Providing citizens with WiFi connection has become a key factor in improving the accessibility and efficiency of public services. Find out about the challenges faced by administrations to achieve this and discover the WiFi solutions that can make a difference.
The importance of connectivity in public administrations
Connectivity is a key element in the digital transformation of public administrations.
It optimises the accessibility of public services to citizens and businesses, overcomes digital breach and boosts efficiency.
Moreover, connectivity in public administrations facilitates collaboration between different organisations, as well as with other social and economic agents. It facilitates the sharing of information, resources and best practices, as well as coordinating actions and public policies in a more agile and effective way.
It contributes to the innovation and sustainable development of public administrations, as it allows taking advantage of the opportunities offered by new technologies, such as big data, artificial intelligence or the internet of things to improve processes, as well as to generate public and social value.
For all these reasons, connectivity is a key factor in achieving a more modern, transparent, closer and citizen-oriented public administration.
It is a basic tool for improving welfare and quality of life and promoting progress in society.
The digital breach, the great challenge for connectivity in public administrations
One of the main challenges in terms of connectivity that public administrations must address as soon as possible is the digital breach, which refers to the inequality in access to technology and connectivity between different social groups and territories.
The digital breach can negatively affect social inclusion, equity, competitiveness and the development of regions.
According to the DESI report, which measures the digital performance of EU member states in five dimensions, including connectivity, the EU has improved its coverage and quality of fixed and mobile broadband networks, as well as internet access for households and businesses.
However, it also points out that the roll-out of very high capacity networks (VHCN) in rural areas, where only 23% of households have access to speeds of at least 100 Mbps, needs to be accelerated.
The DESI 2022 report shows that the best performing countries in terms of connectivity are Finland, Sweden and Spain. These are characterised by high internet subscription penetration, good fixed and mobile broadband coverage and a high degree of 5G readiness.
Looking at the US, a recent BroadbandNow study found that 42 million people lack broadband internet access.
To address this situation, Congress passed the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) programme through the infrastructure bill.
Through it, states can provide grants to telecommunications companies, electric cooperatives and other broadband providers to build infrastructure that connects homes and small businesses to the network.
WiFi connectivity solutions must be adopted the public administrations
Given this situation, public administrations need to embrace WiFi networks to minimise this digital breach as quickly as possible and make the most of the benefits outlined above.
And they can do this in various ways, including the 3 fundamental ones described below.
Public WiFi networks for citizens
One of the most relevant options for improving connectivity in public administrations is the implementation of WiFi networks in spaces such as parks, squares, stations and other places with a high concentration of people.
Public WiFi networks offer multiple benefits. On the one hand, they allow citizens to access the internet for free and without consuming their mobile data, which facilitates their digital inclusion and access to public services.
On the other hand, they allow public administrations to collect information on citizens’ use of and satisfaction with public services, as well as to provide useful and personalised information to WiFi network users.
These WiFi networks must offer adequate connection speed and guarantee the security and privacy of users’ data.
Enhanced WiFi networks for public buildings
Another solution to improve connectivity in public administrations is the improvement of WiFi networks in their headquarters and buildings, such as city halls, schools, hospitals, libraries and other citizen service centres.
WiFi networks in public buildings optimise the quality and efficiency of the services provided to citizens and businesses.
For example, they facilitate the electronic processing of documents, access to educational and digital health platforms, the use of applications to interact with public administrations and the use of digital resources, such as e-books or online courses. In addition, WiFi networks in public buildings open the door to improved internal management by facilitating communication between employees, access to integrated information systems and the use of collaborative tools.
Geolocated data to find out what’s happening in cities through WiFi
This solution consists of analysing the data generated from the WiFi networks of citizens’ and visitors’ mobile devices in cities.
This geolocated data provides valuable information on the behaviour, preferences, needs and opinions of citizens and visitors in relation to public services and the urban environment.
For instance, they provide insight into the flow of people in different areas and at different times, the degree of satisfaction with public services, demands and suggestions for improvement, and consumption trends and patterns.
This information allows public administrations to make more informed and data-driven decisions to improve urban planning, the design of public policies, the optimisation of resources and the continuous improvement of services.
At this point, it has become clear that the commitment to connectivity must be one of the main focuses of action of public administrations.
And from Galgus, we have the necessary resources and technology to face them successfully. In fact, we are present in public WiFi deployments in remote areas, such as those included in the European WiFi4EU program.
In addition, Galgus access points will be part of the Andalucia Regional Government’s project to install more than 50,000 APs in its more than 10,500 buildings, making it the largest WiFi network in Europe.
In addition, we will work on the deployment of 58 WiFi connectivity projects in 41 counties in Florida.
Moreover, our Presence & Location Analytics technology is successfully implemented in several municipalities. For example, in the case of Seville, we are analysing tourist flows in an area of high interest such as the Santa Cruz neighbourhood.
This is just a sample of the potential of Galgus to foster connectivity in public administrations. If you would like to go deeper into them, we would love to hear from you and have a quiet conversation.
We also leave here the access to a free on-demand webinar we recently gave about our project in the Santa Cruz neighbourhood of Seville. Download here!
