Bristol Wireless is a volunteer-run co-operative committed to social development through the building of a wireless computer network. Set up by a group of under-employed IT professionals inspired by the ‘Open Source’ software movement, it takes advantage of the mounting warehouses of redundant computers being set aside by industries obsessed with upgrading. Combining free software and second-hand hardware, it has created a large wide-area "intranet" owned and managed by its participants. Freely-distributable and alterable software is promoted by providing training, support and advocacy. This enables communities to bypass the large corporations that generally manage access to the Internet and its opportunities, and purchase large amounts of bandwidth co-operatively to give their network users wider internet access.

Bristol Wireless has since grown to include community organisations, churches, local music groups, educational institutions, regeneration bodies, ethnic and cultural groups, local football teams, community health workers, Neighbourhood Watch members and many individuals. The network allows these to communicate with each other and freely access the internet; also provided are television, telephone and radio distributing locally-focused content. The equipment is primarily recycled and home-made, with many reconditioned computers being provided free. What is often thought of as ‘globalizing technology’ has been harnessed to provide an accessible and locally-focussed resource.