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Together with Wi-Fi provider FON, BT wants Total Broadband users to share their Wi-Fi connections with each other and FON users worldwide.

FON works by getting people to open a separate, secure channel on their wireless router, which can then be accessed by anyone who has done likewise with their own router.

The result is 190,000 hotspots<

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worldwide, a figure BT intends to multiply several times over to form a "people's network" covering every street in Britain.

As an incentive, BT is giving anyone who opens up their router free access to its nationwide network of Openzone wireless hotspots.

"We are giving our millions of Total Broadband customers a choice and an opportunity," says Gavin Patterson, BT Consumer managing director.

"If they are prepared to securely share a little of their broadband, they can share the broadband at hundreds of thousands of FON and BT Openzone hotspots without paying a penny."

"We have built a public Wi-Fi network and 12 Wireless Cities already, but today we are saying to customers, let's build a Wi-Fi community together, which covers everywhere and serves everyone," he adds.