Free WiFi service may have been launched in Lincoln yesterday, but it’s impact is already being observed.
Residents and tourists will now be able to access the internet without using any data from anywhere in the city with coverage stretching from Bailgate and Castle Square all the way to the end of the High Street.
The network was launched by the City of Lincoln Council under the name ‘COLin City of Lincoln Free WiFi’ which will take users to their website and to specific websites/search engines once logged into the service.
Access to the network is available on smartphones, tablets and laptops with many people already making considerable use of the service.
A tweet by Videcom Security, the company who designed the hardware to make this service possible, said that they were already getting plenty of traffic around the city in terms of data usage and internet connection.
“Lincoln’s WiFi is on the move. We are already seeing data moving through the system and user stats are steadily climbing pre-launch.”
Joel Murray, Digital Marketing Co-ordinator for Visit Lincoln, explained that the service has the potential for a great impact on tourism in the city.
“I think having free WiFi in Lincoln will have an amazing impact on tourism because it shows that we are a modern city and people will be more excited to visit us.
“When you look at cities such as London and Manchester, a huge part of their tourism income is based on not only their size, but the way they use modern technologies and we hope Lincoln can be part of that movement.
“Even though it was only just launched yesterday, there has already been a wave of positive feedback from people not only visiting, but living in Lincoln too.”
“The council have done a really good job in catering to what the public want and I hope it changes the perception of Lincoln being an old-fashioned town.”
The new WiFi scheme is one of many changes that have happened in Lincoln over the past few years and its embrace of new ideas and technologies has proven successful for tourism.
Last year, a record 4 million people visited Lincoln alone bringing in over £200 million of tourist income which represented a 7% growth in visitor economy.
With interest in mobile technology becoming more prominent than ever, it is expected that these figures will only grow further as the year comes to an end.
