Birmingham's Bullring buys into Wi-Fi

Shoppers in Birmingham can now mix work with pleasure by browsing the net or checking their emails while they engage in retail therapy thanks to a new wireless network that has been installed in the city's Bullring shopping centre .

The £500 million shopping complex, which encompasses shops and restaurants spanning the size of more than 26 football pitches, is currently equipped with 30 access points, with plans to expand the connectivity to provide in-store coverage.

Bullring's wireless hotspot service is being provided by Wi-Fi network specialist The Cloud, which embarked on a two-year mission late last year to deliver wireless connectivity to more than 30 cities in Europe.

"Our aim at Bullring is to make shopping here an exciting and enjoyable experience, and offering Wi-Fi access is an important part of this," said Ben Darji, the centre's network manager.

"It extends the range of services our retailers can provide, and it means that business people won't have to dash back to the office to send that important email. Wi-Fi makes Bullring an even more convenient location to visit and maintains our position as Britain's best shopping centre."

The Cloud predicts that it won't be long before other organisations start to take note of Bullring's innovation and follow its lead.

"Demand for Wi-Fi is growing at an incredible rate, with devices such as PDAs and Wi-Fi-enabled phones becoming readily available and proving hugely popular," said George Polk, the company's chief executive.

"Bullring is at the forefront of this revolution, and we expect many other retail outlets to follow suit in the coming months."

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