A NEW FREE WiFi service has launched for Dublin’s Grafton Street which allows shoppers and passersby free online access via their smartphones.

Users must register for the Bitbuzz Freedom service before they can access 20-minute-long slots on the public outdoor WiFi service free of charge. Three smartphone customers will have unlimited free access to the Grafton Street service.

Bitbuzz says it plans to expand the service to Dublin’s Henry Street, the Docklands area, and Temple Bar. It will also be launching a similar service in Cork and Galway later in 2012.

The company, which is currently involved in the provision of free WiFi through coffeeshops and hotels in Ireland, will use multiband wireless point-to-point backhaul technology to support its new outdoor WiFi services.

Bitbuzz managing director Shane Deasy says the company thinks the WiFi access will be of particular use to visitors:

We believe that this service is especially important for international tourists, who visit Ireland for business or leisure, who can now check maps, research transport services, confirm bookings and research local businesses for free on Dublin’s busiest street.