Free Wi-Fi arrives throughout Italy thanks to the project of the Ministry of Economic Development. Here's how it works and how to connect
Total coverage of the Italian territory with free Wi-Fi. This is the ambitious project of Piazza WiFi Italia, an initiative launched by the Ministry of Economic Development to offer free hotspots where citizens and tourists can connect to the Internet. The project was launched a few years ago and there are about 2500 Italian municipalities that have joined. The remaining 5500 will be connected in the coming months/years thanks to the Infratel tender won by TIM that will have to install Wi-Fi hotspots in the squares and in the centers of aggregation.
To connect to the free Wi-Fi you have to download the app wifi.italia.it available both on Google Play Store and on the App Store. For the moment, the project has only concerned municipalities with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants and the tender won by TIM serves precisely to extend the network to larger cities. The goal, not so veiled, is to offer free Wi-Fi in some points of the city for 60 million Italians. Here's how to connect to free Wi-Fi on Piazza WiFi Italia.
What is the Piazza WiFi Italia project
Launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Economic Development, WiFi Italia is an innovative project that aims to offer free Wi-Fi to citizens and tourists in some points of Italian cities through the installation of hotspots. The project is very similar to initiatives already launched by the main European and world countries.
For the moment, more than 2500 Italian municipalities have joined the project and they are small towns with less than 2,000 inhabitants. With the assignment of the new Infratel tender to Tim, the second phase of the project is launched: to install Wi-Fi hotspots in all Italian municipalities.
How to participate in Piazza WiFi Italia
To become part of the Piazza WiFI Italia network, citizens or local administrators can register their municipality to the initiative. To have free hotspots, the municipality must sign an agreement with Infratel. After that, the project will start with the configuration, management and maintenance of Wi-Fi hotspots for three years. The Municipality must provide only the power supply.
How to connect for free to Piazza WiFi Italia
To connect for free to the WiFi Italia hotspots it is necessary to download the app wifi.italia.it, available for free on Google Play Store and App Store. Once you have installed the app on your smartphone, you need to sign in using SPID or by registering with the service by entering your email and a password. Once the registration is complete and the smartphone is configured, the connection will be automatic. Within the app, it will also be possible to consult the list of Wi-Fi points in Italy.
Which municipalities have already joined Piazza WiFi Italia
There are about 2500 municipalities throughout Italy participating in the Piazza WiFi Italia project. To find out if your municipality offers free Wi-Fi connection, you need to connect to the appropriate web page on the site dedicated to the initiative.