No advertising, no bias, no hidden agenda

BT Openzone adds 11,000 global Wi-Fi hotspots65,000 wireless broadband locations worldwide

18 November 2009

BT Openzone wi-fi hotspots

BT announced today that it has added an extra 11,000 Wi-Fi hotspots to those available globally to its BT Openzone customers, with 9,300 of these hotspots being in Moscow.

According to BT, the additional Wi-Fi hotspots are provided in partnership with six networks, and enabled through Comfone WeRoam, an advanced wireless IP roaming hub. 

This brings BT Openzone’s international Wi-Fi network to more than 65,000 sites worldwide.

The six additional networks include:

  • Beeline Wi-Fi hotspots include 9,300 across Moscow city centre, plus four airports, hotels and restaurants in Russia.
  • ChungHwa in Taiwan now provides access at around 1,000 hotspots including around 700 restaurants and cafes.
  • Monzoon adds 600 hotspots spanning Liechtenstein and Switzerland, with 200 of these in schools and universities. 
  • Wayport provides Wi-Fi connectivity in over 36 countries, at airports and hotels including the Dorchester Collection, Radisson Blu, Park Inn, Marriott and Hilton hotels.
  • WirelessG has 650 hotspots and integrated hotspots across South Africa in restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, B&Bs, stadiums and airports, in time for visitors to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
  • eService Bar

Which? has reviews of 65 mobile broadband services from BT, O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone, with tariffs that include access to Wi-Fi hotspots 

BT Openzone: 'bringing Wi-Fi internet to high-demand locations'

Chris Bruce, general manager, BT Openzone, said: 'We're bringing wireless internet access to even more people travelling the globe in high demand locations including airports, hotels and cafes. This is great news for business and leisure travellers looking to stay in touch overseas.'

According to BT, BT Openzone has more than 3,500 UK and Ireland Wi-Fi hotspots including BA, Flybe and Skylounge airport lounges, Caffe Nero and Starbucks coffee stores, Hilton, Thistle and Ramada Jarvis hotels and marinas.

BT claims that 'despite the lowering of EU mobile roaming rates, Wi-Fi from BT Openzone is still cheaper', and cites the example of consumers using the BT international Wi-Fi voucher, who can surf for 12p per megabyte. 

How to access BT Wi-Fi hotspots

All BT's Total Broadband customers get at least 250 minutes' access to BT's Wi-Fi zones including BT Openzone hotspots as part of their home broadband package. 

Non-BT broadband customers can access BT's Wi-Fi hotspots by purchasing BT's Wi-Fi hotspot access vouchers.

You can learn more about Wi-Fi hotpot access from BT and other Wi-Fi hotspot providers like The Cloud and T-Mobile in the Which? guide to Wi-Fi hotspots.

Increasingly, Wi-Fi capabilities are being included in mobile phones, and most high-profile smartphones can be used for internet access using Wi-Fi hotspots. These mobiles include the iPhone 3GS, Nokia N97, LG KC910 Renoir, Samsung i900 Omnia and Sony Ericsson W960i.

Get involved with Which? using Twitter, email and RSS

Tech email screenshot-Dell laptop

If you'd like news via RSS subscribe to the Which? news RSS feed. If you have an older web browser you may need to copy and paste http://www.which.co.uk/feeds/reviews/news.xml into your newsreader. More details on RSS news feeds.

On Twitter you can follow WhichTech for regular tech tweets.

Get email updates - keep your finger on the pulse of digital technology with the weekly email from the Which? Technology team. 

Every Tuesday we'll send you the latest news and reviews of MP3 players, mobile phones, cameras, high-definition TVs and other gadgets. 

It's packed with the latest product launches, First Look reviews, expert advice and some incredible deals - can you afford not to be the first to find out?