This article is more than 1 year old

UK Wi-Fi network nabs German WISP

Third-biggest WLAN player

UK Wi-Fi network The Cloud has become Germany's third-largest WISP by acquiring local player Airnyx, the company said today.

The terms and conditions underpinning the acquisition were not made public. Both firms are privately held. Airnyx' chief, Volker Werbus, will stay on as The Cloud's local Country Manager.

Airnyx was founded two years ago in March 2003, and has since built up a network of hotspots at Agip and BFT petrol stations, and other locations throughout Germany. Airnyx operates around 500 hotspots, a Cloud spokesman told The Register. The Cloud pledged the "rapid" expansion of its German network, though it declined to detail its plans and targets.

All of them will become part of The Cloud's own network, which numbers more than 5000 hotspots in the UK, across a wide range of locations, including pubs, the British Library and the Royal Festival Hall. It also operates over 50 sites in Sweden, the result of a deal struck last November with Jernhusen, the state-owned company which manages real estate associated with Sweden's rail infrastructure, including its stations.

Like the UK operation, The Cloud Germany will not only sell Wi-Fi access direct to customers but will open its network to third-party service providers. It already allows customers of T-Online, iPass, Boingo, GoRemote (aka Gric) and others to roam on its network. In the UK, The Cloud has similar arrangements with O2 and BT Openzone. ®

Related stories

UK's Royal Festival Hall announces WLAN link
T-Mobile widens UK airport Wi-Fi cover
BT broadens £1-a-month Wi-Fi trial
British Library tunes into Wi-Fi
Sweden's rail stations to roll out Wi-Fi
Football League clubs to offer Wi-Fi
Aussie telco moots payphone Wi-Fi hotzones
UK WISP moots IPO

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like