The Knysna municipality plans to install 150 additional free hotspots in the region, bringing the total number of hotspots to 250.
The cost of the additional hotspots is R250 000, and is part of a R2.5 million initiative, contracted to UniNet, to make the municipality fully WiFi connected. To date, 62 municipal offices have been WiFi connected and 100 hotspots deployed.
Following the success of hotspot services, the municipality is keen to see access to these services expanded into more areas, says CFO Grant Easton. This phase of the project will see free hotspots extended to include all business districts, main tourist areas and informal settlements, he says.
The installation of the additional hotspots will be completed by the end of September, he says.
Benefits for the region
An analysis of the usage of the hotspot network in the area revealed that one of the most popular usages is by tourists looking for a place to stay, Easton says. Over 60 000 people attend Knysna`s annual oyster festival, making the need for connectivity critical, he says.
"The expansion of the hotspot network will allow municipal workers access to the municipal switchboard for free local voice calls," he says, adding hotspot users in Knysna will be afforded 45 minutes of free Internet per day.
Easton says the municipality has secured the subsidisation of installation costs for new commercial subscribers, reducing installation charges from R2 450 per month to R300 per month.
This will serve to stimulate further expansion of the hotspot network by encouraging commercial users to access the Internet service, he says.
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