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Free Openzone access for O2 mobile broadband customers

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Friday, 26 June 2009

By Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

O2 mobile broadband customers will have access to thousands of new wireless hotspots for the first time, under a new deal announced today.

The deal with BT Broadband's (www.BT.com) Openzone network will see O2 Mobile Broadband (www.O2.co.uk) customers have access to a further 3,000 wireless hotspots as part of the “unlimited wifi” they receive with their mobile broadband packages.

Jonathan Earle, head of Pay Monthly, said: “We appreciate that our customers want to get the most from their mobile broadband service and we continually look to provide value-added services for them.

“We are introducing two key changes. Firstly, expanding our Unlimited wifi proposition by introducing BT Openzone wifi hotspots allowing our customers to stay connected to the people and things that matter to them most. Secondly, we know that customers want to be able to track how much data they have used. Our simple data counter gives the control that our customers want.”

O2 announced that it would be upgrading its mobile broadband Connection Manager software, allowing users to access regular wifi networks - such as at home or at work - without having to manually enter security codes.

The new software will also come with a much-needed data counter to help customers avoid exceeding their monthly download allowance. An automatic notification will be sent to the Connection Manager when 75 per cent, 90 per cent and 100 per cent of a customer’s data allowance has been reached.

Existing customers will need to upgrade their mobile broadband software to take advantage of the new features, while all new customers will benefit from access to the Openzone network - which is available in most branches of Starbucks - and the new Connection Manager software from the end of July.

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “A data-counter will be really useful for O2’s mobile broadband customers as costs can soon add up if they exceed their data allowance.”

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