Is not a BK idea but FON's (http://www.fon.com), an Ubuntu-like WiFi movement/business that already has the support of Google, Skype, Sequoia Capital and others.
And I think that, yes, the secret plan it is to overthrown the telcos oligopoly.
But that's a brilliant idea! It makes complete sense! There must be a catch - are they going to block Skype? Throttle bandwidth (or more deviously - increase latency) to prevent viable VoIP? Because WIFI everywhere is death to the telecom industry.
Good idea. I know so many people who have to wait weeks for broadband after just moving into a place - with this they could legally use their neighbours connections...sweet.
Smart move on BT's part. Makes for an easy way to further monetize existing bandwidth and increase the value of their Wi-Fi network by adding more hotspots for little cost.