14 DAY TRIAL // After twelve months of development and testing, Europe's most advanced outdoor WiFi network is set to launch today across the entire City of London - the famous Square Mile, giving more than 350,000 people who work in and visit the area wireless broadband access. The network has been built and is operated by wireless broadband provider The Cloud. Free access for the first month will be provided in association with Nokia, allowing anyone with a WiFi-enabled device to get online in the City.
The network's capabilities have been made possible with advanced mobile broadband mesh technology supplied by BelAir Networks. The network currently comprises 127 nodes and will evolve to offer 95% coverage across areas owned by the City of London Corporation. The City-wide WiFi network has been designed and built onto existing street furniture including lamp posts and street signs.
The network allows anyone with WiFi-enabled devices including laptops, PDAs, media players and smart phones to take advantage of broadband access. The Cloud and Nokia will be conducting a variety of promotional activities at various venues across the City over the next month where the two companies will be demonstrating the power and advantages of the network.
The Cloud ensures that a wide range of services are immediately available, from high speed Internet and email access to voice, music, video, gaming and other entertainment services over WiFi. Supported service providers include O2, BT Openzone, iPass, Truphone and Skype on various handsets. In addition to its wholesale options, The Cloud also provides a range of low-cost unlimited access tariffs for consumers.
The Cloud currently offers WiFi coverage at over 8,500 locations across Europe, including airports, hotels and railway stations throughout the UK, Germany, the Nordics and The Netherlands. The Cloud operates large scale networks in Canary Wharf, Amsterdam, Stuttgart and in 9 other UK cities including Manchester and Edinburgh.