Free Wi-Fi for 46 remote UK communities

A selection of 46 UK communities located in remote regions has been chosen to receive free broadband services through Wi-Fi technology for at least three years.

The development has come about as the result of a competition organised by Freerunner, a company that specialises developing Wi-Fi hotspots and provides broadband services through 3G and satellite technology.

Places that will receive the services include unemployment centres, mother and toddler groups and churches.

Owen Geddes, chief executive of Freerunner, said: "The Freerunner mission is to give everyone free access to fast Wi-Fi, whether you are in a coffee shop in the West End of London or a community centre in the suburbs of Newcastle."

The scheme's first sponsor is internet service provider BE and the technology itself is being considered a potential way to supply broadband services to every remote community in the UK as part of the government's universal connectivity policy.

More people could choose to use VoIP solutions when broadband becomes more widely available.