On September 21st, the ‘This is Oxford Street’ pedestrian trial, hosted by the Mayor of London, transformed one of Britain’s busiest shopping districts into a car-free zone, and Ontix provided the next-gen connectivity needed. 

The one-day event set out to trial the Mayor of London’s proposal to pedestrianise a large section of Oxford Street, between Oxford Circus and Marble Arch, by making the half-mile stretch of road traffic-free. Instead, pop-up shops, drink and food stalls, live music and performances and interactive experiences for thousands of visitors reclaimed the street. 

But behind the scenes, the event organisers faced a critical operational challenge. All of the vendors and pop-up shops processing card payments needed fast, reliable connectivity.

LS Events, the organisers of ‘This is Oxford Street’, worked with Ontix to boost connectivity for the day to support seamless operations for dozens of vendors and service providers. 

Ontix provided ultra-fast public Wi-Fi, leveraging its existing small cell and WiFi AP units discreetly installed on street furniture like lampposts, providing high-capacity across the pedestrianised zone, giving event operations the robust connectivity they needed.

The ‘This is Oxford Street’ trial showcases how rapidly deployable public Wi-Fi is becoming essential infrastructure for major urban events.