O2 extends free London WiFi network to Canary Wharf

UK Mobile operator O2 has extended its free network of WiFi hotspots in London eastwards to include Canary Wharf.

The company announced the new hot spots in a blog post on Wednesday, adding that it expected around 1.2 million customers to use the service each week in the busy business and shopping district.

“We understand that access to free public wifi is becoming a right rather than a privilege and nowhere is the demand greater than in Canary Wharf where big business deals are being struck every day, often away from the office and on the move,” Gavin Franks, managing director of O2 WiFi, said.

O2 said the service would be accessible to everyone (regardless of which network your phone is on) in a number of public places including the four shopping malls in Canary Wharf plus 20 acres of outdoor parks and plazas.

Accessing the service is free and simple and can be done via an app or simply in the browser – and you’ll only need to register once to get access to O2’s network of hotspots.

Unlike some other public WiFi offerings, O2’s network is free to O2 customers and non-O2 customers alike. Others, such as BT Openzone, only provide free access for customers of its other services like fixed-line broadband.

O2’s hotspots aren’t quite without limits, however, as there is a 10GB per month cap for person.

The extension of the network in London follows similar moves during 2012 which saw O2 WiFi land in Westminster, and Kensington & Chelsea. In total, the service now offers more than 8,000 hotspots around the UK since it was introduced a little over two years ago.

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