A unique high-speed free public wifi corridor which will stretch from Spanish Arch to Eyre Square has gone online in Galway city centre.
The ground-breaking initiative between Magnet Plus and the Galway business community – a first of its kind in Ireland – will create a digital corridor in the heart of the city.
Magnet Plus have had free wifi in place at Spanish Arch for the past year, since the company first provided the service for the Galway Food Festival.
Now, with Galway 2020 on the horizon, the company have decided to support the city-wide initiative by providing free wifi to the whole city centre.
“Everyone we spoke to in the business community in Galway said they would love to have free wifi in the city, but it had never materialised,” said Magnet Plus’ regional sales director Philip Clapperton.
“When Galway 2020 was announced last year there was a great push locally to get behind the initiative, so we decided to see what it would take to expand the wifi to the city centre as a whole.
“Now, with positive engagement from local businesses such as Anthony Ryan’s and Lazlo Jewellers we have installed the second phase of the wifi service which provides coverage along Shop Street and William Street.
“Future phases will complete a digital corridor from Spanish Arch, up Shop Street and onto Eyre Square.”
Local businesses along the route have allowed Magnet Plus to install access points on their premises, providing seamless connectivity within the city centre.
The project will be financed by giving local businesses the opportunity to sponsor the wifi by placing an advertisement on the login page, with a promotional offer sent to each person after they log in.
“For example, if a local restaurant sponsored the wifi, they would be able to send out a coupon at a set time to everyone who has logged on that day giving them 10% off,” said Clapperton.
“This will be a great way for local businesses to stand out, which is particularly useful in a city like Galway where there are so many options for tourists to choose from.”
Galway City Council welcomed the provision of free public wifi by Magnet Plus.
“Magnet Plus’ wifi will add to the already vibrant experience that only Galway City can offer,” said Alfie Jones, ICT Manager at Galway City Council.
“The record-breaking Galway International Arts Festival attracted 210,000 visitors to the city in July with free wifi in the Big Top provided by Magnet for the event.
“We are delighted with the response from the business community and look forward to watching the service grow to more areas of the city.”
Magnet Plus have a strong track record in providing world class wifi services to public spaces, like the new smart city at Wembley Park in London and the recent Galway International Arts Festival that was held last month.
“It’s great for us as an Irish company to be able to support local business like this and showcase our capabilities,” said Clapperton.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to put Galway on the road to becoming a leader in providing world-class public wifi.”
