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Free BBC content in wi-fi hotspots

The BBC will allow free access to its online service from 7,500 hotspots around the country.

The wi-fi coverage is to be provided through a deal with wireless firm The Cloud, which operates the hotspots.
 
The BBC online service includes news content and popular programmes and will be available free to anybody with a suitable wi-fi device such as a laptop, using the BBC’s iPlayer software.  However, at the moment only Windows XP users can use the iPlayer. 

The iPlayer however is not currently available for Apple Mac and Linux operating systems and the BBC doesn’t have any immediate plans to support them, but says that users of those machines will be able to use the catch-up service from the end of the year.

They are hoping that over time, portable wi-fi enabled devices such as the Sony PSP and Nokia 95 will be also be used to access the content.
 
Ashley Highfield, the 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.”

The online content can be viewed immediately or is available for download and storage for up to 30 days.  They also hope to offer High Definition (HD) downloads in the future over the Internet due to current limited capacity on Freeview.
 
There was concern from ISPs several months ago during the initial release of the iPlayer on whether it would impact on bandwidth (data transfer capacity), but the BBC said it was talking with ISPs and are looking into scheduling HD downloads during the night when demands on the Internet are at their lowest.

Mr Highfield added, “We do not believe there will be an impact on the infrastructure of the UK internet. It is more than capable of dealing with this level of demand.”