From Walled City To Wireless City Derry Is A Winner - 13th September 2005

Project promoters for Derry’s innovative broadband project “Walled City to Wireless City” were in London yesterday to collect their award in the prestigious Communication Business Awards ceremony. Winner in the Best Wireless Project was a fitting national accolade for a project that is recognised as Northern Ireland’s Broadband Flagship project. Launched early this year by Minister Angela Smith, the project brings improved public access to services in tourism, local government and education through new wireless broadband technology.

The Communications in Business Awards was established to recognise excellence among networking/ technical professionals and business-enabling achievements. Speaking after the ceremony Deputy Mayor, Alderman Mary Hamilton said the occasion was a unique opportunity to showcase Derry’s advancement in this new area of technology.

“The Walled City to Wireless City project was recognized for its innovative use of technology and the benefits this can bring to improved public services. The achievement of Derry as a winner is a credit to the project partnership that brought vision and commitment to improving services in this innovative way. Whether it is digital hand-sets on the city walls which tell the history of the city or new mediums for students and elected members to participate in classes or meetings, this project demonstrates how committed we are to new approaches and innovative thinking in the public service arena.”.

The “Walled City to Wireless City” is an innovative partnership between Derry City Council, the University of Ulster at Magee and North West Institute of Further and Higher Education. The project will create a wireless-enabled working environment in Derry for students, tourists, citizens, council officers and members. It has three elements; Wireless Walls, which will see the historic Walled City of Derry become a wireless network environment for tourist information; Wireless Campus which will allow students at Magee and NWIFHE to work wirelessly everywhere from lecture theatres to the Student’s Union and Wireless Council, where new wireless applications will be piloted to help deliver better services to the public.

The project was nominated in the “Best Wireless Project” category, other finalists in this group included, Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Ashford Borough Council and Southern Railway. The Walled City to Wireless City Project was represented at the awards ceremony by Deputy Mayor, Alderman Mary Hamilton; IT Manager of Derry City Council Uel Harvey, Project Officer (Digital City),Derry City Council, Louise Breslin; Associate Dean, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ulster Martin McGinnity and Project Manager at the North West Institute of Further and Higher Education Margaret Duddy.

The Wireless City project is part financed by the European Regional Development fund under the Building Sustainable Prosperity Programme.