EU Grants Now Available to Fund Public Wi-Fi for Town and City Councils
Still time for councils to apply for EUR 15,000 Wi-Fi EU grant before Brexit is finalised.
London, UK: 22/05/18 - Councils still have the opportunity to benefit from the European Commission-sponsored WiFi4EU funding programme, which is designed to give local authorities the chance to access EU financing to build free public wireless internet hotspots. Value added distributor Nuvias(1) and networking leader Nokia are ready to help town and city councils move quickly to install and deploy Wi-Fi in the early stages of this programme, taking advantage of grants worth up to €15,000, well in advance of Brexit.
Local authorities can register on the WiFi4EU portal and apply for the grant or voucher. Applicants will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis, so time is of the essence. Nuvias and Nokia together have the solutions and expertise to move quickly and help councils get community Wi-Fi systems up and running.
“{{Despite uncertainty over BREXIT, the UK is still eligible to participate, but time is running out.}} Connectivity stakes are high in today’s digital age, so UK councils are strongly encouraged to participate by registering today”, recommends Rob Clark, Director, Technologies & Solutions Development at Nuvias. As of 25th April, 2018, some 74 UK municipalities had already registered.
Spread of urban wi-fi
Citizens today expect local authorities to provide Wi-Fi access in public areas such as shopping centres, stadiums, event venues, airports, train stations and bus stops. In fact, nearly 43 percent of Britons are frustrated by the lack of free, public wi-fi networks available, according to YouGov research detailed in the Digital High Street 2020 Report. Additionally, studies have shown that cities investing in public Wi-Fi gain substantial benefits. More than half of respondents to a European Cities Monitor survey stated that “quality of telecommunications” was a key factor in attracting people and business to cities, and investment in this area is likely to generate rewards.
Nokia urban Wi-Fi systems
“Small to medium town and city councils at the heart of this initiative have limited IT resources. But that should not deter local authorities from implementing Wi-Fi,” says Olivier Duroyon, Head of Public Sector at Nokia. “We have vast experience and expertise in wireless technologies, and offer leading-edge urban Wi-Fi solutions which we can host, secure and manage on behalf of our customers.”
Nokia AirScale Wi-Fi is built around a complete portfolio of latest generation Wi-Fi access points for outdoor and indoor deployment. Nokia can simplify a city’s Wi-Fi network needs, from installing Wi-Fi access points through to managing the network, solving the challenge of lack of resources.
Once an access point has been physically installed on a site, it only needs to be powered on and connected to the internet. The centralized Wi-Fi controller automatically configures and then manages the access point. The controller is most often securely hosted in a Nokia data center, together with the authentication server.
This arrangement minimises the city’s Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and ensures data is secured and handled in accordance with local regulatory requirements. Optimal total cost of ownership and predictable OPEX are achieved through the pay-as-you-grow model, allowing costs to be kept under control.
About Nuvias Group
Nuvias Group is the pan-EMEA, high value distribution business, which is redefining international, specialist distribution in IT. The company has created a platform to deliver a consistent, high value, service-led and solution-rich proposition across EMEA. This allows partner and vendor communities to provide exceptional business support to customers and enables new standards of channel success.
The Group’s portfolio covers a comprehensive range of IT solutions, with the focus currently on three areas - Cyber Security (based on the former Wick Hill); Advanced Networking (based on the former Zycko) and Unified Communications (based on the former SIPHON). In July 2017, Nuvias added Benelux value added distributor and security specialist DCB to the Group. All four award-winning companies had previously demonstrated their ability to provide innovative technology solutions from world-class vendors, and deliver market growth for vendor partners and customers. Nuvias Group has 21 regional offices across EMEA, as well as serving additional countries through those offices. Turnover is around US$ 500 million.
ENDS
1. Nuvias is a Nokia technology partner.
For further press information, please contact Annabelle Brown on +44 (0)191 237 3067, email pr@nuvias.com: https://www.nuvias.com: https://twitter.com/NuviasAdvNet: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zycko/
