Northern Turkish city enjoys free Wi-Fi access

ORDU – Anadolu Agency

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The municipality of Ordu in Turkey’s northern coastal province has been providing residents with free Wi-Fi access for the past month, without any limit on data usage.

In remarks made to Anadolu Agency on Nov. 11, Ordu Metropolitan Mayor Enver Yılmaz said the municipality put into service the largest free internet access network in Turkey.

“We are providing free Wi-Fi for our citizens without any limitations or quotas,” he said.

Yılmaz said the residents of Ordu have shown great interest in the free internet service, as around 600,000 people have benefited from it in the 25 days in which it has been available. The mayor said the city was providing the free service as part of its Traffic Electronic Control System (TEDES).

He added they will also put city cameras to work as part of TEDES, which will allow people from Ordu who live far from the province observe the city’s streets live.

The TEDES project originally aimed at regulating traffic, relieving circulation density and preventing accidents in the city by creating speed corridors across the province using license plate identification systems. A smart system to manage intersections will also be put in place.

Turkey’s Development Ministry will also install free Wi-Fi access points in certain eastern provinces, reinforcing the electronic communication infrastructure of the region as part of its Eastern Anatolia Action Plan.

The project seeks to increase low Internet usage rates in the region, with public informatics centers and free access points to be established in places with high population densities such as squares, parks, culture centers and museums.