Articles tagged with: hotspots

The BBC has announced that not only will it be teaming up with Adobe to offer a Flash-based version of its iPlayer catch-up TV service, but that the service will also be available free via The Cloud Wi-Fi hotspots.

The Beeb has been criticised for using Windows Media rather than an open source solution for its recently launched iPlayer service, not least because it means that programmes are only available to Windows users. The adoption of Adobe Flash for streaming video means that both Mac and Linux users will now be able to use iPlayer too. The Flash-based version of iPlayer should be available by the end of the year.

McDonalds is to offer free wireless Internet access across its 1,200-strong fast food restaurants in the UK, making it the country's biggest provider of free wireless broadband access.

The fast food chain's move reflects increasing competition in the UK's broadband market, where a regular hotspot user usually has to pay around £5 for an hour of Wi-Fi access.

Britain's top fixed-line carrier BT Group said last week that it has teamed up with Wi-Fi crusader FON to allow more than three million UK broadband customers to use hundreds of thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots for free.

There are over 11,400 Wi-Fi hotspots in the UK and major service providers include The Cloud, BT, and Deutsche Telecom's T-Mobile.

McDonald's service will account for about 10% percent of the total Wi-Fi hotspots in the UK.

Using Wi-Fi across Europe could be about to get a lot easier. Hotspot network, The Cloud, has just introduced Mycloud, a service that joins several operators across the continent into one subscription.