Free Outdoor Public WiFi goes live in Balla, Ballinrobe, Castlebar and Claremorris under the WiFi4EU Project
Date: 03-12-2021
Mayo County Council was successful in securing €60,000 under the WiFi4EU initiative. This European funding was matched funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development.
The WiFi4EU Project provides a free outdoor public Wi-Fi service in 9 locations in County Mayo. The service is installed in public places such as main streets, public parks and other public areas of high footfall. The WiFi4EU initiative aims to provide high-quality Internet service, free of charge in these public spaces.
The official launch of Mayo’s Wifi4EU initiative took place on the 16th of December 2020 in Ballina, with the service also going live at that time in Belmullet, Crossmolina, Newport & Swinford.
The service has now been expanded, going live in November 2021 in Balla, Ballinrobe, Castlebar and Claremorris. Mayo County Council would like to thank all the building and business owners, from the participant towns, for working with us on this project and for their continued support. We would also like to thank the Claremorris Chamber of Commerce, Cllr Michael Burke and Ballinrobe town, the Castlebar Chamber of Commerce and the Balla Community Resources Development for their assistance on getting this service installed locally in their towns.
Signage in the participant towns, advertising the free public Wi-Fi service and how to connect to this service is being put in place. Keep an eye out for these signs for service availability.
The Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr Michael Smyth, said: “This is a good news story for Balla, Ballinrobe, Castlebar and Claremorris. It’s a great achievement to get this level of free connectivity into these additional towns, where it will benefit everyone. I would like to extend my thanks to the multiple stakeholders in bringing the second phase of this project to fruition”.
Kevin Kelly, Mayo County Council Chief Executive, welcomed the development, commenting: “I am pleased to see this project progress and to see the towns of Balla, Ballinrobe, Castlebar and Claremorris benefit from the expansion of the outdoor public Wi-Fi access points. This will provide free Wi-Fi for visitors and local residents across the county, helping to bring about a better digitally connected Mayo”.
The Cathaoirleach of Castlebar Municipal District, Cllr Martin McLoughlin, welcomed the news for the Municipal District “Free WiFi connectivity for these areas, and in particular for Castlebar and Balla, is very welcome news. Being able to connect easily and for free is an added attraction for visitors and will be of great benefit to all. Well done to all involved in rolling out this fantastic initiative”.
Cllr Michael Burke, Ballinrobe concluded with: “I’m delighted to see the Wifi4EU going live in Ballinrobe. I would like to thank the various property owners involved who were extremely helpful in providing the necessary access for the installation and David Reddington and his team at Mayo County Council responsible for the installation. The scheme is a great asset for the town and one which I’m sure locals and visitors to the town alike will make great use of”.