BBC going free over wi-fi

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7045123.stm


BBC has agreed a deal with wi-fi firm The Cloud, which operates 7,500 hotspots around the country.

The news website, programme sites and downloads of TV shows via the iPlayer can be accessed freely.

Mr Ashley Highfield (BBC's director of Future Media and Technology) said: "This is the first of what I hope will be a number of relationships with wi-fi operators.

"For us the killer is - there is no subscription required. You will be able to consume any of the content on bbc.co.uk; watch an episode of Strictly Come Dancing with your coffee, or if you are pressed for time, download it and watch it later."

More than 250,000 people are using the iPlayer regularly each week, said Mr Highfield. The corporation is hoping to have more than 500,000 regular users by April 2008.

The BBC has said it hopes to offer high definition (HD) downloads in the not too distant future.

"With spectrum capacity severely limited on Freeview at least until 2012 we believe quite strongly that IP (internet protocol) is a great route to getting HD out to wider audience."