Soon U.K. mobile Internet subscribers will have more places to connect. BT said it plans to expand its U.K.-based WiFi hot spots to 1 million over the next six months. SinceBT began rolling out WiFi hot spots seven years ago, it now has 500,000 total hotspots in the U.K. However, it is seeing a growing demand for high speed Internet connectivity from iPhone users.
"The real revolution is the handheld device. People are perfectly happy to get these devices out of their pockets in the street to update their social networking sites or check their emails, which isn't the case with laptops," said Dave Hughes, BT Retail's director of wireless broadband in a Financial Times article.
Although available 3G mobile networks provide decent data rates and coverage, BT said it is seeing more customers ask for bigger pipes when they are traveling throughout the U.K. Already offering WiFi service through its Openzone network in 12 city centers, BT believes that by increasing the reach of its WiFi network it will it will increase overall usage. BT recently scored a coup when it beat out T-Mobile for a contract to provide WiFi services in Starbucks coffee shops.
For more:
- Financial Times has this article
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