Heathrow Terminal 5 becomes WiFi hotspot

[September 5th 2008]

Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport is now a WiFi hotspot thanks to a partnership between airport operator BAA and T-Mobile.

T5 becomes T-Mobile’s biggest WiFi hotspot in the UK, covering the entire terminal, an area the size of approximately 50 football pitches. With over 1,000 hotspots now in the UK and 27,000 worldwide, T-Mobile claims to be the largest provider of public WiFi in the world.

The hotspot service at Terminal 5 is open to all airport visitors, although users who are not customers of T-Mobile or other participating providers will have to pay £5 for an hour’s access or £10 for 24 hours. T-Mobile customers on voice plans will be able to set up a hotspot account and opt to pay their monthly bill at a charge of 75p for 10 minutes access.

The WiFi hotspot will enable all T5 visitors to enjoy fast and reliable connections to the internet at speeds of up to 8Mbps via their laptops, mobiles and PDAs.

The service is expected to appeal in particular to business travellers who will be able to carry on working and communicating with their office as they wait for their flight. But holidaymakers will no doubt also relish the opportunity to surf the net and catch up on emails, particularly if there are any flight delays or cancellations.

T-Mobile says that one in four new contract customers are now signing up for its mobile broadband service and expects user numbers for the service 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,” comments T-Mobile UK head of internet on the move, Richard Warmsley.

BAA’s head of commercial telecoms, Ian Denchfield, adds: “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”.

Already more than seven million passengers have passed through Heathrow Terminal 5, and 27 million passengers are expected over the course of a year. T-Mobile’s WiFi service is also available at the other four terminals at Heathrow.

Written by: Nick Purdom

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