The 2012 Olympics will bring more than millions of tourists to London, to crowd the streets, it will also bring free WiFi to Londoners and tourists alike. O2's WiFi unit, which is separate from the mobile business, has announced that it plans to deploy Europe's largest free WiFi network in time for the summer Olympics.
It has already started deploying the necessary hardware in the areas to be covered, the Westminster City and Kensington & Chelsea boroughs. The operator worked with the local administration to make this possible.
"The deal, which will run at no cost to the councils or the taxpayer, is part of both councils’ plans to ensure that the millions of visitors that come to the city have the best experience possible and can make the most of what London has to offer," O2 boasted.
The network will be free, but will require some authorization and there will be some ads, to help make up for some of the costs.
When the free WiFi network is deployed, anyone in the area will be able to connect. They'll have to provide a name and a cellphone number and they'll receive an authorization code via SMS.
There may be some ads on the login page, but surfing should be rather hassle free after that.
During a regular day, one million tourists visit Westminster City alone. That number is expected to rise dramatically during the summer Olympics.
Given that many of them will have at least a smartphone, but possibly also a tablet or a laptop with them, the demand for WiFi should be huge, especially since many tourists will come from other countries and they won't want to enable their roaming data connections.
It remains to be seen whether the network will be able to cope with demand or it will buckle under the pressure. Presumably, O2 has a good idea of the amount of traffic to expect, the question is whether it will be prepared to pay to support it.
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