Lighthouse to offer tenants city-wide wireless Internet

Lighthouse properties in Lincoln is the UK’s first lettings firm offering tenants a wireless broadband service that can be used at home and throughout the city.

They will work with AB Internet, a local service provider, as part of the pioneering Wireless Lincoln network, which aims to offer high speed WiFi access across Lincoln City.

This deal means any person living in a Lighthouse property can use the Internet on their phones and laptops on the move. There’s been a trial run since September in three properties and the plan is to expand this to student accommodation, with permission from landlords, and then private residential homes.

Ian Thornton, student lettings manager of Lighthouse properties, said: “The deal originally came about when we used Brayford Court as a pilot project, which is approved accommodation for the University of Lincoln, so the whole of that site has benefit from the service since last September.

“We also tested it on a student property on the High Street and a student property in the West End, to make sure that we are happy that it’s working.”

It is expected that every property to get the service will be ready for the next academic year.

“They’ll be fitting a receiver to each of these sites before the new academic year starts, so July/August we’ll be rolling it out, to a number of private and student houses across the High Street and West End areas of Lincoln,” Thornton says.

However, the initial uptake of this project is expected to be around 20%, but Thornton is hopeful that once launched the scheme will become more popular: “There is still a number of students who want to provide their own Internet because they want to combine it with other services such as TV and telephone.

“Also there is still a number of students who have got the chance to decide on either going with this or with one of the better known off the shelf products.

“So we are expecting that to grow. To what level? It is hard to say. We think once this is rolled out next year there will be a much bigger uptake particularly as it is part of the wireless campus which has recently been announced.”