T-Mobile’s largest indoor Wi-Fi HotSpot goes live

Press release – 3 September 2008 – BAA-T-Mobile T-Mobile, in partnership with BAA, is delighted to announce that its WiFi HotSpot technology is available throughout Terminal 5 – giving all passengers fast and reliable connections to the internet via their laptops, mobiles and PDAs. The new Heathrow Terminal 5 Wi-Fi HotSpot is T-Mobile’s largest in…

Press release – 3 September 2008 – BAA–T-Mobile

T-Mobile, in partnership with BAA, is delighted to announce that its WiFi HotSpot technology is available throughout Terminal 5 – giving all passengers fast and reliable connections to the internet via their laptops, mobiles and PDAs.

The new Heathrow Terminal 5 Wi-Fi HotSpot is T-Mobile’s largest in the UK, spanning the equivalent of approximately 50 football pitches. T-Mobile is the largest provider of public Wi-Fi in the world, with over 1,000 HotSpots in the UK alone and 27,000 worldwide. The Wi-Fi service is also available through T-Mobile at the other Heathrow Terminals.

The Terminal 5 HotSpot service is open to all airport visitors, offering laptop users access to the internet at speeds of up to 8Mbps without the need for a USB stick or “dongle”. With Wi-Fi now included in all T-Mobile’s pay-monthly price plans such as Mobile Broadband Plus and Max, T-Mobile customers on these tariffs can now experience fast internet access on the move at one of the UK’s largest transport hubs without fear of incurring large bills.

Among the 27 million passengers that are expected to pass through Terminal 5 each year, business travellers in particular will benefit from these services, which will help them to carry on working, reading emails, contacting colleagues and offering constant access to information while waiting for flights. High-speed Wi-Fi connectivity complements T-Mobile’s Mobile Broadband service which has recently been upgraded to offer a nationwide HSUPA capability that delivers up to a fivefold improvement in the time it takes to upload photos and videos to web sites.

For those passengers who are not customers of T-Mobile or other participating providers, the Terminal 5 HotSpot service is priced at £5 for one hour’s access, or £10 for 24 hours, payable by credit card. T-Mobile customers on voice plans can set up a HotSpot account and opt to pay via their monthly bill at a charge of 75p for ten minutes’ access as well as benefit from dedicated customer support for those seeking advice on how to access T-Mobile’s HotSpot services.

“T-Mobile is committed to meet the increasing demand for people on the move to be able to connect to the internet when and where they need to – whether for business or pleasure,” comments Richard Warmsley, head of Internet on the Move, T-Mobile UK.

“One in four new contract customers are signing up for our mobile broadband service and user numbers are set to quadruple in 2008.  It’s clear this trend is set to continue and customers now expect to be able to hook up to the internet anywhere and at any time, particularly at major transport hubs like Terminal 5.”

Ian Denchfield, head of commercial telecoms, at BAA said: “BAA has a long-standing relationship with T-Mobile, together consistently meeting passengers’ expectations to ensure up-to-the-minute technology for travellers. Seamless internet connectivity is an important part of our commitment to innovation and will form a key element in the future of travel. We hope Terminal 5 passengers enjoy the experience.”