Since the beginning of 2016, Stadtwerke Giessen (SWG) has been offering public Wi-Fi in large parts of Giessen city centre. In future, SWG customers will be able to use the high-speed internet access 365 days a year, around the clock. SWG board member Jens Schmidt, city councillor Astrid Eibelshäuser, the first chairman of the BID-Seltersweg and Schuhhaus Darré owner Heinz-Jörg Ebert and Markus Pfeffer, managing director of the BID-Seltersweg, presented the other possibilities offered by the free WiFi at a press event.
Two thirds of all Germans use their smartphones to access the internet while travelling - the majority of them on a daily basis. They send messages online, check their e-mails or look up the best cafés and restaurants around the corner. Accessing information anytime and anywhere is now part of everyday life for every age group.
"Mobile data traffic is growing rapidly. An appropriate infrastructure is therefore needed to make this modern form of communication convenient. For this reason, we have been providing public Wi-Fi in the pedestrian zone around Seltersweg since the beginning of the year and have been steadily expanding it," explained Jens Schmidt, Commercial Director of Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG), at a press event on Wednesday, 14 December. Together with city councillor Astrid Eibelshäuser as well as Heinz-Jörg Ebert and Markus Pfeffer from the BID-Seltersweg, he presented the new features that SWG WiFi users will benefit from in future. Astrid Eibelshäuser commented: "We are delighted that the service has been so well received and is further enhancing Giessen city centre - a success for everyone involved. The optimisations will make it even more attractive to use."
Unlimited surfing - simplified access
Previously, anyone with a suitable device could use SWG WiFi free of charge for 30 minutes a day. The only requirement: registration by e-mail. From now on, SWG customers can also authenticate themselves via the SWG online service to choose a user name and password and log in. The personalised data gives them unlimited high-speed access to the Internet. "Our energy customers can now surf the net for as long as they want with a bandwidth of two megabits per second," explained Jens Schmidt. Non-energy customers can continue to access the Internet free of charge for 30 minutes a day at one megabit per second. SWG WiFi also offers new options for them in terms of registration. To register, they can use their Facebook or Gmail account in addition to their e-mail address. "This makes it even easier and quicker to connect," emphasised Jens Schmidt.
Tradespeople on board
SWG worked with the Giessen Business Improvement District (BID) right from the start to set up the WLAN in Giessen city centre. Heinz-Jörg Ebert, Chairman of the BID-Seltersweg, and Markus Pfeffer, Managing Director of the BID-Seltersweg, emphasised the importance of such cooperation and the benefits it brings at the press event: "With the free and publicly accessible Wi-Fi, SWG is providing a modern service that makes shopping and spending time in Giessen's city centre even more attractive." The offer thus fits in perfectly with the idea pursued by the BID as an association of tradespeople and property owners. In this context, Jens Schmidt emphasised: "It shows that we take our company motto 'With energy. For the region.' seriously. Incidentally, this also applies to WiFi beyond the boundaries of Giessen's city centre." Following the success in the city centre, SWG has also set up freely accessible networks for public places in other municipalities in the district of Giessen. Other towns and municipalities are set to follow.
Information on registering for SWG WiFi can be found on the website of Stadtwerke Gießen at www.stadtwerke-giessen.de/swgwifi