A proposal by Greek telecom company Cosmote to provide free Wi-Fi at 19 major archeological sites and museums around Greece was approved by the Central Archaeological Council (CAC), Greece’s highest advisory body on the country’s cultural heritage. This means that Cosmote will undertake the design and studies for the development of the infrastructure network, the installation and construction costs, as well as the supervision of operation and maintenance. The company will prepare an on-site study which will be submitted for approval to the Ministry of Culture.

Archeological sites included as part of the project:

– Akrotiri, Santorini

– Delos

– Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights, Rhodes

– Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens

– National Archeological Museum

– Acropolis

– Ancient Olympia

– Archeological Museum of Herakleion

– Acropolis of Lindos

– Knossos

– Delphi

– Epidaurus

– Sounion

– Acrpolis of Mycenae

– Spinalonga island, Crete

– Royal Tombs of Aigai, Vergina

– Dodona

– Ancient Corinth

– Archeological Museum of Thessaloniki

The initiative has been welcomed by locals. “It is a humanitarian issue to have this internet connection on Delos,” said Dimitris Athanasoulis, a member of the Council and head of the Ephorate in Cyclades. He described the initaitive as “excellent and valuable”, especially for the site of Delos “were even telephone communication is insufficient”.

The project will be tried first at Akrotiri, Delos, the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights in Rhodes and the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens, while the company didn’t exclude the possibility of expanding the sponsorship to more than these 19 sites.