Auckland Goes Wild for Wi-Fi
The Auckland City Council has teamed up with Tomizone hotspot in order to create a major metropolis wireless network. This new Wi-Fi internet initiative kicked off at the beginning of September, just in time for Rugby World Cup. The mission is to allow tourists and residents the opportunity for free or cheap internet access around town and while commuting to and from work.
The Council has set up agreements with the Link Bus system and a few train routes to provide free wireless internet to it’s public transportation users. In doing so, the Council hopes to encourage public transportation commuting by allowing workers to make more efficient time out of their daily commute.
“Being able to access the internet via this new Wi-Fi service means our customers and our visitors to the city can make more effective use of their commute time,” says Mark Lambert, Auckland Transport’s Public Transport Operations Manager
Along with the free Wi-Fi zones, the Council and Tomizone have arranged for cheaper, discounted internet zones that expand from Britomart to parts of Parnell Mt. Eden and Ponsonby. Certain “tourism and RWC informational sites” are accessible for free in order to provide easy quick tourism information to visitors in Auckland.
“Auckland Transport will evaluate the success of the Wi-Fi service prior to making it more widely available across the public transport network,” says Lambert.
The expansion of the Wi-Fi network is being assessed over the next six weeks. Decisions about permanent internet access around Auckland will be made following the World Cup.