Free WiFi for Tower Hamlets

Tower Hamlets to enjoy free WiFi in £1.75 million project.

10:13 21 August 2017

A £1.75 million project has been approved to provide free WiFi access to Tower Hamlets. The first areas to benefit are Brick Lane, Watney Market and Chrisp Street, which are due to receive the Wifi by autumn next year.

 

Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs, said: “Investing to make Tower Hamlets a free wifi borough will make the internet more accessible for everyone and will particularly help groups who currently struggle to afford internet access themselves and who often most need the opportunities it opens up.

 

“We want to change that by breaking down digital barriers. At the same time we will provide training sessions for residents and businesses to help them get the best out of this new service.”

 

Currently, the cost of Wifi in London is £18/month, which many low-income families cannot afford. The move aims to help people looking for jobs, such as 50-year-old Mark Lewis, of Limehouse. He said: “At the moment, I cannot afford to pay for wifi where I live so I end up using data on my phone which runs out quickly and is expensive.

 

“If I have to use it in an emergency such as to applying for a job and I have no data, I have to travel each way for an hour to the library to use the computers.”