London launches the first location-based, free personal Wi-Fi Service

With the use of a new personal, location-based Wi-Fi enabled information service, which is the first of its kind, visitors and residents to London will now be able to navigate the city.

By using the BT Openzone outdoor Wi-Fi network in the West End and Central London the free “pocket concierge”, which is called BT MyPlace, will be made available from any wireless device.

Users will be sent recommendations of places nearby based on their location and the favourites they have registered, with user being able to set a range of preferences like shops, activities or food.

Usually a subscription would be required to bring all the content from various sites together but there is no cost for this service, which has been made available to the 256 000 residents, more than six million business people, 800 000 daily commuters and 23 million tourists that visit London each year, because the entire service will be funded through on-site advertising. Love Theatre, Kodak, audible.com, Time out and LondonPass are just some of the content partners used in this service. Also available are Westminster City Council information and transport details.

The free six month trial of BT MyPlace, which was designed and driven by BT, will launch on 3rd February. The service will be supported by Westminster City Council and partners Cisco and Intel, will the development and maintenance will be carried out by io global limited, a converged digital media solutions company. Although customer using the BT outdoor Wi-Fi network for wider internet use will have to pay as normal, the BT MyPlace service will be completely free.

Councillor Colin Barrow, the Leader of Westminster Council said “Westminster City Council is committed to supporting residents and businesses in central London and this is an example of how new technology can help during the difficult economic climate. This service will not only help people find their way around our city but also direct them towards local businesses that they otherwise would not have known about. We are taking some important steps towards becoming the best managed city in the world in time for 2012 and this joint project with BT is further evidence to support this goal”.

The BT Openzone general manager, Chris Bruce said “Unlike a classic city guide, BT MyPlace is personalised to your interests and location. Because it is delivered over the BT Openzone outdoor Wi-Fi network it also offers a faster and more reliable internet service that can be accessed on thousands of devices.”

The vice president of Broadband Services at io global, Peter Gandy said “There has long been talk about personalised location-based services, but nothing has actually been available until now. BT MyPlace is a great example of how our technology can help people quickly find what they want using the device of their choice. “

Head of Access and Mobility Solutions at Cisco Europe, Delyth Harris said “Cisco’s Wireless Network solution supports the service delivering cost-effective, secure outdoor wireless connectivity. It integrates smoothly with the existing wired network and lets Westminster extend services and applications without sacrificing security or manageability. Able to detect the location of the user, the technology allows BT My Place to provide context aware communications and service delivery to residents, business commuters, and visitors.”