WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.
London 2012 Olympics: O2 offering FREE WiFi in Central London.
O2 has got its free outdoor WiFi running across the most popular parts of Central Londonin time for the spectacle which is London 2012. Unlike the free WiFi on London Underground provided by Virgin Media the O2 WiFi service in these areas will remain free even after the close of the Olympics and Paralympics on 9th September.
The service is available to everyone, no matter who their mobile or broadband provider is and covers High Street Kensington, Exhibition Road (V&A and Natural History Museums), Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Oxford Street (between Marble Arch and Oxford Circus), Regent Street, Piccadilly and Parliament Square.
Registering for access to the service will be a one time affair, with the network remembering your device in a similar fashion to other free WiFi networks. O2 hope to fund the free service through advertising, most likely on the landing page shown when your mobile device connects to their network for the first time on each visit.
From O2 UK:
Fast Free Outdoor Wifi now live across Central London!
We've now launched O2 Wifi across the most popular areas of Central London, from High Street in Kensington to Parliament Square in Westminster. And it's free for everyone.
So you can now access the internet, check your emails and keep in touch on the move, when you're out and about for example while you are shopping on Oxford Street, having a break and a bite to eat in Leicester Square, watching an event in Trafalgar Square or taking in the sights at the Houses of Parliament. All on your smartphone or tablet.
Look for O2 Wifi on your list of available networks on your device and follow the 3 easy steps to register. Then you're online.
What you get
Access the Internet when you are out and about. O2 Wifi will give you speeds up to ten times faster than a normal mobile connection. So its as good for YouTube or uploading your photos on to Facebook as it is for email and keeping in touch with colleagues and friends. And its simple and safe to use.
Once you've signed-up, that's it. No passwords or usernames to connect. Every time you come into an o2 wifi area, we'll connect you automatically. And it won't eat into your mobile's data allowance. Just quick Wifi, where you need it. And you don't even have to be an O2 customer to use it.
Even if your mobile's with another network or you get your home broadband from someone else, everyone's welcome.
Where you'll be able to get it
O2 Wifi is available in following areas from end of July 2012 (and see map):
- High Street Kensington
- Exhibition Road
- Trafalgar Square
- Leicester Square
- Oxford Street (Marble Arch to Oxford Circus)
- Regent Street
- Piccadilly
- Parliament Square
You'll also be able to use O2 Wifi in thousands of venues in London and across the UK in shops, cafes and bars.
