BT expands UK wireless city scheme to five more cities

Sheffield, Portsmouth, Nottingham Bristol and Glasgow to get unwired

15 February 2007 11:09 GMT / By Stuart Miles

BT has announced that it will be deploying its Wi-Fi networks currently found in seven cities around the UK to a further five, taking the total number of UK Wireless City installations to 12.

The five new cities are Sheffield, Portsmouth, Nottingham Bristol and Glasgow with the first phase of all 12 networks working by the end of March next month.

The new cities join Birmingham, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, Cardiff and Westminster.

"Many local authorities are keen to pursue the real benefits to the council, businesses and citizens that a large wireless broadband network can bring", said Steve Andrews, BT chief, Mobility and Convergence. "A number of local authorities are already showing they can improve productivity for their mobile workers, like environmental health officers, who would be able to take action quickly and efficiently away from the office."

The networks promise to provide internet access to all businesses and residents in the city and enable local authorities to offer new mobile services such as localised council information, information on parking spaces or simply local cinema listings.