Article Tools

• 

Europe’s most advanced outdoor Wi-Fi network has been switched on across the entire city of London--the famous Square Mile. More than 350,000 people who work in and visit the area now have wireless broadband access throughout the city.

The network has been built and is operated by The Cloud, a leading wireless broadband provider. Free access for the first month will be provided in association with Nokia, allowing anyone with a Wi-Fi-enabled device to get online in the city.

Twelve months of development and testing have enabled The Cloud and the City of London Corporation to deploy Europe’s densest, most comprehensive citywide Wi-Fi network. The Cloud will continue to tune the network over the coming weeks as new users, applications and devices begin to use the service.

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. Reinforcing the Square Mile’s status as a world-leading financial and business centre,

BelAir Networks' patented technology delivers industry-leading performance and reliability. The citywide Wi-Fi network has been designed and built onto existing street furniture including lamp posts and street signs.

The network allows anyone with Wi-Fi-enabled devices including laptops, PDAs, media players and smart phones, such as the new generation of Nokia devices, to take their broadband with them. 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 offers sophisticated Wi-Fi coverage at more than 8,500 locations across Europe, including airports, hotels and railway stations throughout the United Kingdom, Germany, the Nordics and The Netherlands. The Cloud operates large-scale networks in Canary Wharf, Amsterdam, Stuttgart and in nine other UK cities including Manchester and Edinburgh.