In a move that is designed
to extend the flexibility and adaptability of firms, especially
small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), BT has launched a
broadband package that also provides a free public Wi-Fi
hotspot.
BT sees this as perfect for SMEs such as restaurants, hotels,
cafes, doctors’ and dentists’ waiting rooms whereby the hotspot is
enabled automatically in the broadband hub at no extra cost. Hub
owners buy Openzone access vouchers and can choose to pass the
vouchers to their customers or resell the prime business
service.
Users can access the network via a separate, secure internet
channel at broadband speeds. Within the hub, the owner’s traffic is
always prioritised and the owner and guest wireless network
identifiers (SSIDs) are separately listed for security. Those who
wish to switch off the hotspot capability can do so using a hub
management tool located on their desktops.
Explaining the rationale for the move, Bill Murphy, managing
director BT Business said, “Offering Wi-Fi adds value and is good
customer service. It can also allow businesses to make incremental
revenue. The service is helping our customers stay online and keep
productive during these times.”
20,000 existing BT customers have already received firmware to
enable the hotspot in their Business Hubs and BT predicts that a
further 200,000 will receive the upgrade in the first quarter of
2009.
