Buswell’s abuzz with wireless


23 Mar 2004

Buswell’s Hotel in Dublin, frequented by politicians because of its proximity to Leinster House, is to offer wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) access to guests and visitors. The service is being provided by O2 Ireland and becomes the operator’s twenty-first Wi-Fi hotspot.

Visitors to the Molesworth St hotel will be able to access the internet and email on their laptops at speeds of 25 – 30 times faster than dial-up.

O2 Ireland says it has spent €2 million on WLAN technology since it introduced the service in February 2003. The operator is offering members and staff of the Joint Houses of the Oireachtas as well as the general public free access to the hotspot from Wednesday 24 March to Friday 23 April between the hours of 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. Users simply need to get a voucher from the reception area of Buswells and register their details with the hotel.

Users can either use the WLAN data card on their laptops, if they have one, or buy a separate data card which contains access information that the user keys into their laptop.

Commenting on the service, Danuta Gray, chief executive of O2 Ireland, said: “By bringing WLAN to the doorstep of Leinster House, Oireachtas members can see at first hand O2’s commitment to supporting Irish business and to expanding Ireland’s broadband capability.”

The service costs €3 per 20-minute session, €10 per hour or €20 per 24 hours. There are also subscription pricing options.

By Brian Skelly