BT and Heineken Partner to Offer Wi-Fi to London Pubs

SHEFFIELD, England, September 2, 2011 -

Drinkers at nearly 100 London pubs and bars are to get fast Wi-Fi, following a new BT and Heineken partnership with plans to extend the wireless internet service to a further 200 pubs across the UK by the end of 2012.  

Through Wi-Fi, customers can access a special area of the internet, the Heineken Hub, for which the UK’s newest newspaper, i, the quality daily and sister paper to The Independent, is supplying exclusive content.

Customers can get online quickly with any wireless PC, tablet or mobile phone at any of the Wi-Fi hotspots and will also receive exclusive, location-specific content including the best stories from news, views, features, business, culture and sports. It is the first time this content has been available online and it will be updated daily.

The pubs boost BT’s hotspot numbers to more than three million - the largest network in the UK. More than 200,000 sites have been added in the last three months.

Rick Lawrence, Marketing Manager at Heineken UK said: “The partnership with BT reinforces the brand’s reputation as a leading player in the development of technology.  The Wi-Fi initiative will provide excellent exposure for Heineken among its key target audience and build greater affinity between the brand and its consumers.”

Chris Bruce, CEO, BT Openzone, said: “Using Wi-Fi to deliver free and exclusive content, Heineken is engaging and exciting pub goers and will undoubtedly increase business. It’s an exciting time to be involved in hospitality marketing.”

Wi-Fi access is completely free to over five million BT Broadband customers, plus users of iPads, iPhones, iTouch, Android, Samsung and Blackberry devices and smartphones through other BT partnership agreements.

In further developments to the UK’s largest Wi-Fi network, BT has also added Wi-Fi access at John Lennon Liverpool, Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield and Teesside regional airports.

BT Wi-Fi is also available at 13 Shepherd Neame hotels in Kent, Starbucks, major hotel chains including Thistle, Guoman and Ramada Jarvis, Welcome Break and Roadchef Costa motorway service areas, Network Rail stations, airports and thousands of homes and independent businesses.

BT also extended its relationship with Hilton in June to provide a fully managed suite of Wi-Fi internet services to more than 17,000 bedrooms, public areas and meeting and conference spaces in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

About BT:

BT is one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions and services, operating in more than 170 countries.  Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and phone products including business broadband and fibre broadband, as well as converged fixed/mobile products and services.  BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.

In the year ended 31 March 2011, BT Group’s revenue was £20,076 million with profit before taxation of £1,717 million.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group.  BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York. 

For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt

PR Contact:
Laura Mottram
Head of PR
2 Tenter Street
Sheffield
S1 4BT
+44(0)870-705-8055
business.bt.com

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