Cookstown set to become Mid-Ulster Wi-Fi capital
Councillor Tony Quinn, Chairman of Cookstown District Council and the Town Centre Forum, TP Sheehy, Vice Chairman of Cookstown Town Centre Forum, Delma McAleer, Department for Social Development and Lynn Shiels, Cookstown District Council celebrate as Cookstown gets funding to implement the first Town Centre Wi-Fi network in Mid Ulster.
COOKSTOWN is set to become the first town in Mid-Ulster to provide Wi-Fi.
The ‘hotspot’ scheme will be launched in April 2013 and will provide ‘on the go’ access to the internet in the main retail centre of Cookstown.
The accessible Wi-Fi service will provide many benefits to people who use the town centre and will also enable shoppers to keep connected or visitors to access tourist information when spending time in Cookstown.
The Council already has a number of wireless access points located within Council facilities including the Council Offices, Cookstown Leisure Centre, Ballyronan Marina and The Burnavon, but the new network will extend the reach within Cookstown town centre.
Coverage will include Loy Street to Oldtown Street including James and William Street and the retail areas of Orritor Road, Burn Road, Fairhill Road, Molesworth Street and Coagh Street.
The Service will allow any Wi-Fi enabled device such as a laptop, tablet or smart phone a free, time bound service to connect to the Internet.
Welcoming the news Councillor Tony Quinn, Chairman of Cookstown District Council and Cookstown Town Centre Forum said: “I’m thrilled to see Cookstown embracing its digital future in this way.
£This is an exciting project for Cookstown town centre as Wi-Fi offers many potential benefits and convenience to everyone, enabling local businesses and visitors to use the internet and download emails on the move.
“Clearly the web has had a massive effect on retail, but by using this to our advantage – and giving everyone the chance to use free Wi-Fi for a limited period – we can help drive footfall to Cookstown and encourage more growth in local enterprise, whether it’s through people stopping for a coffee while they check their emails or making use of internet offers from local retailers. Council are thankful to the Department for Social Development who have provided funding towards this scheme.”
Access to the Wi-Fi service will be available in April 2013 in outdoor areas of the town centre and users will need to register to access the network.
In these challenging trading times it is essential to offer a wide range of town centre services to support growth and survival of our local businesses.
This scheme endeavours to make Cookstown’s shopping experience more enjoyable for the people who live and work in our district as well as those who visit our area.
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Saturday 18 May 2013
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