Broadband News

City-wide wireless to bridge digital divide

Wednesday, 30 July 2008

Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Manchester City council has announced plans to extend its Eastserve wireless broadband service across the whole city - the largest IT project of its kind in Europe.

For as little as £6 a month more than 3,500 residents in East Manchester have already been able to access the internet through the council funded scheme that aimed to ensure all residents have “universal, affordable next generation broadband access”.

Eastserve was set up in 2000 in a bid to bridge the digital divide, and in 2003 a community wifi broadband network was developed after a quarter of local residents revealed that they didn’t have a telephone landline - a figure that the council now fears has risen to 50 per cent.

As well as a basic 150Kb connection for £6 a month or a 2Mb connection for £20, the scheme offers training, a support centre, low cost computer repairs and a range of well used forums, interactive services and free e-mail. Residents who do not own a computer can even get recycled or new ones, at a lower cost, through the project.

Athol Few, Eastserve’s Project Manager said: “As access to technology alone is not enough; Eastserve continues to run initiatives that make use of the technology.

“Through Eastserve, some East Manchester residents have already benefited from ICT training, state-of-the-art broadband, access to hardware and software regardless of their financial situation. Residents are using Eastserve to access a wide range of services including reporting dumped refuse, anonymous crime reporting and advice and health services.”

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, added: “With an estimated 17 million people in the UK still without internet access of any kind, schemes like this are invaluable at helping people who would otherwise be left behind.

“It’s great that the Government and Manchester City council have decided to extend the scheme and it should serve as a shining example to other cities of how they can bridge their own digital divides,” he concluded.

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