Taiwan to Offer Free Wi-Fi to Tourists at Airports and Tourist Attractions
Taiwan announced it will make iTaiwan, its government-sponsored Wi-Fi service, available to visitors of the country. The service has been in existence since 2011, for use by Taiwanese citizens.
Currently, iTaiwan has more than 4,000 hotspots throughout Taiwan. The hotspots are located in populous areas such as tourist attractions, educational facilities, government buildings, and transportation hubs. Locals can register for the service by supplying their local phone number.
Starting in June, tourists will have access to this network as well. The SSID or name of the hotspot to log into is iTaiwan, a homophone to the words “love Taiwan” in Mandarin. The service also has a roaming agreement with several Taipei and Tainan city government networks, including TPE-Free, New Taipei, and Tainan-Wi-Fi. The iTaiwan network operates at 1 Mbps.
To obtain a login, a tourist will need to visit a government Travel Service Center located at any major airport, train station, or mass rapid transit (MRT) station in Taiwan to set up an account.
This move makes Taiwan the first place in the world to offer free widespread Wi-Fi to tourists.
(Photo: Jimmy Yao)