Image representing Google as depicted in Crunc...
Image via CrunchBase

At Fon,we run the largest, global, WiFi network in the world. It is a network built by the people. Fon is a clever piece of software that makes two WiFi networks out of the normally just one from your WiFi router. One network is encrypted, very safe and for you alone, with 100% of the bandwidth for your use except when a passer-by connects. Then its still 80% for you, and the other 20% becomes part of a public open network called “Fon Free Internet”. When others connect to your WiFi, you have a choice of allowing them to do it for free or to make them pay. If you make them pay you can reduce the costs of your ADSL or Cable bill or sometimes subsidize it. To join Fon, the only thing that our users have to do is buy a Fonera Router, there are no monthly fees. Members can then surf for free on any other Fonera for as long as they share. So our motto is “you share a little wifi at home and roam the world for free”. We now have over 700,000 people around the world sharing WiFi. In some countries, like the UK, you can find Fon practically everywhere. But because of its nature, Fon tends to be more common in residential areas. For public areas, such as airports, train stations or points of interest, Fon advocates Open WiFi. It is for this reason that we are very happy to report that our investors, Google, have decided to gift paid WiFi to everyone at busy US airports in the form of free WiFi this holiday season. We also congratulate Yahoo for doing the same in Times Square.

Follow Martin Varsavsky on Twitter: twitter.com/martinvars

No Comments

steven on November 13, 2009  · 

Not only Google & Yahoo are currently sponsoring Premium Wifi hotspots untill january…also Microsoft is doing it to promote their “Bing” search engine?
-> http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Jiwire-1073349.html

Isn’t it a bit sad that the value of a community driven wifi network which doesn’t operate on premium locations equals 0 and thus there is no google/yahoo/microsoft interested in buying “advertisement”-space on the Fon Captive portals (there are 700.000 of them)…

In the past I’ve seen some FON experiments with country-advertisements for social networks (italy, germany, …) and eg the Sony Mylo advertisement (globally) although not sold globally…

It would be great if FON could finally find a “premium” partner in Europe… Have you tried “gasoline” stations? they all have a “shop”…don’t tell me they don’t have broadband connections? Truck drivers will be very happy because 3G roaming is deadly 🙂

3.0 rating

Leave a Comment

Español / English


Subscribe to e-mail bulletin:
Recent Tweets