The European Commission launched today the WiFi4EU web portal. EU citizens and visitors who will be able to access free Wi-Fi in public spaces such as parks, squares, public building, libraries, health centres in the EU will benefit from the WiFi4EU project.

As of now, municipalities all over Europe are invited to register their details ahead of the first call for projects in mid-May, for the chance to benefit from EU financing to build free public wireless internet hotspots.

The WiFi4EU programme offers vouchers worth €15,000 for municipalities to set up Wi-Fi hotspots in public spaces, including libraries, museums, public parks, squares.

As stated by President Jean-Claude Juncker, the WiFi4EU initiative aims at connecting "every European village and every city with free wireless internet access around the main centres of public life by 2020."

Municipalities can use the WiFi4EU vouchers to purchase and install Wi-Fi equipment (wireless access points) in their chosen centres of local public life. Costs for maintaining the network will be covered by the municipality.

€120 million is available from the EU budget until 2020 to fund equipment for public free Wi-Fi services in up to 8,000 municipalities in all Member States as well as Norway and Iceland.

As of 20 March 2018, municipalities should sign up on the www.WiFi4EU.eu portal. In mid-May 2018, the first call will be launched and registered municipalities can apply for a first lot of 1,000 WiFi4EU vouchers (€15,000 each). The vouchers will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Ensuring a geographic balance, the Commission will then announce the 1,000 municipalities that will receive funding through the first call. Each participating country will receive at least 15 vouchers.

In the coming two years, four more WiFi4EU calls will be launched.

WiFi4EU-funded networks will be free of charge, free of advertising and free of personal data harvesting. Funding will only be provided to networks that do not duplicate existing free private or public offers with a similar quality in the same public space.

Press release

Questions and Answers

Factsheet