Copenhagen mulls free city-wide wifi

City Council is considering offering free wifi as a way to appeal to tourists

With tourist visits falling, Copenhagen is exploring new ideas to win them back.

 

According to Computerworld, one of those ideas is to establish free wifi in the city. Computerworld reports that free city-wide wifi is being considered as part of the City Council's plans to make Copenhagen a more attractive tourist destination. 

 

The council is pursuing a catalogue of policy initiatives and although none of them have been set in motion yet, free wifi is on the list. 

 

Proponents of the idea argue that free wifi would be a boon to tourists and allow them to use digital services aimed at helping visitors explore the city without it costing a fortune in data roaming charges. 

 

The trade association for the telecommunications industry, Telekommunikationsindustrien, isn't particularly keen on the city's idea however. 

 

"There is [already] a complete range of services and full mobile coverage in Copenhagen, so I can't see why the council should use taxpayer money to compete with private providers," Jacob Willer, a spokesperson for Telekommunikationsindustrien, told Computerworld. "I think the City Council should leave their plans on the shelf."

 

According to Computerworld, the City Council's wifi plans are still in the development stage and neither the set-up nor operating costs of a potential council-run wifi network were included in the proposal. It could however become part of the council's upcoming budget negotiations.

 

If the proposal gets off the ground and Copenhagen officials are in need of practical advice and inspiration, they can find it just on the other side of the Øresund. The Swedish city of Helsingborg launched free wifi within the city centre last month.  

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