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You don’t have to go far in London to come across free wi-fi. Plenty of shops, restaurants, pubs, museums and transport hubs have some kind of publicly-accessible network. Even if those networks are often a little slow or complicated to get onto, they make getting around the city much easier for locals and visitors alike.
But soon it might be even easier to get free wi-fi in the capital. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has kicked off a consultation that could see the city get one vast open-access wi-fi network, meaning that both Londoners and visitors can get internet access wherever they are in the capital and without having to sign up to countless different networks.
The Mayor of London’s office says that city-wide wi-fi could have a range of benefits, from helping people get around to aiding business transactions and increasing the number of remote workers in the capital.
Commenting on the project, Khan said: ‘I want every Londoner and visitor to have the very best experience possible and in our connected world that means having access to fast, reliable, seamless internet access.
‘This consultation will be the first step towards delivering better digital services for all, building a better and more prosperous city for everyone.’
All this is still in its early days, so we don’t know yet when London might get a city-wide wi-fi network (or whether it’ll definitely get one at all). The consultation is currently underway, so watch this space for updates.
Given how irritating it can be when people play social media clips out loud on public transport, some might not be so keen on London getting even more connected to the web. But that’s the way we’re headed, whether we like it or not – read about all the tube and underground train stations getting 4G and 5G here.
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