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Tuesday 16th October 2007

BBC provide free Wi-Fi access to websites and iPlayer 10:11AM, Tuesday 16th October 2007

The BBC is making all of its online content freely accessible from The Cloud's 7,500 Wi-Fi hotspots as of today. Under the deal, anyone with a Wi-Fi enabled device can access BBC websites free of charge, and those with a laptop can also use the iPlayer to download television shows.

"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

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it and watch it later," said Ashley Highfield, the BBC's director of future media and technology.

The BBC says that there are already 250,000 regular users of the iPlayer, and are hoping to double this number by April 2008 - their recent announcement that Mac and Linux versions of the software are planned is a large step towards this goal.

"Wi-Fi is emerging as the technology of choice for media and content owners wanting to extend their reach beyond traditional channels. The explosion of media-capable devices, coupled with the high bandwidth and low cost Wi-Fi offers, means high quality video and audio can be delivered to people wherever they are," says Owen Geddes, Group Director of Business Development at The Cloud.

Matthew Sparkes

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