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The UK is only a small island…I’ve always wondered why, when it has been proposed entire cities like Philadelphia are to get free WiFi, it would be so hard for the UK to become WiFi covered and why it hasn’t happened yet?

Surely with more UK businesses trading online and an increasing number of online transactions, free WiFi would result in more transactions, translating into higher GDP, resulting in better economy?

Well, UK, we need wait no longer, finally it’s here, drum roll please:

Launched today in the North East of the UK, Freerunner is an open sourced free public WiFi network enabling consumers to get free broadband access in underserved and digitally remote areas of the UK.

Libraries, transport hubs, community centers and schools are a few of the public venues to receive the service free of charge, accessible from access points in both public and commercial venues.

Consumers will also be able to access Freerunner free of charge in commercial venues such as coffee shops, pubs and clubs as access will be funded by the venue and its partners, with the advantage being they pay for the service at just a third of the current rate set by operators.

The vision, from Founder and CEO of Freerunner Owen Geddes, is to readdress the balance between big brand venues and areas which are underserved.

Geddes says the service is not just the next generation user experience, it is the next generation of WiFi:

“Back in 2002, free, open access points were popping up all over the place and there was a real buzz about the potential of public WiFi.

“Since then, networks have been locked down and access for a day can cost more than your home broadband can cost in a month.”

Investment for the project comes in the form of The NorthStar Equity Investors (NSEI) who invested through their Prof of Concept Fund because the service will be directly benefiting the North East before the national roll out.

Tech Entrepreneurs, geeks and Twitter addicts will be celebrating all over the UK today as Freerunner gives them more access to the thing they love most: The Internet! Woohoo!

But most importantly it will be giving people, who otherwise might not have had the opportunity to access the greatness that is the World Wide Web, a chance to experience its wonders.

This is one small step for the North East, one giant leap for Nation kind.
http://freerunr.com/

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I’m at #smo09…and was really inspired by Umair Haque who talked about hat companies can learn from politics 2.0. Obama’s leadership style ushers in a new era of dealing with stakeholder communities. How can we extrapolate those lessons to benefit the business? By Umair Haque (Havas Media Lab)

About Umair: Umair Haque is Director of the Havas Media Lab, a new kind of strategic advisor that helps investors, entrepreneurs, and firms experiment with, craft, and drive radical management, business model, and strategic innovation. Umair also blogs for Harvard Business Publishing.

Prior to Havas, Umair founded Bubblegeneration, an agenda-setting advisory boutique that helped shape the strategies of investors, entrepreneurs, and blue chip companies across media and consumer industries. Bubblegeneration’s work has been recognized by publications like Wired, The Red Herring, Business 2.0, and BusinessWeek, and in Chris Anderson’s Long Tail, to which Umair was a contributor.

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I’m here at #smo09 http://somesso.com/london09This is an interview with Lucien Burm, Founder of Kimengi.com – a service which is gold for bloggers as it tells you what kind of content your viewers want to see, before you’ve even written it!

#smo09 is at Emirates Stadium …breathtaking!

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A Twitter friend @MarkABaker sent me a Twitpic of his 2 1/2 year-old Elizabeth wearing a Techfluff sticker…soooooo cute! Thanks Mark!

More of Mark: Twitter: twitter.com/MarkABaker

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