Residents of Tshwane can look forward to making free calls as well as downloading
blockbuster movies free of charge on the Tshwane Free WiFi network, making
Tshwane the first city in the world that offers free access to movies in this way.
Kgosientso Ramokgopa, executive mayor of Tshwane, announced on 19 August 2015
three new services on offer: WiFi Voice, WiFi Drive In and WiFi Chat. WiFi Chat is a web-based platform for information and feedback, as well as a new service delivery
mechanism where users can log queries and complaints.
Wi-Fi Voice allows users connected to the Tshwane Free WiFi network using the WiFi
Voice application to make unlimited free calls to each other and the
city’s customer care line. WiFi Drive In will enable users to watch a selection of
movies including some of the latest Hollywood blockbusters, on their private
devices in a WiFi Drive In area.
“The high cost of voice calls creates a barrier to stimulating economic growth and
creating opportunity for our youth. The City of Tshwane will effectively reduce the
cost of doing business in and with the city through the Tshwane WiFi Voice app,’
says Zahir Khan, COO of Project Isizwe – the non-profit organisation driving the
process of bringing free WiFi to communities.
WiFi Drive In will be available over weekends and will offer family entertainment and
around thirty Hollywood blockbusters on personal devices. This will be complemented by food
kiosks, flea market stalls and kids’ areas to offer a true family experience. The
first site will be at the Fountains Valley Park and more sites will be enabled based
on the model developed there.
“We envisage that this site will offer a secure environment where people can
congregate and be entertained. It is important for the city to create environments
for family entertainment where citizens can break away from their usual routine
and engage in a unique, ground-breaking experience,’ Khan says.
The Tshwane Free WiFi service realises the City of Tshwane’s vision of enabling
every citizen to be digitally included and part of the digital economy, regardless of
personal circumstance. In addition, it ensures that the city is poised for the long-term benefits of increased GDP, productivity and efficiencies from service delivery
as well as a digital inclusion perspective.
The Tshwane Free WiFi network has 700 live sites, in more than 95% of the wards
in the city. So far the service has had more than 720 000 unique users with more
than 22 million connections. The network is available at sites at various schools,
tertiary centres, libraries, health facilities, customer and municipal centres, tourism
and heritage venues, as well as sites on buses, at stations and curb stops on the A
Re Yeng Trunk Route.
