Free wifi is on the way to Coalville town centre

FREE Wi-Fi will soon be on offer in Ashby and Coalville town centres as part of a £57,000 project.

The technology will also gather data and provide a footfall count for areas of the town centre covered by the network.

A report into the project estimates the total installation costs to be around £57,412.25, Leices- tershire County Council has offered £15,000 of funding, and £5,000 of Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) funding has been offered through the Leicestershire Market Towns Digital High Street Project. The remainder of the installation costs would be met by North West Leicestershire District Council.

The report states that free Wi-Fi has been identified as a ‘must have’ and is a ‘critical element of the digital infrastructure necessary to revitalise the high street.’

Footfall counting will allow the council to collate figures on usage of the town centre 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Data will also allow the council to see how well attended cul- tural events and the market are performing.

CounTony Gillard, portfolio holder for business at North West Leicestershire District Council, said: “We’re always looking for ways to improve the experience for visitors to our market towns and extensive research showed offering free Wi-Fi can have benefits for busi- nesses, shoppers and tourists.

“We want our businesses to be able to trade and compete in the 21st Century and to use their online footprint to attract customers. Once up-and-running shoppers wanting to find the nearest cafe, clothes shop, book store or restaurant can log into the free Wi-Fi to find what they are looking for quickly and easily.”