Westminster launches seamless Wi-Fi to improve connectivity
07 February 2025
by Jonathan Andrews
Westminster City Council is trialling a single sign-on service to access free public Wi-Fi points. The pilot, supported by the Mayor of London, aims to enhance access to the internet for residents, businesses, and visitors while addressing digital inequality in the city.
The new service, Connected London WiFi, seeks to unify the fragmented public Wi-Fi networks across Westminster, offering internet access without the need for repeated logins.
Currently, many businesses, public spaces, and cultural sites provide free Wi-Fi, but users must manually log in each time they connect. This initiative simplifies that process, allowing devices to connect automatically after a one-time setup.
A Westminster spokesperson told Cities Today that there is still ongoing demand for public Wi-Fi.
“Our data mapping indicated that people still find data unaffordable and many run out of data mid-month, leaving our residents especially digitally excluded. Overseas visitors still rely on free public Wi-Fi to remain connected during their visit,” they said.
The pilot project will run for two months across 50 key locations, including Strand Aldwych, popular street markets such as Berwick Street and Maida Hill Market, as well as libraries and community centres. If successful, the council intends to collaborate with additional providers to expand the service.
“The project is not about deploying new Wi-Fi access points; it is instead about improving the user experience of connecting to the existing access points available, creating a seamless experience,” the spokesperson said. “Three hundred and fifty access points have been enabled with Connected London WiFi as part of the project, but Connected London users can access the millions of OpenRoaming access points globally.”
Throughout the trial, user research will be conducted as to the public perceptions of the authentication and the appetite for other public Wi-Fi networks to accept the Connected London credential.
“This will be an iterative process,” the spokesperson added.” “We are exploring other local authorities and public bodies accepting the credentials, exploring adding our community halls to our network and exploring businesses accepting credentials.”
Westminster City Council has partnered with Guglielmo and the Wireless Broadband Alliance to implement the trial. Future plans include refining the system to eliminate the need for QR code-based sign-ups, further streamlining the user experience.
Tiago Rodrigues, CEO at Wireless Broadband Alliance, said: “The OpenRoaming deployment in Westminster represents a critical step toward digital inclusion, providing free, secure Wi-Fi that breaks down connectivity barriers for residents, businesses and visitors who may otherwise struggle to access essential online services.”
Image: © Chris Dorney | Dreamstime.com
