Green Light for UK Wireless Hotspots

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2679885.stm' target='_blank'>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2679885.stm</a><br /><br /></div>"The UK Government has offered another boost for broadband, opening up more of the airwaves for faster net services. Wireless hotspots have become popular in towns and cities across the UK, allowing business users to connect to the net via their laptops in hotels, airports and cafes. Now the government has opened up more of the radio frequencies that can carry data, which will allow operators to offer even faster wireless local area networks (WLANs)."<br /><br />Good news for those of you in the UK!

[dochall]

Not enough details in either the bbc story or the press release from the dti to really understand what they're offering. It mentions 'parts of the 5ghz band' but doesn't mention 802.11a by name and refers to them as RadioLANs.

I just hope it isn't some dodgy only UK service which doesn't get to reflect the economies of scale of a worldwide implementation.

[snazzy]

BTW, anyone know of hotspots available in central london?

[Martin I Pettinger]

Snazzy

Look in the Wireless Forum - lots of good posts on Wireless Hotspots in the UK.

Martin

[ctmagnus]

Now it's Canada's turn! :)

[Randall L. Lewis]

I just experienced my first Hotspot. I took my new 5455 into a local Starbucks (after setting up an account online with T-Mobile), ordered a coffee drink and turned on the PPC. It just works! No configuring, no bother. Still haven't been able to connect to the web via my Nokia 6310i, but this WiFi thing renews my faith in technology.

Sorry to babble on, but I just got back from Starbucks when I read this posting, so I couldn't resist. :lol: