Roaming iPad Users Get Free BT Wi-Fi

BT has extended and improved its Apple iPhone Wi-Fi network access app to better suit iPad tablet form factor. This means that some town-dwelling iPad users may be able to have roaming web connectivity without having to buy the GPRS version of the tablet.

BT’s regional coverage already numbers two million hotspots in the UK, with 400,000 extra connection zones worldwide. The free service allows customers to access Wi-Fi on an unlimited download basis .

Free app and free, unlimited access

The app is available as a free download from the iTunes Apple App Store but will only allow existing BT Broadband customers to access the BT Openzone and the BT FON networks.

The app will satisfy the numerous iPad owners who have downloaded the iPhone version to their tablets but found difficulty with connecting to BT FON access points.

The company also provides an Android app which works on current Amdroid tablets running smartphone releases of the operating system. BT has not yet announced if the forthcoming Android Honeycomb release, specifically designed for tablets, will be supported from launch.

John Petter, managing director of BT Retail Consumer claims that the iPhone and Android apps have seen 400,000 downloads since last September.

BT public Wi-Fi

The BT FON network is an access-point sharing scheme. Any BT Broadband user can volunteer to donate a portion of their bandwidth to any fellow BT customers who happen to be within range. Coverage is fairly well distributed in towns and cities but the availability is patchy in other areas.

The service is shored up in high access areas by the Openzone hotspots – usually in the centres of larger cities – through dedicated installations and partnerships with several coffee house chains and hotel groups.

BT admitted that the first iteration of the iPhone apps proved overly complicated, so the iPad version simply requires the owner’s broadband account details. Once entered, the iPad will start hunting for the nearest connection. A map is available to show other local connections.

“The app makes accessing Wi-Fi so simple you don’t even have to think about it and represents real value to our customers at a time when more and more people are accessing the Internet when they are on the move,” said Petter.