Dublin and Virgin Media trial open wifi solution

Dublin City Council has partnered with Virgin Media to field trial a WiFi4EU-compliant network utilising the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) Openwifi solution to provide the city centre with free wireless internet access. 

The network can be used for publicly sponsored urban wifi deployments and allows the selection of the most appropriate solution based on use case rather than a single vendor’s products. It facilitates the independent replacement and upgrading of components, and is compatible with municipalities’ procurement needs for vendor diversity and state-of-the-art technologies.

Wifi 6 access points

Dublin City Council, Ireland, supported by Virgin Media Business, the city’s internet service provider, is installing wifi 6 access points that are compliant with TIP OpenWiFi as a trial of open, disaggregated solutions for potential use in the city’s public wifi network. TIP OpenWiFi is compliant with the technical requirements of the European Commission’s WiFi4EU initiative, the benchmark for public openwifi deployments in Europe.

“A smart city is built around collaboration and openness. We are delighted to be trialling wifi options that are built with an open source architecture that enables multi-vendor interoperability,” said Jamie Cudden, smart city programme manager, Dublin City Council.

“A smart city is built around collaboration and openness. We are delighted to be trialling wifi options that are built with an open source architecture that enables multi-vendor interoperability” 

Dublin City Council’s public wifi trials are using TIP OpenWiFi-compliant products and software including a cloud-based controller from NetExperience and access points from Edgecore and HFCL.

“Virgin Media is recognised for providing ‘clever tech’ with ultrafast speeds and ultra-reliability,” said Noel O’Reilly, business products and solutions manager, Virgin Media Business.