The Newcastle City Council has announced the rollout of a new pilot scheme in collaboration with digital connectivity provider Purple, aiming to establish an extensive city-wide free Wi-Fi network.
Designed to serve residents, students, and visitors, the initiative will enable seamless internet access across a variety of public spaces and venues.
The new wireless network will be deployed across Council buildings, gyms, libraries, commercial premises, and other public areas. Thanks to Purple’s ConneX App, users will enjoy the convenience of connecting once and roaming freely across hundreds of hotspots without the need for repeated logins, enhancing ease of access and user experience.
To encourage adoption among local businesses, Purple is also donating £120,000 worth of free Wi-Fi hardware and licenses to 1,000 small and medium-sized enterprises, supporting the broader digital inclusion effort.
“Even with near-universal broadband coverage, reliable access on the go isn’t affordable for everyone. Using government funding, we’ve improved our free public Wi-Fi to better serve residents, and this partnership will help us tackle digital poverty by providing free access in more places. This is about fairness as much as technology,” said Cllr. Paul Frew of Newcastle City Council.
He added that seamless, free connectivity aims to level the playing field, ensuring no one in Newcastle is left behind in the digital age. Additionally, the insights gained from working with Purple will help the council understand how people use public Wi-Fi, enabling them to improve service delivery for residents, businesses, and visitors alike.
