he Council has now delivered upon its commitment to provide FREE public access Wi-Fi across all seven of its town centres – with the recent roll-out in Pontypridd completing the programme across Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Shoppers, businesses and visitors to retail areas in Aberdare, Mountain Ash, Ferndale, Porth, Treorchy, Tonypandy – and most-recently Pontypridd – can now access this provision for free. This was a key priority commitment for the Council, having been first rolled-out as a pilot scheme in Aberdare in 2019.
The provision of free Wi-Fi contributes toward assisting greater digital inclusion and is part of the wider support for town centres and business, especially during the pandemic – which has had such a huge impact on traders. It also forms part of the key regeneration frameworks in place across a number of our towns.
Just look out for ‘RCTFreeTownCentreWiFi’ on the list of available networks in each town. Access does not require a password, and the Wi-Fi is available between 7am and 7pm each day. The service will be monitored and reviewed by the Council to ensure it continues to meet the needs of our communities.
Councillor Mark Norris, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate and Digital Services, said: “The latest provision of free public-access Wi-Fi has now been installed in Pontypridd, and I’m delighted that all seven of our town centres in Rhondda Cynon Taf are now benefiting from this service, as the Council delivers upon a key commitment made to residents.
“The provision has a number of benefits – from encouraging visitors into our town centres, to improving residents’ access to public services which are increasingly made available online. For local businesses, it will support more traders to operate digitally, and while it encourages people to Shop Locally, it will also help increase traders’ online presence in order to reach more people.
“The new Wi-Fi in Pontypridd, similarly to other towns, is available for a 12-hour period from 7am to 7pm – and has ‘Friendly Wi-Fi’ accreditation, which ensures measures are in place to provide access to appropriate content only.
“This provision has been made available as part of the Council’s Digital Strategy. I’m confident that helping businesses to operate in a more digitally-focused way will prove a very useful asset to them on a day-to-date basis, and a worthwhile investment going forward.”
