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Cape Town adds more WiFi zones

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 26 Jan 2016
The City of Cape Town recently unveiled its 189th free public WiFi zone.
The City of Cape Town recently unveiled its 189th free public WiFi zone.

The City of Cape Town plans to expand its free Internet network by adding 30 more WiFi zones.

In a statement, mayoral committee member for corporate services and compliance, councillor Xanthea Limberg, says the new WiFi zones will go live by June.

"Digital access for communities can no longer be viewed as a privilege but more as a necessity. The city will therefore continue to honour its commitment to provide free WiFi across communities by operating WiFi zones both inside and outside public buildings, and extending these to public spaces across the city," Limberg explains.

The city also plans to add 60 more zones in the following financial year to June 2017, says Limberg.

Most recently, the City of Cape Town unveiled its 189th WiFi zone, situated at the Luvuyo Community Health Centre in Makhaza.

According to a statement, since the introduction of the free WiFi service to the public, a total of 420 000 unique users have utilised the service.

The city's free WiFi service is used extensively for general Web browsing and e-mail, but Facebook and Instagram top the list of the most commonly used applications, while YouTube is the firm favourite for online streaming. WhatsApp and cloud storage applications are also used extensively, reads the statement.

"My view is that access to cost-effective and high-speed Internet is essential to connecting residents with economic opportunities, and with online news, social media and other services. It is an important foundation for our budding entrepreneurs. Today, running a business does not mean that you have to be confined to an office. It can be effectively managed while on the go," Limberg explains.

Cape Town's capital budget for its broadband network rollout project is R218 million for the current financial year, of which R33 million has been spent on rolling out a wireless network.

Most of this budget has been dedicated to installing fibre-optic cables and switching capacity in areas such as Harare, Kuyasa, Khayelitsha, Atlantis, Delft, Lentegeur, Site C, Mitchells Plain, Nyanga, Hanover Park and Seawinds.

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