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BT reveals Scottish Wi-Fi hotspot numbers have reached 320,000
BT has rolled out nearly 320,000 wireless access points across Scotland.
BT said its Wi-Fi network, which is the largest in Britain, now comprises more than three million hotspots throughout the UK as a whole. Of this total, nearly 26,000 can be found in Glasgow, 20,000 in Edinburgh, 16,700 in Aberdeen and 26,700 in the Highlands.
The rapid rise in the number of BT Wi-Fi access points mirrors the growing prevalence of wireless-enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets, games consoles and laptops.
Global smartphone sales totalled 440.5 million during the third quarter of 2011, according to the latest figures from Gartner, representing an increase of 5.6 per cent on the corresponding period of 2010.
Almost 60.5 million of these handsets were powered by the Android platform, making it the most popular operating system with a market share of 52.5 per cent.
Access to BT's Wi-Fi hotspots is free of charge to the internet service provider's (ISP's) broadband customers, as well as users of iPads, iPhones and Android, Samsung and BlackBerry smartphones.
The Scottish Chambers of Commerce welcomed the growth in BT's wireless broadband footprint north of the border, describing public Wi-Fi access as "crucial" for businesses - and particularly smaller firms - across the country.
Chief executive of the organisation Liz Cameron said: "It is an asset whether you are a businessperson, student, shopper or a visitor to one of our cities - people increasingly expect to be able to get online, wherever they are and whatever their purpose.
"It is vitally important to our tourist sector as visitors increasingly use mobile devices to access information about local businesses and attractions."
BT Scotland director Brendan Dick added the news is "fantastic" for Scotland and represents another example of the ISP investing in the country's communications infrastructure.