BT’s WiFi service now has more than 5 million hotspots in homes and commercial properties across the UK and Ireland, having added more than 20,000 new hotspots every week during the past 12 months.

The company says more than 400 million connections were made on its WiFi networks between April 2012 and March 2013.

Mark Bridge writes:

Here’s a statement that’ll come as no surprise to anyone who works in the UK mobile industry.

For many people, their mobile phone isn’t just a communication device. It’s a personal statement.

Of course it is. Why else can you buy a gold-plated iPhone, a diamante-encrusted Blackberry or a Samsung Galaxy SIII in colours “inspired by the Earth’s richest materials”?

In this special feature we're talking to Chris Millington, Doro's MD for UK and Ireland. Doro, which produces easy-to-use mobile phones for older people, is releasing its first touch-screen smartphone this month.

As well as explaining the phone's benefits, Chris also describes the advantages of Doro's tablet and PC software. In addition, we take a few minutes to look at Doro's plans for the future.

Ofcom, the UK government and the major networks have all agreed a timetable for 4G to be launched across the UK.

We're talking about those plans in this week's podcast - and taking a look at all the other top mobile industry stories as well, from US mergers and leaky tablets to free WiFi and forthcoming quarterly results.

Commercial WiFi specialist Wicoms and VoIP service Skype have launched a new WiFi proposition called Free Skype WiFi. It enables businesses in the UK and Ireland to offer free Skype-branded public WiFi to their customers.

Businesses can choose a number of deals with pricing from £9.99+VAT per month plus a one-off £49+VAT for the router, although there’s a free one-month trial during October.