Telecom Inventory
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Native Londoners and foreign visitors alike will get to enjoy free WiFi courtesy telecom provider O2 starting July 25, just in time for the 2012 London Olympics.
The Inquirer reported that O2 will bring fast and reliable WiFi connectivity to top London hotspots such as Leicester Square, Picadilly Circus, and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. Mobile backhauling services will be provided by Cambridge Broadband Networks’ VectaStar Gigabit-capacity wireless backhaul system, which uses multipoint microwave backhaul technology for improved speed and cost-efficiency.
The O2 WiFi service will be free of charge. Anyone with a mobile can access it even if they subscribe to a different network provider. Londoners’ smartphones will automatically connect to O2’s free WiFi network once they sign up to the scheme.
O2 beat Sky and Virgin Media to secure this wireless deal with Westminster Council. The brand new WiFi network will roll out just in time for the London 2012 Olympics.
“We are proud to announce that, today, we can bring O2 Wifi to some of the busiest streets and squares of central London,” said Gavin Franks, MD of O2 Wifi. “We are now providing Londoners and visitors alike with fast, free, reliable wifi when visiting some of the busiest areas in Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea. This comes after a succession of venue announcements with partners like Costa Coffee, House of Fraser and McDonald’s.”
London Mayor Boris Johnson fully supports O2’s free WiFi services. ”With millions of extra people coming to town for the Games, we want to ensure we showcase the capital as the best city in the world to work and visit,” Mayor Johnson said, “and the addition of free Wifi to some of our most popular landmarks is crucial in helping to maintaining that reputation.”
