Mobile operator and ISP O2 UK has said that it intends to "rapidly build" the coverage of its FREE public Wi-Fi (Wireless Internet) Hotspot service (O2 Wifi) by appointing Ben Mein to be its new Head of Commercial Delivery for the project.

O2 Wifi was first announced in January 2011 (here) and is open for all customers and non-customers alike to access for free, no matter which mobile operator or broadband ISP they use. The operator ultimately aims to have set-up thousands of new UK WiFi Hotspots by the end of 2011, rising to 14,000 by 2013.


Previously O2 had been dependent upon both BTOpenzone and The Cloud for its Wi-Fi service, although the latter was recently sold to Sky Broadband (BSkyB has its own plans for a similar service). Likewise Virgin Media is also looking to launch a Wi-Fi based service and thus O2 needed something of its own.

Mein is a former director for The Nielsen Company’s Online and Media business.