BT has backed a global wireless sharing service called Fon, touting it as the "world's largest wi-fi community" since it lets people share a "small portion" of their home broadband connection by opening up a separate secure channel on their wireless router. The firm's three million broadband customers will be able to share their wi-fi with others in the Fon community, giving Fon users broadband access when in range of another community member's hotspot. BT's scheme with Spanish firm Fon will boost the 500,000-strong community of users around the world and add to the existing 190,000 Fon hotspots. Joining the BT Fon scheme is free of charge and community members will also have free access to existing BT hotspots in its Openzone network.
Gavin Patterson, BT Group's managing director, said the plan was to create "the people's network of wi-fi, that could one day cover every street in Britain. If they are prepared to securely share a little of their broadband, they can share the broadband at hundreds of thousands of Fon and BT Openzone hotspots today, without paying a penny."
News source: BBC News
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