The government plans to provide free Wi-Fi in public areas across Adelaide including Rundle Mall, Victoria Square and the Riverbank precinct.
Good news if you regularly use a tablet, laptop or phone in central Adelaide during your work day.
Adelaide is already relatively well served with free Wi-Fi, and it looks like the situation is going to improve.
Now there's a government plan to provide free Wi-Fi in public areas across Adelaide including Rundle Mall, Victoria Square and the Riverbank precinct. The idea seems to be to blanket outdoor areas of central Adelaide.
State Premier Jay Weatherill said the service will benefit workers, shoppers, students, restaurant-goers and tourists. "Whether working on your laptop, browsing for bargains, checking transport times or finding somewhere to have dinner or see live music, free Wi-Fi will make people's lives easier."
More prosaically, it will also help small business people to reduce their dependance on 3G and 4G mobile services for checking and sending emails and using other online functions.
Science and Information Economy Minister Tom Kenyon noted the network will be useful to businesses for marketing purposes: "Retail businesses in the CBD will be able to connect more directly with their customers to promote special sales and marketing events."
Internode Wi-Fi
Internode provides free Wi-Fi at many Adelaide locations including Rundle Mall and Adelaide Airport, and a variety of cafes and other premises.
Other commercial premises in the city including the ubiquitous McDonalds offer free Wi-Fi.
And just last month the SA government began a year-long trial of free Wi-Fi on all of Adelaide's trams and 20 buses. The trial is supported by advertising and commercial sponsorships.
The intention is to complete the rollout by the end of 2013, and proposals are currently being sought from IT businesses to develop and operate the Adelaide City Wireless Broadband project. Current funding comprises $1 million from the state government and $500,000 from the city council.
[Article image: fritz16 / Shutterstock.com]
