Aruba has announced a collaboration with consulting body Wi-Fi Now to advise on the roll-out of free public Wi-Fi networks for 6,000-8,000 areas across the EU. The initiative, announced by President Jean-Claude Juncker as part of the State of the Union address last year, is designed to encourage local authorities to apply for funding from which there is a reported ˆ120 million set aside, in order to help create and develop new digital services across public spaces such as public buildings, libraries and health centers. To bring to life the various applications and benefits of secure public Wi-Fi, Aruba will give a joint presentation with the University of Cambridge, who manage the Connected Cambridge network for over 18,000 students and local residents, at this year’s Wi-Fi Now Europe conference, 31st of October in The Hague, Netherlands. Morten Illum, VP of EMEA at HPE Aruba comments: “The expectations of today’s user is that Wi-Fi access is a necessity in their personnel lives. The services provided by Cambridge City Council are a great example of what is possible with public Wi-Fi today and in the future. The WiFi4EU initiative will allow local governments to connect with their citizens in new ways to improves local services”.
