The Council’s Policy & Resources committee have been asked to agree an initial £50,000 investment in scoping out the possibilities and exploring suitable options. Business partners such as BT, Virgin Media and Siemens are all interested in working with the local authority to set up a network of transmitters that could give extensive wireless connectivity to anyone with an enabled laptop or PDA.

It would be particularly useful in areas of deprivation where the physical infrastructure to allow wired access (e.g. underground cable and fibre connections) is either absent or expensive. It could also prove to be useful in areas with a high student population.

Wireless connectivity also forms one of the key planks of SEEDA's emerging South East Coastal Strategy.