HM GOVERNMENT OF Office of the Minister for Tourism, Commercial Affairs, Public Transport and the Port Suite 631, Europort Gibraltar

PRESS RELEASE

No. 658/2013

Date: 18th September 2013

Gibraltar on track to obtain 100% WI-FI connectivity at tourist locations

Minister for Tourism, Commercial Affairs, Public Transport and the Port, MP has announced that most of Gibraltar’s beaches, tourist sites, hotels and places of interest now have WI-FI Hotspots up and running, part of an ambitious project by the Gibraltar Government to provide 100% internet coverage of these areas throughout the Rock.

The latest areas to obtain outdoor online connectivity are Moorish , , the and the Gibraltar Museum. This amenity will be available to the local population and visitors whose tourist experience of the Rock will be greatly enhanced with this new service.

Wi-Fi Hotspots in Gibraltar now cover 80% of the main public locations with the latest four sites having been incorporated in the last fortnight, bringing the total to 18 fully operational locations.

The initiative was first announced by Minister Costa in his Budget address of 2012, with further detail being made public in 2013.

The Gibraltar Tourist Board has also taken a leading role in the project with the technical groundwork carried out by local telecommunications provider .

Work on the five remaining sites is currently under way and it is expected that the project will be completed before the end of the year. Additional sites are being planned by Gibtelecom with further enhancements to the service in 2014.

Minister Costa welcomed the progress and the incorporation of four new sites to the WI-FI Hotspot project.

“We are delighted that our target of 100% WI-FI Hotspots for Gibraltar tourist locations is now within our grasp. This represents a great technical achievement for Gibtelecom which will deliver a major marketable asset for the local tourist product. I first gave indication of the project in 2012 and I am pleased to bring this to fruition through the Gibraltar Tourist Board with the excellent technical work carried out by Gibtelecom.

______Telephone No: (350) 200 78871 (Centrex: 2750) ; Fax No: (350) 200 78899 (Centrex: 3511) Email: [email protected] “The Gibraltar Government is pleased that another of our progressive initiatives will shortly be accomplished.”

______Telephone No: (350) 200 78871 (Centrex: 2750) ; Fax No: (350) 200 78899 (Centrex: 3511) Email: [email protected]