O2 rolls out free London Wi-Fi

Network provider O2 is offering free Wi-Fi to some of London's busiest areas from today.

The areas that will benefit include Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Oxford Circus, Marble Arch and Exhibition Road.

The Wi-Fi provision is the result of a deal O2 has struck with Westminster City Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

"We are proud to announce that today, we can bring O2 Wi-F to some of the busiest streets and squares of central London," said Gavin Franks, managing director of O2 Wi-Fi. "We are now providing Londoners and visitors alike with fast, free, reliable Wi-Fi."

O2 Wi-Fi will be free for everyone, regardless of the network or broadband provider they typically use.

End users will automatically connect to O2's Wi-Fi each time they enter a coverage area once they have registered.

"With millions of extra people coming to town for Games, we want to ensure we showcase the capital as the best city in the world to work and visit, and the addition of free Wi-Fi to some of our most popular landmarks is crucial in helping to maintaining that reputation," said Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, in a statement.