Nokia trialling free Wi-Fi for Londoners

Nokia’s switched on its trial of a free Wi-Fi service within central London.

Launched yesterday, the Finnish Phone manufacturer has paired up with Spectrum Interactive to offer free Wi-Fi access at 26 different hotspots within the capital.

The trial is to run for two months and, if reckoned a success, the company plans to launch a full service in 2012. All you need to do is connect to a network and accept the T’s and C’s and you should be set to surf to your hearts content.

Nokia has boasted that customers can expect to see speeds of up to 20 megabits per second. Digital spy also reports that there will be a cap on downloads of 1 megabit per user.

Starbucks has also pursued free Wi-Fi in its branches up and down the nation, bringing its coffee shops up to speed.

Speaking to The Inquirer, Simon Alberga, executive chairman of Spectrum Interactive, said, “We see Wi-Fi evolving into a free service in areas such as restaurants and it is because people are coming in for a relatively short period of time. In these cases, Wi-Fi is provided as a free service and it is being funded by a partner, sponsor or an advertising business model”.

At this stage it isn’t clear how much the service costs both Nokia and Spectrum Interactive, or how it will be funded in the longterm. They have both confirmed that advertising and different models were being tested and analysed to help fund the free offering.

Here's a map showing the free Wi-Fi hotspots -- most of them are focused around Oxford street.

As we’ve said, the trial is free on any device, so it could prove to be very popular – Spectrum has also stated that it has enough Wi-Fi access points to cover an additional sites across London if it’s successful.

If you’re in London, let us know what the service is like! Head over to Facebook and scribble on our wall.