Westminster City Council, a local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England, is offering complimentary Wi-Fi services in areas under council control.

The complimentary Wi-Fi has been launched to facilitate the huge number of visitors expected in the city of London and its surrounding areas for the 2012 Olympics Games, commencing this Friday, July 27.

The Wi-Fi may be accessed by anyone using a smartphone or a tablet device, allowing them to stay connected, and search for information on all aspects of travel and business.

The free Wi-Fi will be initially available in the areas of Oxford Street; Regent Street; Trafalgar Square; Leicester Square; Piccadilly Circus; and Parliament Square, in Westminster, London.

The council is partnering with service provider, O2, to offer the Wi-Fi connectivity, which people can access by adding O2 to their list of available networks for their devices, and following easy steps for registration. Once registered, the device will be automatically hooked up to the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot. The council stated that those accessing the connections need not be O2 customers, and they will continue to offer the service even after the Olympic Games have finished.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said, ‘With millions of extra people coming to town for the Games, we want to ensure we showcase the capital as the best city in the world to work and visit, and the addition of free Wi-Fi to some of our most popular landmarks is crucial in helping to maintaining that reputation.’

Cllr Philippa Roe, the spokesperson for Westminster City Council, said, ‘This is a fantastic success for Westminster’s residents, businesses and the thousands of visitors we welcome daily. With London playing host to the greatest show on earth, O2 Wi-Fi is not only a valuable service for those who want to share photos, keep in touch and celebrate in the city, but rather a long term project to help make London one of the most technology friendly cities in the world.’