ReadyToSurf? turns Piccadilly into a Wi-Fi zone

By Alun Williams

Posted on 6 Nov 2003 at 17:05

Piccadilly, London is the sight of what Broadreach Networks claims as the first UK Wi-FI hotzone, i.e. an extended collection of Wi-Fi hotspots. The service was switched on today.

Dubbed as the ReadytoSurf? hotzone, the zone apparently stretches from the Eros statue in the West, through the Trocadero, and out to Leicester Square.

But it is not just London - broadband access will be free at hotspots across the UK, until the end of the year, to highlight the rollout of the ReadytoSurf? service. Location details for the ReadytoSurf? Sites can be found here.

Surf time can be paid for via voucher or credit card (with the option soon to follow of including roaming access in a monthly ISP subscription). And if you don't want to use your own laptop or handheld, there are a number of fixed terminals for access.

'We want to remove the barriers to Wi-Fi,' said the CEO of Broadreach, Magnus McEwen-King, 'and this hotzone shows that it is possible to bring wireless Internet access to a much wider area than ever before.'

'Because Wi-Fi provides Internet access on the user's terms, we have seen support for, and use of, wireless hotspots increase rapidly,' he added. 'However, we strongly believe that Wi-Fi Internet access use could be simpler and easier.'