The UK government has announced plans to turn more than 1,000 buildings in cities across the country into Wi-Fi hotspots, which will be part of the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport's 150 million SuperConnected Cities Programme.
Buildings being included in the effort include museums, libraries, sports centres, business centres and travel hubs. Money taken from the same pot will also reportedly be used to fund broadband installation vouchers for small businesses.
Ed Vaizey, digital economy minister, said: "The digital landscape of the UK is undergoing a period of tremendous improvement and is all part of the government's long term economic plan. For business, visitors and the UK public, accessing WiFi in our cities is absolutely vital.
"I'm delighted this government scheme is on track. These free hotspots will be instrumental in making UK cities even more attractive as places to not only do business, but to visit as well."
Cities that will benefit from the scheme are Aberdeen, Belfast, Brighton and Hove, Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Derby, Derry, Edinburgh, Leeds and Bradford, London, Manchester, Oxford, Perth, Portsmouth and Salford.
Another scheme being rolled out in Scotland will see free Wi-Fi installed in buildings such as the National Museum of Scotland, the Scottish National Gallery, the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh.
Scottish secretary Alistair Carmichael said: "Wi-Fi is a prince example of cutting edge technology that has increasingly become an essential part of everyday life. Today's announcement brings this transformation into the heart of Scottish cities and some of the country's most recognisable locations."
All of the hotspots around the UK will be up and running in time for March 2015.
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