BT have announced their new next-gen Fusion service with three new WiFi handsets allowing users to use their FMC phones at thousands of hotspots across the country.
The Nokia 6136, Motorola A910 and Samsung P200 will be the first devices to be made available to consumers this spring, allowing users to make VoIP calls over their home wifi connection or BT Openzone hotspots receiving four minutes talk for the price of one.
The company’s plan to build a first phase of 12 Wireless Cities by the end of March next year means that most of the UK’s major city centres will soon offer widespread Wi-Fi coverage and the same four-for-one tariff will cover these locations.
Free internet surfing on the Wi-Fi handset is also part of the offer for Fusion customers, who can email or surf the web on their mobiles at home and at BT Openzone hotspots at five times faster speeds than GPRS.
The operator has partnered up with high street retailer Phones4u, to make the Fusion service available in over 400 high street stores across the UK.
Steve Andrews, BT chief, Mobility and Convergence, said: “Today, Fusion takes another huge step forward with an exciting new evolution offering even more places to get great value mobile calls. These latest free handsets will allow customers the freedom to just make the calls and surf the web via BT broadband without having to think twice.
“It is great sitting on the sofa at home and not having to worry about the cost of a convenient call made from your mobile. It is even better to get the same freedom when you are out and about, maybe in a hotel, at the airport or even shopping in a city centre. It knows where you are and connects automatically to Wi-Fi when you are at home or at a BT Openzone hotspot.
Take up of BT's Fusion has not been great with only 50,000 subscribers signing up in the last 18 months. Opening up the Openzone network to Fusion customers is a step in the right direction allowing BT to look at it's tariffs which may have been discouraging potential customers.
The company’s plan to build a first phase of 12 Wireless Cities by the end of March next year means that most of the UK’s major city centres will soon offer widespread Wi-Fi coverage and the same four-for-one tariff will cover these locations.
Free internet surfing on the Wi-Fi handset is also part of the offer for Fusion customers, who can email or surf the web on their mobiles at home and at BT Openzone hotspots at five times faster speeds than GPRS.
The operator has partnered up with high street retailer Phones4u, to make the Fusion service available in over 400 high street stores across the UK.
Steve Andrews, BT chief, Mobility and Convergence, said: “Today, Fusion takes another huge step forward with an exciting new evolution offering even more places to get great value mobile calls. These latest free handsets will allow customers the freedom to just make the calls and surf the web via BT broadband without having to think twice.
“It is great sitting on the sofa at home and not having to worry about the cost of a convenient call made from your mobile. It is even better to get the same freedom when you are out and about, maybe in a hotel, at the airport or even shopping in a city centre. It knows where you are and connects automatically to Wi-Fi when you are at home or at a BT Openzone hotspot.
Take up of BT's Fusion has not been great with only 50,000 subscribers signing up in the last 18 months. Opening up the Openzone network to Fusion customers is a step in the right direction allowing BT to look at it's tariffs which may have been discouraging potential customers.