By Bejay Browne.
Free WiFi and touch screen installations are on the way for Paphos old town, according to the municipality.
The contracts were signed by the mayor and the contractor, M. Georgiou Training Centre Ltd, for a total of €31,648.
“The digital screens will be connected to the Culture, Tourism and Entrepreneurship platform already prepared by the municipality of Paphos to provide the public and visitors with up-to-date information on anything that may be of interest, including, restaurants, hotels, cultural events, attractions and businesses,” a municipality spokesman said.
He added that the move is part of the municipality’s strategic goal to establish Paphos as a ‘smart city’ and digital town.
“The free WiFi and digital touch screens will be available within the next two months in the area of the traditional shopping centre (old town) of Paphos.”
The action is being implemented in the framework of the European programme ‘Development of smart city applications in the municipalities of Cyprus, Crete and North Aegean’ known as the ‘smart cities.
The ‘Integrated Business Plan’ for the transformation of Paphos into a “smart city” has already been developed under the programme, while a pioneering application with augmented reality technology is underway as well as a study on ‘branding’ Paphos.
The smart cities project is implemented in the framework of the Interreg V-A Greece-Cyprus 2014-2020 co-operation programme and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and national resources of Greece and Cyprus.
The municipality of Paphos participates as a lead partner, while the Paphos twinned municipalities of Chania and Lesvos participate as partners.
