A HIGH TECH vision is being pursued to create a free wi-fi zone in Chester city centre.

Chester Renaissance and Cheshire West and Chester Council are investigating the feasibility of working with providers to install micro-transmitters to create a free wireless internet hotspot in public places.

At the moment free wi-fi is only available for customers of McDonald’s, coffee shops and pubs.

The idea of turning Chester into a ‘superconnected city’ follows similar plans being developed in Manchester inspired by projects in San Francisco and Amsterdam.

And it coincides with the introduction of 4G phones which feature faster down-load and upload speeds.

Renaissance chairman Steve Broomhead believes putting Chester at the forefront of the digital age would be good for tourism and business generally.

He told The Chronicle: “It would allow people to get on wi-fi without having to pay for something. It would be a service.”

Mr Broomhead said allowing commercial operators to charge for certain aspects of the service could fund the installation costs. Local businesses could also advertise on the proposed system.

The chairman said Renaissance chief executive Rita Waters had been tasked with investigating the feasibility of the project and will report back to the board.