Bt And McDonald's Put Bt Openzone Wi-Fi Hotspots on The Menu
UK Press Releases
January 7, 2004
BT today announced a huge boost to its campaign to bring public Wi-Fi to every community in the UK by installing BT Openzone access points in more than 500 McDonald’s restaurants in the next few months.
The two giants have teamed up to offer millions of diners who visit McDonald’s restaurants the ability to log on to the internet using wireless broadband, via their Wi-Fi-enabled laptop or PDA, as they grab a bite to eat.
BT believes that the landmark deal will mean that thousands more people will be able to easily take advantage of Wireless Broadband Week, which starts on January 26, when anyone with a suitable laptop or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) can try out wireless broadband without time limit - free of charge.*
The BT Openzone access points will be installed in McDonald’s flagship and drive thru restaurants by the end of March, taking the total number of BT Openzone live sites to more than 2,000. When the full roll-out is completed in March, the total will exceed 2,200.
The majority of the McDonald’s sites will be in drive thru restaurants, which are popular with business travellers. BT already has an extensive network of BT Openzone hotspots at premium locations targeted at the business traveller, such as airports, railway stations and hotels.
The new McDonald’s sites will also provide an opportunity for a wider base of customers than just the business community to experience the benefits of wireless broadband. McDonald’s is keen to offer its customers the additional service of quick, convenient access to the Internet, in a welcoming environment.
Steve Andrews, BT’s managing director for Products and Enterprises, said: “This deal with McDonald’s again confirms BT’s position as the UK’s leading provider of public Wi-Fi. And the scale of BT’s network means that wireless broadband is growing from a premium offering for the few into something that will become part of everyone’s lives, whether that’s for work, or for simply surfing the web or emailing friends as a pay-as-you-go customer.
“We already have a vast network of BT Openzone access points at key locations for road warriors and these at McDonald’s will help to boost that network. These sites will also help to provide easily accessible locations where the large number of people who haven’t yet tried Wi-Fi can log on for free and try before they buy during Wireless Broadband Week this month.”
BT Openzone access points will be installed in refurbished flagship London restaurants in The Strand, Oxford Street and Liverpool Street station and rolled out in most drive thrus across the country. McDonald’s wants to offer this exciting new service to customers who want to eat and stay connected while working on the move.
It is part of their aim to appeal to their diverse range of customers and provide a relevant and welcoming environment.
Peter Richards, chief development officer, McDonald’s, said: “Today’s customer is more time-pressed than ever and we think it’s important to meet the needs of busy professional and family lifestyles by offering services that are both easy to use and relevant. We want the Golden Arches to be the first choice for a great meal and a place to go ‘wireless’.
“McDonald’s is leading the way in bringing this vital technology to millions of customers who need a convenient place to log on and work remotely or catch up with their daily schedules and correspondence while out of their home or office during the day.”
McDonald’s is committed to the roll out of wireless broadband in the UK, with the aim of appealing to a diverse range of customers and providing a relevant and welcoming environment. The company already has Wi-Fi agreements covering around 400 restaurants in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia in the United States.
* This offer applies to existing and new users for seven days from January 26, 2004. Users will be able to access BT Openzone free of charge for duration of seven days from registration during Wireless Broadband Week. For example, if a new user registers for an account on February 1, 2004, access will be free for seven days from the date of registration.
For more information please contact:
Michael Jarvis, BT Retail press officer
tel: 020 7356 6045
Jon Carter, BT Retail press officer
tel: 020 7356 4523
Notes to editors
Using BT Openzone
BT Openzone provides access to the Internet and the ability to get secure and fast connection to corporate networks while working "on the pause" away from the office. Users with a laptop and a Wireless LAN access card and software can access data at speeds of up to 500 kbps (almost 10 times faster than a standard 56K modem), enabling them to send and receive large quantities of information at broadband speed. Users need to be within range of an Openzone site (approx. 100 metres) - zones will be badged with the BT Openzone logo.
Anyone with a Wi-fi enable device, such as a laptop with an Intel Centrino chip, can instantly access Wi-fi hotspots. Users without an enabled device can buy a wireless LAN card, such as a BT Voyager card, from as little as £25.
Prices
Subscriptions start at just £10 a month for 120 minutes. Occasional users can use the new pay-as-you-go option at 20pence per minute or the one-hour pass for £6. A full list of prices is available at www.bt.com/openzone.
About BT
BT Group plc is the listed holding company for an integrated group of businesses providing voice, data and video services in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. British Telecommunications plc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group, holds virtually all businesses and assets of the BT group.
BT is one of Europe’s leading providers of telecommunications services. Its principal activities include local, national and international telecommunications services, higher-value broadband and Internet products and services, and IT solutions. In the UK, BT serves over 20 million business and residential customers with more than 29 million exchange lines, as well as providing network services to other licensed operators.
BT consists principally of three lines of business:
BT Retail, serving businesses and residential customers and including BT Openworld, one of the UK’s leading ISPs.
BT Wholesale, providing network services and solutions within the UK, including ADSL, conveyance, transit, bulk delivery of private circuits, frame relay and ISDN connections.
BT Global Services, BT’s managed services and solutions provider, serving multi-site organisations worldwide. Its core target market is the top 10,000 global multi-site organisations with European operations.
There are a number of other businesses within the BT group, including BT Exact, an internationally renowned centre of excellence in IT and networking technologies. It is also BT’s technology and research and development business.
In the year ended 31 March 2003, BT’s turnover was £18,727m. With profit before taxation of £1,829m.
For more information, visit www.bt.com
McDonald’s
McDonald’s is the world’s leading foodservice retailer with more than 30,000 restaurants serving nearly 46 million people in more than 100 countries each day. In the UK, McDonald’s and its franchisees employ 70,000 staff in 1230 restaurants. Sixty -two per cent of these are aged 20 and under. This is McDonald’s 30th year of operating in the UK.
For further information please contact:
McDonald’s Press Office
Tel: 020 8700 7320
