Taranaki Base and Hāwera Hospitals will now offer free WiFi for patients after PrimoWireless founder Matthew Harrison gifts connectivity to Taranaki District Health Board. Nurse Trish Coronel pictured.

Getting online while in one regional hospital will now be free thanks to the founder of an internet service provider who knows what it's like to be a patient.

PrimoWireless managing director Matthew Harrison has connected Taranaki Base and Hāwera Hospitals to wifi inspired by his own personal experience of chewing through data during recovery from illness.

While he was being diagnosed with a debilitating bowel disease, Harrison spent the majority of his days at Taranaki Base Hospital.

ANDY JACKSON/STUFF PrimoWireless founder Matthew Harrison ran his business through his mobile phone while spending months in hospital with health issues. Nurse Trish Coronel pictured.

"Tests were being done, decisions were being made and I was starting to have less time out of hospital than in," Harrison said.

"When someone spends as much time in a hospital as I did, people stop visiting - not because they didn't care but because I was always there."

READ MORE:* Simple steps can help control diverticular disease

* PrimoWireless wins tender to connect rural Taranaki and grant for Whangamomona

* Free wifi for inpatients at Wellington and Hutt hospitals

* North Shore Hospital offers free wifi

Eventually Harrison was diagnosed with diverticulitis, which occurs when pouches form in the wall of the colon and then become inflamed or infected. The disease is more typically seen in people aged over 40.

"I asked myself how could I, a seemingly healthy 28-year-old have this and most importantly, how do I deal with it?"

Harrison had been ordered to have surgery which saw him spend nearly six months in hospital.

But through that time he never stopped working - and considering his business is connecting rural people to the internet, it's no surprise he used an incredible amount of mobile data during his stay.

"I burnt through more than $3000 of internet data trying to run my business from a hospital bed.

"Staying in contact with friends and family is an important part of recovery because it reminds you of what you have to look forward to when it's all over.

"But trying to run a business from a hospital bed with little to no connectivity is an impossible task."

With his personal experiences in mind, Harrison approached Taranaki District Health Board (TDHB) to offer both Taranaki Base and Hāwera Hospitals free wifi connectivity so other patients could stay better connected.

"I hope that at the very least this will enable communication with families, friends and loved ones during their stay," Harrison said.

TDHB chief executive Rosemary Clements said the gift felt like Christmas had come early.

"Free wifi is going to make a huge difference for our patients, who will be able to connect with friends and whānau while they recover in hospital," she said.

It took "many months" of testing and tweaking to ensure wifi could be easily accessed throughout the entire hospital and without interference to any equipment.

With all the kinks are ironed out, Tuesday marks the official launch of free wifi - though there is a limit on how much each person can use in a day. Patients and visitors are allowed 1GB a day, though access can continued at a reduced speed.

The Taranaki region's hospitals are not the first in the country to offer internet access to patients as DHBs including Waikato, Northland and Canterbury have said they also offer the service. However not all offer access for free.