits WiFi would bring to the Covered Market. WiFi across the area would, for example, provide more scope for visitors to sit down in food and drink outlets and surf the internet, much as they would do in the outlets of high street competitors, such as Starbucks.

Choosing the right provider is key

With cases such as that of the Oxford Covered Market demonstrating that there may be apprehension around the installation of public/free WiFi networks due to the financial burden involved, where can councils turn in fulfilling the vision for their connected town or city to the satisfaction of their residents?

It might come as some surprise that there are expert providers out there that can not only deliver efficient, open truly free WiFi networks – at no cost for the councils, or users, at any time in the lifespan of the service – but can also make those networks work, providing broad revenue-generating opportunities to benefit town and city economies.