Introducing the BT FON Community, Wi-Fi everywhere in the U.K.

Congratulations BT and FON. This kind of forward thinking really will benifit everyone.

Now I just have to check to see if the T&C's allow me to share using my business broadband account...

So what do we do - I'm a BT Broadband customer and I also have a Fon access point. Do I need to sign up for this?

Thanks

About time too!

The concept is amazing and this is now very apparent as a global company like BT have become a partner.

BRAVO!!!!!!

Does this mean that we can use all BT hotspots, or is it only the 'BT FON' hotspots? ANd if so where are they and how to we find them?

Thanks!

Wow - this is great news. Hopefully this will enable me to find loads more hotspots. Really chuffed with this (if it works!)

Good work!

Fantastic. Well done!

Does this mean all BT OpenZone WiFi hotspots will now support FON as well ?

I do not wish to be part of anything to do with BT sorry.
george

So what is different? Is it just about using BT's customer base to promote FON, or is there a change to what would happen if I was using FON with any other broadband supplier in the UK? I am happy with my broadband supplier, would not switch to BT, but am considering sharing my Internet access with others through FON. Are there any implications for me?

Good idea, but how does it work?
Every wifi signal I encounter here in London is protected by a password.
The days when you could be outside an office block and access the signal emanating from within, are gone.

interesting my go BT doing somthing radical

I bet BTs competitirs go wineing to Ofcom about it ill pas this on to a mate whos on Ofcom.

I just checked out the BT site, if I search for my own postcode, my own or other nearby Fon access points are not listed :(

Wow, this is big news! I look forward to being able to actually get some use from my Linus account :D

Congrats on getting this deal brokered!

Its starting to happen..

This is absolutely fabulous news. Not a fan of BT at all, but here I admire their vision and courage. Hope more providers follow, starting in my country (NL) please!

Wow! that's a great news. I believe this contract will bring some more motivation to other telcos providers across the world :)

So I second the question: can we access BT OpenZone access points?

At first I was highly excited about this. I've been a la fonera for more than a year.

However, from the fine print it seems to me that all this deals means is that BT customers are now allowed to use out Fon routers.

And it doesn't work the other way. This means as a long time fon member I can't use BT Openzone hotspots, but BT customers can use out fon hotspots.

BT has just taken the fon idea, and implemented on their BT home hubs. I can't see much value in this for la foneras on a personal basis, although it does at least get the Fon principle out there.

Hello, here are answers to the most frequent questions I'm seeing.

Q:If I am a Fonero and have BT do I need to sign up?
A: Yes

Q:I am a Fonero but not a BT customer, can I access BT Fonspots?
A:Yes, all Foneros can use BT Fon Hotsposts and vice versa

Q:I am a Fonero but not a BT customer, can I use BT Openzone hotspots.
A: No, but if you had BT Total broadband then Yes.

Congratulations FON & BT :)

Hello... I order a router free, a year ago...
Still no router, but you always treat me as I had one. I still have the order, it's free of charge, but still no router.

Ulf Ligander
Sweden

congratulation

Sounds good, despite the misgivings above.

Next step, guys: BT has a substantial subsidiary in Ireland, operating phone and broadband, so let's see this service extended here asap. I'm both a fonero and a BT Ireland subscriber, so I'm already 'in', but it would be great to see the big growth in free hotspots which would follow...

Whooops!! Just noticed that BT UK has omitted Northern Ireland. Interesting... a sign that the UK is giving up on NI? Or what?

Anyhow, it adds to my earlier post asking that this service quickly embrace all 'these islands'. Go, fon! Go, BT!

Chiming in with Basil Miller above. Extend to Ireland and you'll understand the meaning of the land of a thousand welcomes. We talk like no other nation on earth and are eager to adopt and spread the word. This is a tipping point moment. Well done guys. Very impressed.

Well done Fon & BT, my new Fon phone already finds lots of connections

I live in Ireland. Why was I sent an email with info on UK BT? Please don't do it again.

