Dutch operator KPN has partnered with Fon to roll out a network of Wi-Fi hotspots based on its customers' home broadband routers. The Wi-Fi routers of KPN subscribers will send out a second Wi-Fi signal, available for other KPN customers and Fon users. In return, KPN customers will have access to Fon's international network of almost 8 million hotspots.
KPN already has a network of 1,500 public hotspots, a number set to strongly increase with the new plan, the operator said. The Fon network will be tested over the next six months and launched at the end of this year. KPN's plan to expand Wi-Fi access follows a similar plan from rival Ziggo, which started testing in the city of Groningen last year a service opening up customer routers for Wi-Fi sharing.
Fon already has a number of similar partnerships with operators around the world, including in France (SFR), the UK (BT), Japan (Softbank), Belgium (Belgacom), Poland (Netia), Brazil (Oi) and Portugal (Zon). In 2012 the Fon network of hotspots expanded by 53 percent, or around 1 million sites per quarter, the equivalent of one new hotspot every ten seconds.
Fon COO Alex Puregger told Telecompaper that the company is pleased with the KPN agreement. The high penetration of smartphones and broadband in the Netherlands should make the country the top Fon user in a short time, he said. Fon expects to announce more operator partnerships this year and expand its network to 12-13 million hotspots by year-end. Within a few years, the company targets over 50 million users.
Fon is also working on a product for small businesses to offer customers Wi-Fi services. Puregger noted that the Fon service is easy to use, with automatic log-in for registered users. This is clear from the increase in traffic during vacation periods, when for example British tourists use the Fon hotspots in Portugal. In Fon's experience, these hotspots are not replacing mobile data use, but leading more to a change in consumer behaviour and usage, he said.
