Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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965. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of free Wifi4EU hotspots around the country by county in tabular form; if more of these are planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18080/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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WiFi4EU is a European initiative, which is co-funded by my Department and the European Commission. The initiative aims to support the development of wireless broadband by providing a high-quality internet service, free of charge, in public spaces such as main streets, public parks, libraries, museums and other public areas of high footfall.

Under the WiFi4EU scheme, local authorities applied through a competitive process to secure vouchers worth €15,000 each to install Wi-Fi hotspots. Local authorities could apply for up to 4 vouchers each throughout the lifetime of the initiative, and they must install a minimum of 10 access points per voucher. Depending on the location chosen, one or more access point may be required in that location.

In all, local authorities have secured 114 vouchers out of a maximum of 124 vouchers available, which makes Ireland one of the most successful countries to take part in the scheme. 30 of the 31 local authorities secured vouchers under the scheme.

My Department is providing co-funding of up to €15,000 for each voucher secured by the local authorities, effectively doubling the value of the investment. It is estimated that over 1,500 WiFi hotspots could be installed at locations across the country under the WiFi4EU initiative when completed. To date, 967 hotspots are live across 21 Local Authority areas and the county breakdown is attached in tabular form.

The EU granted extensions to local authorities due to Covid restrictions in place during 2020 and 2021 to allow time for local authorities to fully complete their projects. The WIFI4EU scheme will be fully completed by December 2022 when it is expected that the remaining local authorities will have utilised the vouchers granted.

WIFI4EU Connections by County