Broadband Britain came a step closer yesterday with news that BT is converting almost 100 of its phone boxes into special Wi-Fi hotspots.
The telecoms operator plans to have installed BT Openzone access points in 91 broadband enabled pay phones by the end of this week and more than 200 kiosks will have the service by Christmas. The move could see the creation of up to 20,000 Wi-Fi hotspots over the next few years.
The first 200 sites will be located in the UK’s biggest towns and cities where there is a large concentration of people. The technology will allow users to connect to the nearest Wi-Fi phone box from up 100 metres away, meaning they could access the internet whilst sitting in a sit in a bar or restaurant.
Commenting on the initiative, Dave Hughes, chief executive of BT Wireless Broadband, said: “The deal to put Openzone in some of BT’s vast network of payphones is evidence that we are serious in our aim to take wireless broadband to every street in Britain.”
He added: “But we have carefully targeted kiosks which cover nearby small hotels or restaurants so that workers will be able to take advantage of the power of mobile broadband from a comfortable and secure location.”
Earlier this year BT unveiled plans to install Wi-Fi hotspots in 1,000 pubs, cafés and restaurants across the UK, in an attempt to increase the popularity of its high speed internet services.
