Cloud Hotspots Canary Wharf

LONDON -- Canary Wharf Group plc and The Cloud today announce the deployment of Europe’s largest public access WiFi network in a business district. The deployment will enable Canary Wharf to offer public wireless internet access to the 75,000 workers and thousands more visitors who come to Canary Wharf every day and will effectively turn the public spaces of the estate into one large WiFi Zone.

From the end of September Users of the service will be able to get online using a laptop, PDA or other wireless devices in shops, parks, reception areas, conference facilities and restaurants, opening up a new way of working at the flagship financial site and further enhancing the working environment.

The Cloud is already the provider of choice for prestige business deployments in the UK and offers WiFi at more than 6,000 sites – including a host of other business focused locations such as airports, railway stations and 300 hotels nationwide. The Cloud also provides WiFi access at sites such as Old Trafford, The British Library, and a variety of leisure venues where people are using wifi everyday.

With the imminent launch of a number of popular handheld multi-functional WiFi-enabled devices – the Sony PSP, for instance, as well as dual-mode 3G/WIFI mobile phones UK and European consumer usage is expected to increase swiftly. The Cloud is well placed to take advantage of this market growth across Europe, having recently launched its Swedish network that initially services the national rail network, and announced a new partnership with Vodafone Germany, further cementing the company’s position as Europe’s leading WiFi provider.

Thanks to The Cloud’s unique multiple service provider platform, a wide range of users will be able to get online without wires at Canary Wharf. The Cloud currently supports O2, BT Openzone, Skype and Boingo customers, in addition to offering fully managed pay-as-you-go connectivity for Canary Wharf plc.

Tony Partington, MD, Canary Wharf Management said: “Canary Wharf is proud to be able to offer wireless internet access across the entire estate and to be Europe’s biggest WiFi-enabled business zone is a real prestige event for London as a whole. Mobile access to internet, email and corporate networks is now available wherever you are on the site, whether sitting in a park, restaurant or conference centre.

“As one of the financial hubs of the world continual access to information is vital to business and this deal makes it a reality. The Cloud also has the necessary experience gained through a number of similar large-scale projects to ensure a smooth deployment of the technology as well as ongoing maintenance.”

The Cloud