Well, they sent this e-mail to ALL members including ones in North America...

Wifi is not good! Its not good on protection and few distance!

WIMAX rules!

108Mpbs

50Km of distance!

As a newly signed up Fonero I find the method adapting my setup fairly confusing - and I should know what I'm doing(My wife disagrees!). I am a typical BT Total Broadband user and it would be very helpful to have some unambiguous instructions/diagrams to get 'there' (able to offer local FON service) from 'here' (BT Broadband into a Netgear 834G router/Wi-Fi unit). The basic idea is marvellous but implementation would be helped very much by (for instance) BT putting an email together to its users pointing us to some 'how-to' pages on the BT (or FON) website.

All I can say is "Woot"

Its a great news. Cant wait to exprience it.

This is great news for Fon and for those in the UK. I hope other companies in the US follow soon. :)

RHMasher....Your wife is correct.

Well done. Sounds like great news all around for FON. Getting an agreement like this is a >MASSIVE

Wow! FON is growing!

Congratulations BT & FON!

Paulz

I am from Spain where this all started but don't hold your breath waiting for the likes of Telefonica to give up their monopolistic ways anytime soon.

Thanks FON!!!

We were waiting for a deal like this one. I am sure that more details will be in the works soon. In the meantime, are you guys also working with http://www.devicescape.com on this deal, to make WiFi connections (for instance on a WinMobile device, MS-Windows laptop, Apple MacOSX, SmartPhone [Nokia, etc], and other devices) connect seamlessly? Thanks so much for keeping the FON community updated! You guys rock!

Excellent. I am involved in such large deployments in my country. Do you think that we could have a partnership where we could alow roaming within the two networks? Many people travel between the two countries.

Hmm...
Sounds good in principle if as a Fon user you could use BT Openzone hotspots but a poor show if you cannot.
Also regarding the UK/NI Comment, our passports are clear:
"The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"
Therefore by saying UK, NI should be included. Otherwise its Great Britain.
Sadly seems a good slightly one way marketing spin. Shame that no-one from BT or Fon are formally answering the questions raised.

Hi! Congrat's on the new parnership :)
I am from Bulgaria and i wondered when will this be aplied to our country as well? I realise that this is not a priority now but i wanted to know. and where can i buy fon acscess? I don't have any credit or other kind of cards and i don't have any bank acc's so i can use internet to obtain one.

Based on the information available here, it sounds like an excellent idea; I would happily give up a portion of my Broadband connection in order to make use of the wider connecivity of the FON service.

However, it all stands or falls on the detail, so I will wait to see what they are and to see what the implications, if any, of this offering.

Great news for all, we have supported Fon in the UK for some time and you can buy the Fon router @ our online store; www.wirelesspro.co.uk.

I have BT Broadband and a BT Openzone account.

How do I:

a) access FON hotspots?
b) FON enable my location?

...and how long do we have to wait in the US for something like this?

@Mike Greenville
You can find answers to both your questions here: http://www.btfon.com/register

When you say that this deal covers the entire UK, you're not entirely correct.

Don't forget about us poor people, here in Hull who don't have BT telephone lines. We can only get access to the internet via our incumbent teleco provider Kingston Communications PLC.

Please get in contact with them and arrange the same deal :-)

Its not just Hull Dylan, large areas of the East Riding of Yorkshire will also be left a black spot of wifi due to the fact we are stuck with Kingston Communications lines. Its a pity some of the 75,000 Karoo subscribers can't someone get access to this FON/BT network by some arrangement.

Oh this will be great.
Thank´s for comming to Sweden

Is there any fon hotspots in Romania?

Thank you,
Cristi

You can find FON spots here: http://maps.fon.com/

Hello...

When are the fon maps going to be
functional again ?

Please hurry !

Thanks !

@Crown, they are working fine now. Your's is the only report I had of them being down. If you see this again please let our support team know by following the help link.