First EU funding call for free wireless internet hotspots
mobile phone - Photo-© moggara12 - Fotolia.jpg
(BRUSSELS) - Municipalities can start applying on Tuesday for EU financing of free wireless internet hotspots in public spaces, under the first call for applications for the WiFi4EU programme which opens tomorrow.
Through this call some 1,183 municipalities will receive a WiFi4EU voucher of €15,000 to finance Wi-Fi equipment and its installation in public spaces.
On receipt of the voucher, municipalities will have to offer secure Wi-Fi services, free-of-charge and without adverts, for at least 3 years.
Funding will only be provided for networks that do not duplicate already existing private or public free Wi-Fi services of a similar quality in the same public spaces.
To be eligible to apply, municipalities need to be registered on the WiFi4EU.eu web portal.
This portal was opened on the 20 March (see the press release) and over 17,000 municipalities have already registered.
The selection will be based on a 'first-come first-served' basis.
To ensure a balanced geographical distribution among EU Members States, each country will obtain a minimum of 15 and maximum of 95 vouchers.
This is the first of a total of five calls that will be published till 2020.