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29th June 2005:
British
Telecom
UK’s first wireless broadband project for tourists at
Stratford-upon-Avon
Visitors to Bard’s home town get all the
up-to-the-minute answers, thanks to the UK’s first wireless broadband
project for tourists. It promises to be a tale of tourism as Shakespeare would
have liked it. Visitors to Stratford-upon-Avon will be able to access the
latest tourist information - literally into the palms of their hands – and
surf the net as they explore the streets of the Bard’s home town, thanks
to the novel application of new broadband technology.
BT has teamed up
with Coventry University, Staffordshire University, Hewlett Packard and
Stratford Town Management to form Stratford Unplugged, an innovative
partnership to give tourism a new and exciting technical dimension this summer,
in what is believed to be the first project of its kind in the UK. It involves
using the latest 21st century wireless broadband technology to give tourists a
unique online insight into the town’s 16th century heritage, whilst also
supplying them with up-to-the-minute information on the latest events taking
place – as they walk past them.
The information is beamed to a
handheld device - the size of a pocket diary - known as a Personal Digital
Assistant (PDA), which visitors to Stratford will be able to hire for the day
for a nominal fee. It is hoped up to 20 local organisations – ranging from
hotels, theatres and shops to a variety of tourist attractions and restaurants
– will sign up for the 12-month pilot, which is getting underway.
Information about them will be sent to the PDAs in real time and as users pass
particular areas.
The PDAs will also provide people with internet
access at broadband speeds, allowing them to browse the web, check their
e-mails and even take and send photographs to family and friends as they take
in the sights. The swift exchange of information is being made possible by the
innovative use of BT Openzone wireless broadband technology. The PDAs are
wireless-enabled and work by connecting to tiny aerials, which are typically
between two and three inches high. Users can then retrieve whatever information
is of interest to them, without the need to plug any equipment into a phone
socket.
In exchange for supplying information about themselves –
ranging from hotel services to late theatre seat availability as well as other
services and special offers – the participating organisations will each
host one of the wireless aerials, to become ‘Wi-Fi hotspots’ for the
duration of the trial. These hotspots – located near Stratford’s most
popular tourist attractions to give Wi-Fi coverage throughout the town centre -
will be clearly shown on an interactive map, and will enable PDA users to get
the most from their handsets by retrieving new information as they move within
a different hotspot area.
Tim Luft, project director of Stratford
Unplugged, said: “The launch of Stratford Unplugged marks an exciting new
chapter for tourism in one of the UK’s most famous and best-loved towns.
“Using the latest BT wireless broadband in this innovative way will enable
us to give people a completely new visitor experience. “Given
Stratford-Upon-Avon’s rich heritage, it is fitting that it should take
centre stage in taking UK tourism into a new age to preserve such an
significant era by embracing exciting developing communications technologies in
this way, to the benefit of the town and the industries upon which it depends
for its livelihood.”
Frank Mills, BT’s regional director for
the West Midlands, said: “The 12-month pilot is the first of its kind in
the UK and marks a significant step in the development and growth of e-tourism.
However, tourists won't be the only people to benefit. We also hope local
residents or business people with a wireless-enabled laptop or PDA will be able
to surf the web, check e-mails or log onto their corporate network whilst
within the wi-fi enabled areas covered by the scheme."
[BT Broadband]
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