Skype, the Microsoft-owned internet telephony provider, is to offer free public WiFi at cafes, restaurants and shops in the UK and Ireland.

Free Skype WiFi, a partnership between Skype and Wicoms, is a new wireless internet service that is available now for businesses to purchase online.

Installing the service at a participating venue or location allows Skype users to log in at any time using their Skype ID and Skype WiFi app.

Once connected, they will be able to access free WiFi provided by Wicoms to browse the web, access social networks and compare online prices while shopping using their smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Any participating businesses wishing to offer Free Skype WiFi to their customers will need to buy a router for £49 and then sign up to a number of different packages starting from £9.99 per month. Wicoms is offering a free trial of the service during October.

Skype pointed to a recent YouGov survey as revealing that 52% of people who had used public WiFi hotspots while out shopping felt that the experience was "poor".

The company hopes that its new free WiFi network will "improve the WiFi experience for consumers by bringing easily accessible and free public WiFi that consumers can trust".

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Skype, which was acquired by Microsoft last year for $8.5 billion (£5.27bn), already offers paid-for WiFi access at around a million locations in the UK.

"We believe that internet access should be available to everyone in a simple and affordable way," Skype Access programme manager Shadi Mahassel said.

"Our partnership with Wicoms enhances our ability to make Skype universally accessible and expands on our WiFi strategy, which today provides paid WiFi access at over 1 million locations worldwide."

Alongside attracting customers, businesses are also being lured to sign up to Free Skype WiFi with the possibility of greater engagement with their consumers.

Wicoms said that the merchants can deliver in-store offers, deals and product information over people's mobile phones or tablets to drive sales conversion.

Participating firms also get an analytical dashboard that helps them make the optimum use of the data drawn from the WiFi service.

"We're helping brick and mortar retailers effectively compete with online retailers," Owen Geddes, the managing director at Wicoms, said.

"By working with a globally trusted partner like Skype to provide Free Skype WiFi on-premise, business owners and high-street retailers can open a dialogue with potential customers and encourage sales conversion with the power of the mobile phone."

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