Wi-Fi Alliance raises security concerns over Boris's mega-hotspot

City-wide wireless network has security concerns

The Wi-Fi Alliance has warned that the future London-wide wireless network proposed by Mayor Boris Johnson recently might not be fit for business or banking use.

Mayor Johnson announced blanket Wi-Fi coverage for London at a recent Google event in Hertfordshire, saying that every lamppost and bus stop would enable wireless access by the time of the 2012 London Olympics.

Speaking to Computing, senior Wi-Fi Alliance executive Kelly Davis-Felner said: "Freely available Wi-Fi is terrific, but not for business communications. For that you need to use a virtual private network (VPN) or a network with security protections, and the same is true of banking."

Davis-Felner added that if she was advising Johnson on his Wi-Fi vision she would recommend the deployment of an 802.11n network, arguing that such a dual-band infrastructure (operating in frequencies of 2.4GHz and 5GHz) would alleviate possible congestion issues and give better range than the earlier 802.11 a/b/g standards. The 802.11n standard also gives performance of 100Mbit/s.

Currently 22 London boroughs have signed up to the WiFi London scheme, although pricing has yet to be detailed.