Nokia has teamed up with UK wi-fi company Spectrum Interactive to launch a trial of free wi-fi access in the busiest streets in London. 

The scheme is aimed at giving mobile users access to free data while out and about. The trial period runs from today until the end of 2011. From today, 12 locations, including Oxford Street, Tottenham Court Road, Bloomsbury, Westminster, and Victoria are operational, with 26 hotspots across London promised during the trial. 

Wi-fi advertising and monetisation company Selective Media has also partnered in the roll-out of the service. 

The trial will access demand and browsing behaviour, and, if successful, Nokia and Spectrum Interactive say they will roll the service out across London in 2012. The findings of the trial will be used to determine the best locations for future hotspots and the necessary bandwidth to meet robust consumer demand.

“On-the-go internet access has become an indispensible part of modern life,” says John Nichols, head of marketing at Nokia. “From tourists finding their way around the capital, to commuters updating Facebook or browsing on the move, we all depend on mobile to share our everyday experiences and enhance our lives. Nokia is pleased to sponsor this pilot which we hope will connect people even more easily than ever before.”

Simon Alberga, executive chairman at Spectrum Interactive, says: “While 4G mobile access is firmly on the horizon, wi-fi coverage currently fills a much-needed niche between 3G mobile internet and home broadband. Tablets and mobile phones are capable of incredibly high-end browsing experiences now, but wi-fi access is often a requirement to support the tasks many of us want to be able to do on the move, such as uploading multimedia to Facebook or watching YouTube. Its great to be able to implement a service that so many people will quickly come to regard as indispensable.”