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BT Push Wi-Fi Coverage - Beats Target

Posted: 19th May, 2003 By: MarkJ
Following on from Sunday's news item, BT has now officially released details of how it intends to boost its UK broadband wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) Hotspot coverage. Thousands of new locations around the country are expected to be created:

BT BRINGS FORWARD OPENZONE TARGET AS NEW DRIVE AIMS TO CREATE THOUSANDS OF LOCAL WI-FI HOTSPOTS

Thousands of local hotspots for wireless broadband could spring up in pubs, shops and small hotels all over the UK as a result of a new 'off-the-shelf' product developed by BT and Toshiba.

The BT Openzone 'hotspot in a box' is one of several new initiatives announced today by BT as it aims to accelerate the spread and appeal of wi-fi communication. This fresh impetus includes other partnership deals with Cisco, Nortel and Carphone Warehouse and price promotions - all aimed at building on the growing success of the BT Openzone network, which has shown a surge in usage of 20 per cent per week for the past two months. This translates into more than 90,000 minutes of use per week on the wireless network.

The new developments are being announced today by Pierre Danon, chief executive officer of BT Retail, at FT World Mobile Communications Conference in London.

Danon said: "Our progress in growing the BT Openzone public wireless LAN network, added to this latest partnership with Toshiba and our agreement with the wi-fi network, the Cloud, means we have decided to bring forward by a year our target for hotspots. We are now committing to deliver 4,000 hotspots by summer 2004, rather than 2005."

BT and Toshiba predict that the 'hotspot in a box' will appeal to thousands of local establishments like small hotels, bookshops and golf clubs who want to give their customers the chance to benefit from mobile broadband, but need a low-cost solution. The new product will cost a fraction of the usual price for a WLAN hotspot.

Toshiba will manufacture the hotspot technology and BT will be the wireless internet service provider. Roaming agreements between the two companies will link up BT's Openzone network with Toshiba's global hotspots.

The local hotspots created using the product from BT and Toshiba will be in addition to the BT Openzone access points that will be available in 1,300 pubs and clubs by the end of the year, as a result of a deal with wi-fi network, The Cloud.

As well as working to extend the reach of wi-fi into local communities, a BT partnership with Cisco will help increase the use of BT Openzone on business premises.

BT and Cisco are working on developing 'guest hotspots' for use in office buildings. These will allow companies to offer wireless access to the internet to their visiting customers, suppliers and partners. To get them online, the host companies will sell one-hour passes for BT Openzone or monthly subscriptions on site.

To encourage more businesses to install wi-fi networks at their offices, BT is partnering with Cisco and Nortel to offer a two-month 'try before you buy' promotion. Companies signing up for the offer will get a trial wi-fi network, laptop cards and a number of BT Openzone accounts and free vouchers.

BT remains on target to have 400 hotspots in place this summer. To encourage greater use of the sites, BT today announces two new offers to attract more people to try out BT Openzone.

Openzone 120 will be available at a new, lowest-ever price subscription rate of just £10 a month for two hours' access a month.

And anyone who buys BT's Voyager ADSL wireless modem for the home will get six months free Openzone 120 access, worth £60. This offer will be available exclusively in the high street from Carphone Warehouse.

In September, BT will also be offering a unique triple deal, bundling the Voyager ADSL wireless modem, BT Openzone access and BT Broadband for a single, affordable monthly fee.
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