News

BT rolling out Wi-Fi at Web payphone kiosks

September 16, 2003

LONDON - British Telecommunications (BT) says it is installing Wi-Fi in the first of its network of 108,000 payphones this week, according to a report on Unstrung, a publication covering the wireless industry.

The company will have installed what it's calling Openzone access points in 91 broadband enabled payphones by the end of this week and more than 200 kiosks will get the service by Christmas.

According to the Unstrung report, the initial sites will include hotels, cafes or restaurants. The sites were selected because their footprint includes areas where workers away from the office might want to sit down and send e-mails or download presentations at broadband speed.

The payphone rollout is expected to substantially boost the total number of locations where BT Openzone subscribers can wirelessly connect to the Internet or their office intranet. BT has set a target of 4,000 Public Wi-Fi access points by the third quarter of 2004.

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."

According to a Scotsman report, the firm also plans to market Openzone at libraries, bookshops and golf clubs. A total of 1,300 locations are planned by the end of the 2003.

BT's network of kiosks has been reduced by nearly one quarter to 108,000 over the past three years.

(See related stories British Telecommunications unveils new kiosks, British Telecom rings up Marconi for deal, BT plans world's largest Internet kiosk network and BT to offer DVD rentals at its kiosks)