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BT looking to beef up its "wi-fi footprint"
FON deal on the cards?

By David Meyer

Published: Tuesday 06 February 2007

BT is refusing to comment on reports it is in talks with the Spanish wi-fi sharing network FON.

The telco has recently started promoting the use of wi-fi as part of its Fusion fixed/mobile, broadband and mobile package. Because Fusion handsets also work in BT's Openzone hotspots, this has allowed BT to establish a mobile network based entirely on unlicensed spectrum.

Now, according to a Reuters article, the company is conducting secret negotiations with FON, a "community" whose users make their home wi-fi routers available for public use, thus creating a network of hotspots to which external users can log on for a fee. FON claims to be the largest such network in the world, although many ISPs - including BT - currently discourage its use.

A spokesperson for BT said: "We are interested in broadening our wi-fi footprint but it's early days and we certainly don't have a deal with FON that we can talk about at the moment." The spokesperson also pointed out that BT's wi-fi footprint already comprises 2,000 Openzone hotspots, a burgeoning "wireless cities" programme and almost a million wireless home hubs.

If BT and FON do sign a deal, it is thought those home hubs would be made available for public use, albeit with the consent of the BT subscriber in whose home the hub is installed.

David Meyer writes for ZDNet UK