Why doesn’t the UK have free WiFi?
I had a meeting in Windsor yesterday, and arrived just in time to see the changing of the guard march up the road into Windsor Castle.
A great start to the day, although sadly it went down hill as soon as I stepped into a coffee shop. Trying to find a WiFi connection is an virtual impossibility in England. Either I’m on the wrong mobile tariff (O2 in Starbucks, Virgin for the London Underground…), or the WiFi entails begging the bar staff for a password.
What a difference from last week in New York where it made no difference which hotel, bar or restaurant I was in, there was always an open WiFi connection available to use. There were no restrictions, no company was worried that I might be freeloading on their Internet whilst frequenting the business next door because every business offered free WiFi anyway – Invariably the best signal was in the establishment you were in.
So why are the UK so far behind with Internet everywhere? Today, as usual in the UK, with a silent moan I disgruntledly resorted to a 3G mobile network. If I knew for certain that a certain coffee shop or restaurant had free WiFi I’d make a bee-line for it.
3G, or even 4G networks when they’re available are great, but our tourist friends from America must be amazed and bemused at how backwards the UK is and how hard it is to get online. It was actually easier to get inside Windsor Castle than to access one of our carefully guarded WiFi connections.
OlPeculier says
12:33 pm on 16/10/2012
I didn’t realise that Starbucks here was network dependent, I was in DC earlier this year and used it on my tablet and (roaming turned off…) phone without any problems.
Wonder why the different protocol?
Dan Wilson says
12:43 pm on 16/10/2012
Starbucks have a BTOpenzone deal I think. You have to sign up for an account.
As for why the caution in the Uk? It’s fairly obvious.
It’s the Digital Economy Act. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Economy_Act_2010
A deeply flawed last minute act from the last Labour government.
DBL says
2:20 pm on October 16th, 2012
Chris, Sign up here for a free account http://o2wifi.co.uk/ even if you’re not with o2 you can access via loads of coffee shops etc
Wifi hotspot finder http://www.o2wifi.co.uk/my/hotspots/
Chris Dawson says
2:25 pm on October 16th, 2012
Ohhh, thank you! Didn’t know I could use O2 WiFi for free if I wasn’t a customer… although the penalty of “marketing” in return isn’t that attractive!
Still might be useful and emails will be filtered by my new first name “ChrisO2spam”.
I shall still attempt to find companies as liberal as my local pub that just supply free WiFi all the time I’m on the premises.
Jimbo says
2:45 pm on October 16th, 2012
Talking of Starbucks: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/oct/15/starbucks-tax-uk-sales?newsfeed=true
JD says
5:56 pm on October 16th, 2012
I am just waiting for a name and shame website to crop up that lists companies with large UK turnovers who pay low relative levels of UK tax.
A new slant on the late 1960′s “I’m Backing Britain” campaigns.
There’s a couple of ‘nearest and dearest’ on here that would likely be on the list.
Oh and I don’t use Starbucks.
Chris Dawson says
2:02 pm on 16/10/2012
Lunch in a Holiday Inn today…. You’d like to use our WiFi sir? Just log in and let us relieve £15 from your credit card!
(No I didn’t, won’t be going there again though).
Kids Shoelaces says
5:38 pm on 16/10/2012
Sorry to hear about that. WIFI here in the US is becoming more and more common. The local grocery store where I shop even has it now.
Chris Dawson says
5:41 pm on October 16th, 2012
Now that’s really showing how crap the UK is for WiFi!
Don’t come this side of the Atlantic… you’ll be sorely disappointed
Tony says
7:06 pm on 16/10/2012
Just another short-sighted symptom of rip-off Britain.
Gary says
8:05 pm on 16/10/2012
Agreed.
Think of how valuable all those 4G licences that are going out to tender would be if most of the UK population had access to free wifi around towns and cities?
As it stands the 4G revenue can be used to build 100,000 new homes according to Ed Milliband who is a UK political leader. He is the UK equivalent of Mitt Romney just in case our friends from the other side of the pond have not heard of him.
There is a secret UK government agenda on this wifi access thing. Give too much away to the public in terms of free wifi and government revenue nosedives.