Tshwane mayor promises boosted free WiFi

Additional methods to expand the range of Tshwane’s free WiFi hotspots will be explored this year, according to mayor Stevens Mokgalapa.

“The city remains committed to providing efficient WiFi solutions despite challenges linked to connectivity,” he said.

Mokgalapa made the remarks in his maiden state of the capital address recently, reports Pretoria North Rekord.

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“We continue to place value on the accessibility of telecommunications and the internet. Access to connectivity is critical for the Tshwane community, and providing our citizens with access to information is critical.”

Mokgalapa said a delicate balance was required though.

“We are confident we will eventually strike it right as we do not want to compromise any businesses in our pursuit.”

Through the expansion project, the TshWiFi network will cover more areas in all seven regions, including informal settlements.

The free public WiFi is currently available at about 1,051 hotspots.

It is found in public areas such as schools, parks, healthcare centres, and community centres, connecting millions of residents.

On its Twitter page, the city of Tshwane boasted TshWiFi was now “bigger and better”, with more connection, data, and hot spots.

Last year, network glitches were experienced after the expiry of a contract with the previous service provider, Project Isizwe, at the end of June.

The contract with new service provider Ulwembu Business Services (Pty) Ltd took effect on August 1 last year.

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