A landmark deal has created Europe's largest free wireless
internet zone in central London.
Visitors and residents in Westminster, Kensington and
Chelsea will have access to free wifi on their mobile phones, laptops and
tablet devices following the agreement between councils and network operator
O2.
The deal, set to have the Metro wireless network up and
running in time for the London 2012 Olympics this summer, is to run at no extra
cost to the councils or taxpayer. The network will initially be rolled out in a limited number
of areas, starting in January 2012, then throughout the boroughs in the longer
term.
Philippa Roe, of Westminster City Council, said: "Next
summer’s Olympic Games mean that London will be putting on the biggest show on
earth and as Westminster has a starring role, visitors to London will easily be
able to share their pictures and updates of the Olympic events across social
networking sites."
Derek McManus, chief operating officer for O2, said:
"This ground-breaking deal - the first of its kind in the UK - will see us
deliver high quality connectivity across London in time for London 2012. "Our longer-term aim is to expand our footprint of O2
Wifi, which is open to everyone, and also intelligently enhance our services at
street level, where people need the network the most."
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