BT Group said on Wednesday that it will deploy wide-area Wi-Fi networks across 12 cities in the United Kingdom before the start of 2007, Reuters reports.

BT plans to provide wireless Internet access for a fee to large portions of Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds and Liverpool, as well as London’s Westminster section, according to Reuters.

The Cloud, another Wi-Fi provider, operates nine Wi-Fi “hot spots” in the United Kingdom, including networks in London’s Square Mile and Manchester center, Reuters reports.

Residents will have the option of paying to access the Web wirelessly within hot spots, and BT also plans to launch a number of Wi-Fi-related public services for local governments and other entities, Reuters reports. The company plans to evenly divide all the associated costs and revenues of such services with the involved parties, according to Reuters.

For related news coverage, read NYC Sets Deadline for Wi-Fi in Parks.

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