BT delivers wi-fi for London 2012

BT, the official communications services partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, today announced it is on track to have 500,000 wi-fi hotspots across the capital in time for the London Games. The company has also confirmed that it will be the sole provider of public wi-fi in the Olympic Park.

BT already has more than 475,000 hotspots in Greater London made up of thousands of independent businesses and homes, plus outdoor hotspots across Westminster.

The Olympic Park will be the largest high density wi-fi venue deployment ever and will see more potential wi-fi users in any one place, than any other event before. BT wi-fi will complement 3G networks and allow users to download and upload as much data as they like.

BT is installing an extensive high-density, wi-fi infrastructure, with nearly 1,000 access points across nine Olympic venues including the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Centre and Velodrome, plus access across all the public areas of the Olympic Park in east London.

Record numbers of people are expected to use handheld devices and smartphones to call, send emails, texts, tweets and use the internet on the move during the Olympics.

Access is free for BT broadband customers and included in contracts for millions of Android, iOS and other smartphone devices through BT agreements with UK and international network providers. Customers should contact their provider for information. Pre-paid wi-fi vouchers will also be available to buy online for access at any of BT’s over four million UK hotspots.