Barcelona puts Wi-Fi on the buses

Barcelona’s City Council has extended its Wi-Fi network to cover its fleet of 1,003 buses.

Wi-Fi provider Aptilo worked on the project using its bespoke service management platform to connect the vehicles.

It boosts the Wi-Fi network in the city, which the council claims is one of the largest in Europe. There are more than 1,100 access points both indoor and outdoor.

Users can connect with a one-time registration via a link emailed to their account.

However, Wi-Fi speeds are throttled to only 256KBps in outdoor locations, with the exception of Barcelona City Council websites and the likes of libraries and museums.

Aptilo’s management platform has policies in place to control bandwidth and access depending on the hotspot location.

A premium service is also available, which can allow service providers to offer unlimited speeds so long as they are using Aptilo’s platform.

Paco Rodríguez Jiménez, IT Director, Barcelona City Council, said: “We are constantly seeking innovative ways to utilize Barcelona Wi-Fi for Smart City services. Aptilo has been a great partner in helping us take Barcelona Wi-Fi to new heights.”

Paul Mikkelsen, CEO, Aptilo Networks, added: “Barcelona City Council, one of the pioneers of City Wi-Fi, is constantly on the move with Smart City initiatives to save costs and to support their 1.6 million citizens and 7.5 million tourists visiting the city every year.”

Last week, O2 and Vodafone announced it would roll out a new Wi-Fi network across the City of London as part of its Cornerstone joint venture.