Council buoyed over wifi

Still behind schedule, but work planned for next year

A MULTI-million pound project to install public w i fi to t he Waterfront remains behind schedule – but council chiefs insist it is “heading in the right direction”.

The roll-out of a free network covering the Waterfront area, which will cost around £2 million to introduce, was originally planned to be in place for the opening of V&A Dundee, but delays have meant it has been pushed back.

But now the council has claimed work will begin at the start of next year – with a public wifi network and a 5G testbed introduced at the central Waterfront.

The local authority said in a statement the “complex process to select tenderers capable of delivering the project is ongoing with a contract expected to be awarded early next year”.

Alan Ross convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee, added: “We want Dundee to become a Smart City with the best possible digital connectivity that will improve quality of life and economic development. This project seeks to develop the infrastructure we need to deliver that ambition.

“This is a complicated process that we want to make sure we get right, but I am confident that we are heading in the right direction.”

The public wifi will be connected by fibre-optic cables running through existing ducting and the service will be capable of being ramped up to support specific events like concerts in Slessor Gardens.

Work will be planned to minimise disruption and scheduled to avoid conflict with the events programme at Slessor Gardens.

The city development committee is due to meet on Monday to discuss the latest developments with the wifi plan.

As part of the original plans put forward in 2017 by the council, it was claimed the wifi would be rolled out in City Square and other parts of the city centre by 2019.

The free network was meant to be ready for the V&A opening.