14 DAY TRIAL // The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission have reached an agreement regarding the WiFi4EU initiative which will see free Wi-Fi hotspots installed all across Europe's public spaces.
The initiative will contribute to the vision of having "every European village and every city with free wireless Internet access around the main centres of public life by 2020," as Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has put it.
"The Digital Single Market strategy aims to build a fully connected Europe where everyone has access to high-quality digital networks. The WiFi4EU initiative will improve connectivity in particular where access to the internet is limited," said Andrus Ansip, VP in charge of the Digital Single Market. "WiFi4EU is a welcome first step, but much more needs to be done to achieve high-speed connectivity across the whole EU territory – such as improving Europe-wide coordination of spectrum and stimulating investments in the high-capacity networks that Europe needs."
EU grants for all municipalities looking to join the project
The three institutions have committed to assigning €120 million to fund equipment for public free Wi-Fi services in 6,000 to 8,000 municipalities in all member states. Once all the paperwork is done, local authorities will be able to apply for funding. The grants should be used to purchase and install state-of-the-art equipment, namely the local wireless access points. The public authorities will be covering the costs for running the projects locally.
The WiFI4EU was first proposed back in September 2016, as the European Union seeks to completely overhaul the telecoms rules. The Digital Single Market strategy has come a long way in the European Union. On June 15, 2017, all travelers in the European Union will stop paying roaming charges. Early next year, Europeans will also be able to travel with the films, music, video games and ebooks they have subscribed to at home, after the 700 MHz band will be released for the development of 5G and new online services.