Sky Broadband is poised to buy out wireless hotspot provider The Cloud in a move that could put the broadcaster in a position to compete against BT’s Openzone service, reports have revealed.

BSkyB is expected to announce the deal later this week to offer 2.8 million Sky-broadband subscribers free Wi-Fi access via The Cloud, according to The Sunday Times, whose owner is Sky’s parent firm – News Corporation.

Speculations surround the broadcaster’s attempt to enter the UK Wi-Fi hotspot arena and go head-to-head with BT’s free Wi-Fi access deal for its home broadband customers.

The Cloud

The Cloud is a public Wi-Fi provider, with more than 22,000 access points across Europe.

It provides an average download speed of more than 3.5Mbps, offering consumer services at a cost of £6.95 per month for unlimited Internet access.

Launched in 2003, the network operator claimed it has connected three million laptops and smartphones to its network every month. It also has deals with Pret a Manger, McDonalds and Marriott hotels.

Wi-Fi hotspot wars

Apart from BT, BSkyB could also be competing with Virgin Media, which announced plans to launch a network of Wi-Fi hotspots across Britain in November, with data transfer speeds of up to 5Mbps.

Once rolled out, Virgin’s broadband and mobile subscribers are likely to enjoy the Wi-Fi service free of charge. Other consumers will have to sign up for a pay-as-you-go or subscription deal.

Like BT, Virgin’s hotspots will concentrate on city centres where there is sufficient demand.

“This isn’t about building broad coverage,” said Baughan in an interview with The Daily Telegraph,” it’s about giving you fast, predictable, access where you need it”.

Pichayada Promchertchoo

Recent Posts

Apple Sales Rise 6 Percent After Early iPhone 16 Demand

Fourth quarter results beat Wall Street expectations, as overall sales rise 6 percent, but EU…

22 hours ago

X’s Community Notes Fails To Stem US Election Misinformation – Report

Hate speech non-profit that defeated Elon Musk's lawsuit, warns X's Community Notes is failing to…

23 hours ago

Google Fined More Than World’s GDP By Russia

Good luck. Russia demands Google pay a fine worth more than the world's total GDP,…

24 hours ago

Spotify, Paramount Sign Up To Use Google Cloud ARM Chips

Google Cloud signs up Spotify, Paramount Global as early customers of its first ARM-based cloud…

2 days ago

Meta Warns Of Accelerating AI Infrastructure Costs

Facebook parent Meta warns of 'significant acceleration' in expenditures on AI infrastructure as revenue, profits…

2 days ago

AI Helps Boost Microsoft Cloud Revenues By 33 Percent

Microsoft says Azure cloud revenues up 33 percent for September quarter as capital expenditures surge…

2 days ago