AWTG's Barnsley network continues to provide solid value to Barnsley Council.
The number of people using Barnsley town centre’s free Wi-Fi network provided by AWTG is growing, and the greater majority of people who use it are happy with the standard of the service.
A recent survey undertaken through survey monkey shows that 87.7 per cent of those who responded said the service was ‘convenient’ or ‘very convenient’. Just under 75 per cent of respondents said they were happy with the coverage/service in locations where it is available, and 71.7 per cent of people believe the speed of the connection is better than average. The survey also demonstrates that the network is seen by over 70 per cent of respondents to compare favourably, and in some cases outperform, the quality and experience of the Wi-Fi provided by the multi-national mobile phone operators.
The number of Wi-Fi user have been increasing over the past few years and now around 3500 users per month are currently using the service throughout the town centre, predominantly for surfing the Internet or for social media purposes and voice-over IP.
Cllr Roy Miller, cabinet spokesperson for Development, Environment and Culture at Barnsley Council, said: “I believe that both the council and AWTG, who supply the technology and the network, were ahead of the game in terms of showing how the public and private-sector can make the best use of each other’s resources in a way that meets all requirements on both sides. What’s more, in times of austerity and continuing pressures on our budget, doing so at nil cost to the council and, hence, nil cost to local residents, has to be applauded.”
People can log on to the network by searching for BarnsleyFreeWiFi in the town centre. Coverage reaches approximately from the Interchange, to the Alhambra centre and the town hall. People who haven’t signed up previously will need to register before using the system.
Abbey Alidoosti CEO of AWTG said: “The massive growth in data applications results in pressure on mobile operators, especially in high density environments such as town centres and public locations. AWTG, a leader in small cell network deployments, has worked closely with Barnsley Council to provide a full Wi-Fi mesh network in Barnsley town centre. This all started in July 2011 as an experiment, allowing us to test out new technologies and applications in return for Barnsley Council granting us access to their town centre infrastructure. Nearly three years later, the collaboration is a continued success. This has been a truly innovative venture and partnership, and long may it continue.”