A NORTH Yorkshire seaside town is "abuzz" with people connecting to the digital world thanks to the successful roll-out of free public access Wi-Fi.

North Yorkshire County Council, in partnership with its wholly owned Teckal company NYnet Ltd, is rolling out the scheme in 16 market towns across the county in a bid to support recovery and growth for communities and businesses.

The first phase of the roll-out saw the Wi-Fi go live on Scarborough seafront at the start of July, with the service launching in the latter two areas of the town last week.

Daniel Bulman, director of Asquith’s and Co chartered certified accountants in Scarborough, explains what benefits the roll-out will have for the company.

He said: "As we move forward we are keen to start having meetings out and about, taking our clients out for meetings with a coffee or lunch, at the same time as spending money in local businesses.

"Therefore, the knowledge that Scarborough has a secure and reliable Wi-Fi network across the town centre giving us access to our systems would give us the confidence to pursue this aspiration over the coming months."

Free public access Wi-Fi offers opportunities for people with limited or no broadband to access vital local council, Government and health services and take part in the digital economy.

Callum Thomas-Shaw, CU Scarborough Campus Officer and Third Year Professional Policing student, believes it’s a "very exciting" time to study at the university.

"This will open up access to some amazing facilities across the town centre and the coast for our students", he said.

Meanwhile, County Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said that the public access Wi-Fi demonstrates "commitment to improving the county’s digital infrastructure as we continue to recover from the pandemic."