London Borough of Harrow rolls out 50 Wi-Fi hotspot locations with Arqiva for public use

Members of the public in the London Borough of Harrow can now use free Wi-Fi in 50 hot-spot locations in a new scheme that allows users 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi per day, per device, with a feature to purchase additional time once the half-hour is used.

The scheme has also enabled unlimited access to the council’s website on the free Wi-Fi connection. Wi-Fi transmitters have been installed at Harrow’s busiest locations by the council and Arqiva, its technology partner for the project. These areas include Station Road, Shaftesbury Circle, Northolt Road shops, Rayners Lane, Sudbury Hill, Stanmore Broadway and Bridge Street, Pinner.

The free Wi-Fi service will appear as _FreeHarrowWiFi in the list of available networks, when Wi-Fi enabled devices are in range.

Image: Free Wi-Fi hotspots in Harrow (Copyright Google Maps)

“Being better connected means [that the public are] more in touch with what’s going on, having greater access to services and getting the best deals as consumers,” said Terry Brewer, the council’s divisional director for commercial, contracts and procurement.

“Today’s consumers are heavily reliant on a fast, uninterrupted internet connection – in fact, it has become an expectation rather than a nice-to-have,” said Nicolas Ott, MD, Telecoms & M2M, of Arqiva. “As a result, we‘re seeing councils stepping up their efforts to deliver Wi-Fi services to provide value to their communities.

“Building on our strong heritage in this area, Arqiva is delighted to be working with Harrow Council to help improve its wireless network, providing better coverage to help keep its residents informed, entertained and connected on-the-go.”