Mexico City sets world record for free Wi-Fi hotspots

Mexico City has set a world record for free Wi-Fi access thanks to thousands of public internet access points across the capital, Guinness World Records announced Wednesday.

Official adjudicator Carlos Tapia presented the award for the most hotspots -- 21,500 -- in a single free urban Wi-Fi network to Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum.

The access points are spread across the sprawling city of some nine million people, particularly in public transport, although at times the network can become saturated.

When schools closed for more than a year during the Covid-19 pandemic, some students turned to the service to take part in online classes.

Sheinbaum said that the aim was to make internet access a right for all, in particular disadvantaged families with no connection at home.

Mexico City is the capital and largest city of Mexico, as well as the most populous city in North America.

In 2019, approximately 70 percent of the Mexican population used the internet. The number of internet users in the country increased by 3.5 million between 2020 and 2021.