BT has announced that its UK-wide roll-out of Wi-Fi is progressing faster than expected, as it added five new cities – Sheffield, Nottingham, Bristol, Glasgow and Portsmouth – to its complement of Wireless Cities one month ahead of schedule.

Last year, the first seven Wireless Cities were named as Birmingham, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, Cardiff and Westminster.

The designation means that wireless, high-speed broadband is available at city centre locations including parks, train stations and street corners.

Several local authorities have teamed up with BT to provide useful centre-of-town information to Wi-Fi customers, including maps and events listings.

Steve Andrews, BT chief for mobility and convergence, hailed the rapid evolution of the Wireless City vision.

“Across the UK, almost every major city will have a large area covered by BT Openzone wireless broadband access points, which means customers can do anything, anytime, anywhere,” he promised.

Meanwhile, BT has cemented its appeal to a less technologically aware population sector by signing a deal with the Post Office to allow BT customers to pay their bills at their local branch.

To compare broadband tariffs, click here.

© Adfero Ltd