Free Wifi Scheme Extended To Two More Laois Towns

Friday, 15 July 2022 17:18

It's going to be rolled out across the entire county in the coming weeks.

Laois' new free public wifi scheme is being extended.

Following its launch in Portlaoise in May, Laois County Council is continuing the roll-out in Portarlington and Stradbally.

In Portarlington, the free wifi is available in the People's Park and Link Road between the Fire Station and the swimming pool, Main Street and at the library. There's also free internal access in the library.

In Stradbally, it's available in the Market Square and the Arthouse, both externally and internally.

The scheme is provided as part of an European Initiative WIFI4EU, which promotes free wifi within public spaces across the municipalities of the European Union.

It's been carried out locally by Gerry Buckley and his team from NIS Limited, based in the midlands, on behalf of Laois County Council who've installed the infrastructure to deliver the service.

Commenting on the launch, Antoinette Brennan, the local authority Broadband Officer stated;

"This is a very exciting times for both Portarlington and Stradbally towns as it is the very first time LCC can offer Free WIFI in public places throughout these towns. This would not have been possible without the support of local businesses that are among locations servicing their area. We would like to thank them for coming on board to support this initiative and in doing so have facilitated Laois County Council with access to Broadband."

Accessing WIFI4EU is a straightforward process that does not require the user to input any personal information or passwords.

Users connect wirelessly to the WIFI4EU network and agree to the Terms and Conditions.

As part of the implementation, all safeguards in relation to web content filtering will be put in place.

This will ensure that only content deemed to be safe can be viewed on the internet by users.

The project is already available in Portlaoise and will continue to be rolled out in the various towns and villages in the remaining Municipal Districts over the next few weeks - Abbeyleix, Mountmellick, Mountrath, Camross, Ballinakill and Borris in Ossory.

Caroline Hofman, Chief Executive of Laois Chamber added;

"Connectivity throughout the county is more important than ever, and the launch of WIFI4EU is a landmark project for Portarlington and Stradbally. This project will further enhance connectivity in the town, making both towns an even more attractive place to live, work and visit."