The Head of the Andorran Government inaugurates the Wi-Fi in the streets of Avinguda Meritxell and Avinguda Carlemany

The Head of Government, Antoni Martí, and the Director of Andorra Telecom, Jordi Nadal, inaugurated the Wi-Fi at midday in the commercial district of Avinguda Meritxell-Avinguda Carlemany. The new wireless Internet network enables users to access a free basic service and prepaid advanced Wi-Fi.
 
The new service should become the technological basis for allowing new apps related to tourism and commerce to be introduced. For this purpose, the Minister of Tourism and the Environment, Francesc Camp, contextualised this initiative through the series of actions designed to convert Andorra into a “connected destination” and specifically mentioned Google Business Photos, with already 618 stores to visit online, and Google Snow Mobile, which will be presented in the near future.

The free basic service will allow a 20 Mb/s connection to Andorran webs and tourism applications. Users wishing to use the advanced service can buy prepaid cards or purchase the service by credit card. The Director of Andorra Telecom explained that prices have been chosen that are very competitive in comparison with other cities (see the adjoined presentation). So, for example, 24 hours cost 3.90 euros, and 2 days, 4.90 euros.

The Wi-Fi in the commercial district is the first phase of a much broader expansion to be completed over 2014, already on the basis of the results of this initiative.

The Head of Government, in his speech, emphasised that Wi-Fi is another step towards developing the Smart Country project, “an initiative based on new technologies but designed to improve the service we provide to our clients, to give our visitors a new commercial experience and improve our services”. Martí stressed Iniciativa Actua’s work to increase “our commercial competitiveness”, while highlighting the common effort of the Government, public businesses and the Communes “on behalf of our country, on behalf of Andorra”.

The new Wi-Fi network has been developed as part of the Smart Country project of Iniciativa Actua. From the work of the Actua Innovation cluster, connectivity has been identified as one of the obstacles to developing high value added activities associated with the new technologies and tourism. The director of Andorra Telecom presented the new Wi-Fi this morning at the cluster, attended by about forty participants.

The Secretary of State for Economic Diversification, Josep Maria Missé, pointed out that the clusters currently have 363 members, 212 of whom form part of the Innovation cluster representing 118 businesses. Missé thanked the work of Andorra Telecom’s employees and gave his thanks to members of the cluster “because their work enables” Iniciativa Actua to develop

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