Dublin considers free broadband plan

The Lord Mayor of Dublin says the city could soon benefit from a free city-wide broadband network if the City Council gives the ‘thumbs up’ to funding the plan later this year. The Mayor hopes that councillors will give the go-ahead for the rollout of a new Wi-Fi network as soon as November and says several major telcos have expressed an interest in building and/or maintaining the network. Citing similar models in US cities, the mayor said it would be beneficial to Dublin’s status and reputation to provide free or cheap broadband access to its citizens. The cost of the new Wi-Fi network is estimated at between EUR2 million and EUR4 million. Interested providers include wireless broadband operators Digiweb and Irish Broadband.