The wireless sharing deal between O2 and British Telecom is set to end on 1 July.
The end of the four-year partnership means that O2 customers are set to lose access to more than four million Wi-Fi hotspots across the UK. They will, however, still be able to connect to more than 8,000 O2 hotspots across the country free of charge.
O2 customers were informed of the news via email yesterday, along with a link to a handy website explaining how to stop their phone trying to connect to BT Openzone hotspots.
The email promises customers that the company is planning to grow its network over the coming years. The company currently supplies Wi-Fi for a number of high street chains and restaurants, including the likes of McDonalds, Costa Coffee, Debenhams and House of Fraser.
For many, the break-up has been inevitable ever since O2 started building its own Wi-Fi network back in 2011, making them a competitor to BT rather than a customer. It comes 15 months after fellow competitor The Cloud pulled the plug on free Wi-Fi for BT customers.
Nevertheless, the loss of access to Openzone hotspots is a much bigger blow, due to the unmatchable supply of hotspots provided by BT.
