BT Openzone
Encyclopedia
BT Openzone is a Wi-Fi hotspot service provided by BT Group
. BT operates around 4,000 wireless stations in the UK, located in public locations such as cafés, hotels, pubs, stations and airports; BT's network accounts for 40% of the UK's wifi hotspot population. Premises with BT's business hub (an ADSL broadband router aimed at small business premises) can opt to enable BT Openzone functionality on their equipment (allowing roaming Openzone customers to connect via a firewalled network).
BT has also adapted some of its population of public phone boxes to include an Openzone hotspot.
Access can be gained through "pre-paid vouchers" purchasable over the counter at the hotspot locations, or via BT's website. Members of the BT FON
community can obtain access to BT FON, BT Openzone and FON hotspots only (not via a roaming partners i.e T-Mobile , NTT Communications) free of charge after joining the scheme. BT also has deals with large UK mobile phone companies O2 (United Kingdom)
, Vodafone
, and Orange U.K. to provide internet access for their subscribers, particularly to those with smart phones such as the Apple iPhone or HTC Desire
. In Germany there is a free Openzone hotspot in nearly every Starbucks
.
Non-BT FON users, i.e. those from abroad or those who have purchased a La Fonera router from FON, may only login to the BT FON designated BT Openzone hotspots which are in general in domestic premises.
This has caused problems though, as BT FON routers also transmit the SSID BTOpenzone meaning smartphones which have previously been connected to BT Openzone try and connect to FON hotspots which require a FON account due to the SSID being recognised as a previous connection. Access is denied as the smartphone coverage is limited to the cafe service, often referred to as the premium service. Unless the user browses a web page, they will not generally receive the FON login page and their smartphone will appear to have lost internet connectivity. BT seem to have rectified this in a firmware update for their BT FON routers where they now display BTOpenzone-h with the "-h" suffix designating a home router and the smartphone will now ignore the hotspot.
BT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
. BT operates around 4,000 wireless stations in the UK, located in public locations such as cafés, hotels, pubs, stations and airports; BT's network accounts for 40% of the UK's wifi hotspot population. Premises with BT's business hub (an ADSL broadband router aimed at small business premises) can opt to enable BT Openzone functionality on their equipment (allowing roaming Openzone customers to connect via a firewalled network).
BT has also adapted some of its population of public phone boxes to include an Openzone hotspot.
Access can be gained through "pre-paid vouchers" purchasable over the counter at the hotspot locations, or via BT's website. Members of the BT FON
FON
Fon is a company that operates a system of dual access wireless networks. Fon is the largest Wi-Fi network in the world, with over 4 million hotspots....
community can obtain access to BT FON, BT Openzone and FON hotspots only (not via a roaming partners i.e T-Mobile , NTT Communications) free of charge after joining the scheme. BT also has deals with large UK mobile phone companies O2 (United Kingdom)
O2 (United Kingdom)
Telefónica UK Limited is a telecommunications, internet and financial services provider in the United Kingdom owned by Telefónica, forming part of its Telefónica Europe division...
, Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
, and Orange U.K. to provide internet access for their subscribers, particularly to those with smart phones such as the Apple iPhone or HTC Desire
HTC Desire
The HTC Desire is a smartphone developed by the HTC Corporation, announced on 16 February 2010 and released in Europe and Australia in the second quarter of the same year. The HTC Desire runs the Android operating system, version 2.2 "Froyo"...
. In Germany there is a free Openzone hotspot in nearly every Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
.
Non-BT FON users, i.e. those from abroad or those who have purchased a La Fonera router from FON, may only login to the BT FON designated BT Openzone hotspots which are in general in domestic premises.
This has caused problems though, as BT FON routers also transmit the SSID BTOpenzone meaning smartphones which have previously been connected to BT Openzone try and connect to FON hotspots which require a FON account due to the SSID being recognised as a previous connection. Access is denied as the smartphone coverage is limited to the cafe service, often referred to as the premium service. Unless the user browses a web page, they will not generally receive the FON login page and their smartphone will appear to have lost internet connectivity. BT seem to have rectified this in a firmware update for their BT FON routers where they now display BTOpenzone-h with the "-h" suffix designating a home router and the smartphone will now ignore the hotspot.
Partners
BT Openzone are roaming partners with the following wifi companies around the world:- iBAHN
- VEX
- Tomizone
- Swisscomm Hospitality
- T-MobileT-MobileT-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
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- T-Mobile International
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- Wireless G
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- AT&TAT&TAT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
- T-Mobile USAT-Mobile USAT-Mobile USA, Inc. is an American mobile-network operator, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, that provides wireless voice, messaging and data services in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company is the fourth-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. market with 33.73...