CBRM issues tender to have free public WiFi installed in 3 downtown spots
Cape Breton Regional Municipality has issued a tender to have free public WiFi installed in the downtowns of Sydney, Glace Bay and North Sydney.
If the project is successful, the plan is to expand WiFi hubs to places such as arenas and bus stops, said John MacKinnon, the municipality's deputy CAO.
He said the project is something the municipality has been discussing for a while, but the COVID-19 pandemic made them think about issues public WiFi could help with.
"More and more services are going online, not just governments, but the private sector as well and more and more people do need access to be able to do business or to be able to interact," said MacKinnon.
"There is a large segment of our community unfortunately that just doesn't have the ability to do that."
He said having this kind of infrastructure in downtown cores could also help with things such as notifying people coming into one of the hub cores about what parking spaces are available.
Another area that would benefit from the public WiFi are the tourists coming off cruise ships in downtown Sydney and off the ferry from Newfoundland in North Sydney.
"If you're coming off of the cruise ship, the first thing you want to do is check your email, you may want to FaceTime somebody next to the big fiddle," said MacKinnon.
He said the tender winner will also have a chance to earn extra revenue through analytics and advertising.
"We're pretty excited about seeing what these companies can provide and how creative they can be and the response they provide to us," said MacKinnon.
He said the municipality would join other Atlantic Canadian cities such as Moncton, N.B., and Fredericton that have free public WiFi in their downtown cores.
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