European Wi-Fi Provider Plans To Un-Wire Nine U.K. CitiesEuropean Wi-Fi Provider Plans To Un-Wire Nine U.K. Cities

Free municipal Wi-Fi is spreading across the pond.

Europe's leading Wi-Fi provider, The Cloud, announced plans to provide hundreds of wireless broadband hotspots in nine U.K. cities, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Leeds and Nottingham. The cities were named this week as the first to benefit from an initiative expected to deliver wireless access to more than 4 million people.

Existing payphones will be used to house new wireless boxes. Completion of the first phase of the project and details about expansion into more cities are scheduled for March.

The Cloud, which already provides hotspots in some parts of the United Kingdom, promises to avoid a monopoly by keeping its wholesale networks open to all service providers.

People using SkypeZones and Nintendo WiFi among other network operators will have immediate access to the hotspots, according to a statement from The Cloud. T-Mobile, NTL/Virgin, Sony, Vonage and other providers have not signed up.