London Olympic Venues ban mobile WiFi hotspots
Baku, July 26 (AZERTAC). The London Olympics 2012 Organising Committee has released the full list of restricted items allowed in the Olympics Venues and among them is the use of WiFi mobile hotspots. In a pdf issued by the LOOC the leaflet gives a very complete description of what is and isn`t allowed saying: “Personal/private wireless access points and 3G hubs (smart devices such as Android phones, iPhone and tablets are permitted inside venues, but must not be used as wireless access points to connect multiple devices).” Among the other items that have been banned punters will only be allowed to bring in 100ml of liquids surely forcing them to find refreshment once inside the venues. The banning of mobile hotspots however will surely be difficult to police with most modern smartphone including the Apple iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy S3 sporting the feature. While some make more sense than others such as the carrying of fake firearms, the more bizarre restrictions include oversized hats, flags and clothing which could in any way advertise a company that isn`t one of the official Olympics sponsors. The committee tasked with organizing the London Olympics is banning the use of personal wireless hotspots at the 2012 Olympic Games, adding to the number of items already prohibited such as bikes, excessive amounts of food and walkie talkies. The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is restricting those attending the games from using their smartphone as a wireless hub. According to the London 2012 website, "Personal / private wireless access points and 3G hubs (smart devices such as Android phones, iPhone and tablets are permitted inside venues, but must not be used as wireless points to connect multiple devices)." It`s not clear how exactly the LOCOG plans on regulating attendees from using their smartphone as a wireless hotspot, but one reason they may have implemented the ban is because when large crowds congregate in tight areas, it`s likely wireless data connectivity will come to a halt. It is worth noting, though, that British Telecommunications, one of the largest telecommunications services in the world, won a contract with Olympic organizers to be the "official communications services partner," and will have 1,550 access points installed throughout the Olympic venues. However, visitors that are from outside the UK may have to pay for a connection to BT`s hotspots. Customers of BT`s broadband service and customers of mobile carriers who have made prior arrangements with BT will likely receive free service. The LOCOG did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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