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E-govErnmEnt

Free Wi-Fi connects city dwellers

The country’s major cities connect residents with free Wi-Fi, writes sibusiso mtungwa

the capital city city of Johannesburg

The City of Tshwane has expanded its free Wi-Fi network and The City of Johannesburg launched its flagship Wi-Fi hotspots
coverage for its citizens. Tshwane free Wi-Fi, better known as in libraries, clinics, swimming pools, Rea Vaya bus stations
free TshWi-Fi, now has more than a million unique devices that and other public spaces. The city’s ultimate plan was to
connect through the network. While the city aims to further provide its citizens with endless digital services under its
increase its Wi-Fi zones, it currently has 776 Wi-Fi zones Smart City initiative. The city opened over 1 000 free Wi-Fi
that service citizens. According to BMI-TechKnowledge, the hotspots, with more than 300 being free public hotspots. The
city has the largest public Wi-Fi network in Africa, providing city’s free Wi-Fi allows people to connect to the internet from
1 500 km of broadband fibre at no additional cost. their phones, laptops and personal computers. Each network
user is provided with 300MB of data per day for general use,
With a population of more than 2 million, the city plans to further as well as unlimited access to services.
increase its provision of free Wi-Fi to cover half of its residents.
One such resident, Sesedi Tsoka (28), said he uses “… the Wi- Currently, city free Wi-Fi hotspots are available at nine Rea
Fi for emails, Facebook, WhatsApp and other important things Vaya bus stations across the city and at 50% of all libraries
during the weekend.” and clinics across its seven regions. The city also seems to
be aiming to develop the Smart city project into something
While the project has gone on to win an international award, that will mirror the Tshwane project, with voice, video and
the city has allocated additional funds to further expand this data features added to the City’s free Wi-Fi in the near future.
project. Initial spending on the project was projected at around The planned phased roll-out will include regions such as
R100 million, but due to its success and the expansion plans, Zandspriut, Diepsloot, Orange Farm, Ivory Park, Pennyville,
the project has grown over the years and now has a projected Lenasia and Ziberfontein.
cost of more than R150 million.

Another Tshwane resident, Karl Kindo (38), said “[T]he 500MB
is not enough but I appreciate it, and in all the countrys I have
been to, it’s only South Africa that is giving out free Wi-Fi. I
have been to more than 10 countries in the continent.”

Volume 11 No. 3 of 2018 | SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW 21