Government Technology

Liverpool is changing - fast. A remarkable renaissance is making Liverpool a city of change, a city of opportunity, a city with a bright future.
    
It’s one of the most significant periods in the city’s history. Cranes dominate the skyline, business is booming and there’s a real confidence resonating throughout the city.
    
Major regeneration projects are gathering pace, tourism is on the up and huge strides are being made in delivering high-quality, modern council services.

Regeneration
The £1bn Liverpool ONE retail, leisure and residential development has just opened. Reconnecting Liverpool city centre to the waterfront, it is the biggest development of its kind in Europe.
    
Liverpool’s stunning £164m Arena and Convention Centre (ACC Liverpool) opened in April. A major new conference and concert venue situated at the Kings Dock on Liverpool’s historic waterfront, it is bringing top conferences to the city - including the annual British Chamber of Commerce Conference and the International Management Summit, one of Europe's most important corporate gatherings of the year.
    
And of course, this year, Liverpool celebrates its status as European Capital of Culture 2008 – with one of the most exciting, diverse and large-scale cultural and artistic programmes ever seen in Europe. It is within this environment of establishing Liverpool as a premier, forward-thinking, 21st century city that the city council has signed a pioneering agreement with BT to become one of the UK's first ‘BT Wireless Cities’. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Accessible technology
The huge influx of tourism and investment that the Capital of Culture title is bringing make it more important than ever for Liverpool to offer electronic services that support and embrace a business and visitor-friendly culture.
    
It’s about cementing Liverpool's status as a place where people want to come and do business, where they can easily access information about the city and where the latest technology brings culture to people’s fingertips.
    
Liverpool residents, businesses and visitors are among the first in the UK to experience the exciting benefits of Wi-Fi and the council’s partnership with BT is already starting to make a real difference to people’s lives.

From seaport to e-port
Liverpool now has a city centre-wide mobile Wi-Fi network, meaning people can get on the web from their laptops, mobile phones and other handheld devices wherever they are without needing to plug into a permanent connection. The network covers an extensive area within the city centre from Pembroke Place, west of Liverpool University, down to the city’s famous waterfront – the Three Graces, across to the Albert Dock and up to Rodney Street. Building on BT’s existing ‘Openzone’ network, the project will transform the way people work, talk and play around the city centre.
    
Councillor Warren Bradley, leader of Liverpool City Council, said: "Our desire to be a Wireless City is about reaching out to people in new ways and improving the quality of people's lives through opportunities afforded by new technology. Liverpool's agreement with BT to make the city wireless is the latest phase of Liverpool's journey from seaport to e-port and it comes during one of the most important cultural and economic periods in Liverpool's history.”
    
With the city centre now wireless, a world of possibilities have opened up to boost the city’s business, leisure and tourism offer and engage many more people in the Capital of Culture celebrations. Business people will be able to work more productively with their Wi-Fi enabled devices. Residents will be able to enjoy all the leisure benefits of the Internet they normally have at home, such as online shopping; and tourists will be able to go online while 'on-the-move' to read up on local attractions, and find maps or restaurants.
    
BT is now working with Liverpool City Council to develop a range of wireless applications to improve key services, such as council functions, traffic management, environmental services and tourism. Of course, people can now access the Capital of Culture ’08 website, as well as the websites of the city’s museuems, galleries and arts organisations, wherever they are. But instant access to the city’s 2008 events and festivals calendar is only the start of the story.
    
The technology could soon be delivering a “virtual tour guide” for tourists who could set their mobile phones up so that they are guided around the city and receive instant information when they pass a building or location of historical or cultural relevance. What better way to broaden the appeal and increase the impact of Liverpool’s tourism offerings – from the World Heritage-winning Three Graces, to The Cavern Quarter; and from the iconic St George’s Hall and spectacular cathedrals to the city’s world-famous waterfront?
    
Tourists and residents could soon be able to call up the latest information about places of interest, hotel accommodation and restaurant reviews from their mobiles or perhaps using a portable handset hired from a tourist agency. And public transport updates and information could be readily available for commuters on whatever portable device they wished to use.

Reaching people
Liverpool’s investment in new technology has always been about so much more than simply hitting e-government targets. It is about reaching out to people in new ways, improving the quality of people’s lives and increasing opportunities for residents. The Wireless Cities project aims to reflect this at every step of the way.
    
Councillor Bradley said: "This project will soon be revolutionising the way people live, work and play and providing a major boost for residents, businesses and the huge number of tourists converging on the city.”
    
And the wireless revolution in Liverpool doesn’t end at business and tourism. Plans are being developed to use wireless technology to create a safer city, via a wireless CCTV network. It could also soon be used to facilitate a more customer-focused city where council and other public service staff can take a ‘virtual’ hospital, clinic or office to local people on a wireless-connected laptop. And it will help create a better-connected city, with digital road and street signs utilised across the city centre, and Wi-Fi technology allowing them to be updated throughout the day.
    
Councillor Bradley added: "We are aiming to be a premier European city by building a more competitive economy, being more business-friendly and welcoming to visitors while developing healthier, safer and more inclusive communities and enhancing individual life chances. We are involved in a huge range of projects across the wide spectrum of e-government, and this is a major project that will help us achieve our aims.”

Every element of Liverpool’s wireless cities aims to cut through the technical jargon, as important as that is, and focus on what the programme will mean, in real terms, to local people – and the huge, practical benefits it will have.
    
Mike Blackburn, BT's regional director for the North West, said: "The Wireless Cities programme is a really exciting step forward for everyone in Liverpool and is opening up a raft of new opportunities for local businesses, citizens and visitors, ensuring they are best connected, anytime, anyplace, anywhere.“
    
Graham Palmer, Intel UK country manager, said: "Intel is really excited about working with BT to help drive the benefits of the use of wireless to consumers and a much wider business audience."

A ‘can-do’ city
European Capital of Culture is giving Liverpool City Council and its partners a unique opportunity to change the face of the city for good and create a legacy that will last for generations. Projects like Wireless Cities are helping the council capitalise on these opportunities and create a new confidence in Liverpool as a ‘can-do’ city.
    
The Wireless Cities project is supporting Liverpool’s plans to create a premier tourist destination - business-friendly, customer focused, forward-thinking and safe.
    
It’s about helping Liverpool become a vibrant capital city of innovation and enterprise – well-connected and well-equipped to be a world-class, 21st century Capital of Culture.