BT has announced that Barclays has teamed up with it to become the first high street bank in the UK to offer free Wi-Fi access for customers in its branches.
This comes as part of a move by the bank to make its services easier to use - as well as expanding the availability of the internet.
A total 1,500 branches across the UK will benefit from the rollout - and Barclays hopes that the move will result in a richer, more seamless experience for its customers.
The move is likely to be particularly popular, as recent reports have indicated that people are increasingly keen to take advantage of free public Wi-Fi hotspots.
Indeed, a study recently carried out by The Cloud - the UK's biggest high street Wi-Fi provider - found that consumers were very hungry for data over the festive period.
Traffic on the firm's network of hotspots in pubs, restaurants, cafes and other public areas climbed threefold over Christmas 2012 compared to the same period a year earlier.
Demand peaked on Christmas Eve, when traffic stood four times higher than the figure recorded on the same day in 2011 - as well as being one-fifth above the average weekday performance.
Chief executive of BT Global Services Luis Alvarez said that the technology now exists to connect people to the internet in a specialised fashion that is suitable for firms with a high street presence.
He added that this is the case regardless of whether it is in the branch or through remote channels like mobile banking.
"It's no secret that banks are facing some of the toughest challenges of any sector, so it's great to see forward thinking companies like Barclays prioritising their investments, so they can deliver great service for their customers as well as the bottom line," Mr Alvarez remarked.
"BT is delighted to be helping them provide the state-of-the-art, multi-channel service experience that their customers demand," he continued.
Posted by Janine Smith