Aberdeen City Council’s technology tsar has claimed the Granite City could become “Britain’s digital capital” as it embarks on a six-year, £50million improvement programme
Simon Haston, head of IT and transformation at the local authority, added that citizens would get free city-centre wi-fi “by the end of the year”.
Around £300,000 will be allocated from council budgets for improving “digital infrastructure” – such as laying new fibre cables underground.
Around £20million has been set aside from the £250million City Region Deal for the works and council bosses expect £30million from the private sector.
Speaking to the press for the first time yesterday, the city official said that residents could soon expect inner-city broadband on a scale with the capitals of eastern Asia.
He said: “We have already begun to upgrade the council network which is a six-year programme. Within the year, we will have upgraded the council’s network which could attract private sector investment of potentially £30million over the next six years.
“The city centre wireless we’re looking at is what is called a full concession. That’s where the private sector pay for the infrastructure and get their returns through advertising or footfall.”
Mr Haston added that the digital investment would reap many benefits for the city.
He said: “Types of diverse businesses require really good connectivity. And that’s one thing companies are really looking for if they want to invest.
“It’s important to the oil and gas sector, but it’s also important for the wider economy.”
Council leader Jenny Laing said the creation of a new, world-class digital infrastructure could transform Aberdeen into one of Britain’s “smartest cities”.
She added: “Bringing high-speed and free, wireless connectivity to the city centre – and eventually the wider area – will deliver massive benefits for schools, the public and businesses.
“With these plans, we are making a real statement to the global business community in terms of stimulating and attracting new investment into the city. This is what we mean when we talk about building a new digital economy.
“This is a genuine partnership between private and public sector with Aberdeen City Council at the heart of the transformation.”
Worldwide wi-fi revolution
Aberdeen could join other major cities around the globe by introducing the new free wi-fi zone for the city centre.
The Israeli capital of Tel Aviv has been operating a free system for citizens since 2013 with a number of hot-spots around the city.
In Helsinki, Finnish users can travel almost anywhere in city while staying connected thanks to a password-free system.
Visitors to Paris can also use over 200 public hotspots for up to two hours at a time, as many times as they like.
But the “Tiger” cities of east Asia are really pushing ahead with the new technology.
Travellers to Taipei, Taiwan can register ahead of arrival to receive 30 days of free access to a national, government-backed network of over 5,000 hotpsots.
In Hong Kong, there are multiple free wi-fi spots.
