The Cloud To Provide Unlimited Free Wi-Fi To City Of London

The Cloud is to extend its free Wi-Fi network in the City of London, allowing workers, residents and tourists unlimited access to wireless Internet.

Until now, the network had only been available for free for 15 minutes before users were required to pay for access, but The City of London Corporation was encouraged to expand on its existing arrangement after a deal to provide unlimited free Wi-Fi during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games proved successful.

“The success of our free WiFi service during the Olympics and Paralympics demonstrated that it’s a vital technology for visitors and shoppers as much as the City’s business community, so we’re pleased we can now make it available to everyone, especially at a time when other providers are switching to pay-for-use services,” said Vince Russell, Managing Director of The Cloud.

The Cloud London Wi-Fi

The Cloud’s network in the Square Mile was first launched in 2007, but it is claimed that the new agreement makes it the first global financial centre to offer “comprehensive free Wi-Fi” to everyone.

“The Square Mile is home to 10,000 residents, 400,000 workers, and five million visitors a year,” said Mark Boleat, Policy Chairman at the City of London Corporation. “As the world’s leading global financial and business centre, the City of London has one of the biggest concentrations of smartphones in the UK so having the best communications infrastructure in place to access vital information on the move is of critical importance.

“This partnership between the City of London Corporation and The Cloud will ensure that the Square Mile keeps pace with growing demand in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.”

The Cloud currently operates 15,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in the UK, located in retail outlets, restaurants and train stations. Its hotspots are used by five million people ever day. Earlier this year, it reached a deal to supply free Wi-Fi to the London Overground. Virgin Media has a similar deal with TfL for the London Underground, but this is to become a paid-for service in the new year.

How much do you know about smartphones? Take our quiz!