Wi-Fi should be everywhere, says London mayor

London should be a Wi-Fi city, said Boris Johnson

London mayor Boris Johnson wants London to become a "Wi-Fi city" and to use the Olympic Games in 2012 as an opportunity to kickstart plans for mobile web access.

"Let's do it, beginning in Stratford in this fantastic area of opportunity," Johnson told the BBC London radio station.

"I certainly think there is a case for dealing with people who are information technology-poor, and trying to help people get online," he said.

"What we need is a city where anywhere you go, you can log on, you can get on the web. They've done it in other parts of the world; why on earth can't we do it? Let's look at ways that we can improve the infrastructure in this city so that there's Wi-Fi access everywhere."

Johnson told the radio station that his proposition is better than the £300m Labour plan announced by Gordon Brown this afternoon to offer free computer access to children from disadvantaged families, to increase their chances of finding a job.

"I think that's the way we should be going, rather than bunging money to people, which sounds a bit like a desperate bribe by the prime minister," he said.

The mayor claimed that the Wi-Fi project would not represent an increase on council tax bills to fund the 2012 games. The event has a budget of £9.3bn and the mayor does not expect spending to surpass that mark.