Visitors to Central London will soon be able to access free WiFi from now until the end of December.
Nokia has teamed up with Spectrum International to offer free internet at 26 WiFi hotspots around the capital. Surprisingly WiFi is available to every WiFi-enabled phone not just those using a Nokia handset.
The trial is for two months until the end of December, during which use will be monitored, including the type of user, phone and use. After this it may be extended to other countries – as part of Nokia’s ‘connecting the next billion’ drive.
The equipment has been installed in Spectrum Interactive’s phone boxes which are around the captial, at the moment most locations are around central London, including Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road and Victoria, and all are north of the river. But Spectrum didn’t rule out alternative locations in future phases.
There’s no restriction on the type of content you can access, although with 1Mbps download and 0.5 Mbps upload, it’s highly unlikely you’ll be able to stream video, although that will be fine for browsing the internet and checking maps.
We had a demonstration this morning and getting connected is very simple. Locating the hotspot and join. There’s no password, and once you connect, it stores your information, connecting automatically when you are within 50-100m of a hotspot.
Spectrum International are location based online media specialists, who provide WiFi hotspots in hotels and airport lounges.
Source: Nokia and Spectrum Interactive
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