O2 has confirmed it will provide WiFi service to Canary Wharf, in a deal with the Canary Wharf Group.
The operator said the service would be available by the end of this summer and was expected to see 1.2 million customers every week.
The move follows the recent news that O2’s four year deal with BT Openzone would not be renewed, removing customers’ access to around 4200 hotspots shared by the two companies.
O2 said at the time that the company would “continue to extend the reach and scale of O2 WiFi through exciting partnerships”.
The WiFi service would be free and available to everyone in public areas including the four shopping malls and 20 acres of outdoor parks and plazas, which would benefit the business community at Canary Wharf, comprised of 100,000 workers, O2 said.
O2 WiFi managing director Gavin Franks said the deal built on deployment across central London.
“We understand that access to free public wifi is becoming a right rather than a privilege and nowhere is the demand greater than in Canary Wharf where big business deals are being struck every day, often away from the office and on the move.”
Canary Wharf Group chairman and chief executive Sir George Iacobescu said the installation of WiFi at Canary Wharf was a logical next step for such a technologically advanced build site.