NEWCASTLE Emlyn could be the latest town centre to benefit from the installation of a free WiFi system.

A presentation was given to town councillors at their November meeting by Bronwen Raine, managing director of Antur Teifi, a social enterprise company based in Newcastle Emlyn which has been responsible for setting up similar systems throughout Wales.

She said: “This is the 40th anniversary of Antur Teifi and we would like to offer to Newcastle Emlyn a free town WiFi system.

“Not only does the system offer a free WiFi signal to visitors and locals, it also generates data about people and where they are in the town and for how long and this sort of information can be very useful to businesses.

“It also offers a fantastic marketing opportunity both for the town and for individual businesses.

“It is something we are really keen to offer. We are putting these systems all over Wales and as part of our 40th anniversary celebrations, we are keen to do this in Newcastle Emlyn and pick up the installation cost, which is just over £11,000.”

Mrs Raine said once the system was installed, running costs would be relatively cheap for line rental and electricity and that would have to be covered by the town council

She said other towns had helped finance the project and running costs through the sale of adverts that could be created on a town app site.

“The running costs are fairly low but potentially the system would provide a substantial asset in terms of town regeneration strategy,” she added. “I am passionate about this because it has the potential to transform the high street and help communities to move forward.”

Mrs Raine cited Cardigan as an example of where the scheme had proved successful.

Councillors agreed to set up a meeting with Newcastle Emlyn Traders to gauge support for any proposed scheme.