The South Pacific Island of Niue is the first country to provide free wi-fi Internet access to all residents and visitors.

There are only 1,800 people living on this 260 square kilometer raised coral atoll, situated off the north-east of New Zealand.

But thanks to the Niue Internet Users Society the islanders – along with all tourists and business travelers – now have free access to an open 802.11b Wireless Access Point.

The Niue Internet Users Society also provides residents with free dial-up Internet accounts and a free Internet café.

According to some sources, emigration has caused a population slump on Niue. In 1991 there were just 376 telephone lines in use, but now Niueans send up to 30,000 emails a week and spend 6000 hours online a month. The internet society grew under the tutelage of William Semich, an American computing journalist.