Free public Wi-Fi in Rotherham market and library proposed

Rotherham Council’s cabinet first agreed to the instillation of free Wi-Fi in the town centre in 2018, and identified a supplier in January 2020.

However, by November 2020, the council had been unable to enter into contract with the chosen supplier due to “changes within the company, and a general lack of engagement from them in progressing the contract award”.

A report to be considered by cabinet states that the pandemic has impacted the timescales “associated with furthering this work”.

It adds that the landscape for the provision of free town centre Wi-Fi has “changed considerably”, which has been has been attributed to the communications market “significantly reducing the cost of personal data bundles on mobile devices and more town centre shops and cafes offering free Wi-Fi to customers”.

Three options are on the table for RMBC to consider.

Option one is for the council’s ICT service to provide the infrastructure, management and support of a free town centre Wi-Fi offering.

The report states that this option is not considered viable, due to the fact that ICT staff “do not currently possess the highly specialised technical skills and knowledge to design, deploy and manage a public wireless infrastructure across the town.”

Option two would involve RMBC paying a third-party provider to deliver free town centre Wi-Fi.

The report states that the council could not commit to this option, “given the unknowns in terms of potential investment costs and to ensure compliance with public procurement law.”

The third, preferred option, would see an extension of the current corporately managed free public Wi-Fi network to other areas of the town centre.

The enclosed market area was identified as the priority area within the original procurement, and was a key area in which a free town centre Wi-Fi would benefit market traders and customers.

If approved by cabinet on March 28, public consultation will be carried out via a short online survey to identify what members of the public would like and where Wi-Fi would be of use to them.