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Orange chooses The Cloud for Wi-Fi access

Business users to benefit from roaming deals and and wide coverage of Wi-Fi hotspots in restaurants, pubs, airports and public places.

By Maggie Holland, 20 Nov 2007 at 16:35

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Mobile network operator and broadband provider Orange has today announced that it has signed a Wi-Fi hotspot access deal with The Cloud.

As a result of the deal, which brings to the table more than 7,000 hotspots, Orange's business customers will now have access to more than 10,000 hotspots spread throughout the UK.

By partnering with The Cloud - which already has a Wi-Fi access agreement with O2 covering its iPhone users - the company is providing businesses with the easy-to-use, secure communication tools they demand, according to Anthony Keyworth, director of products at Orange Business Services.

"They [our business customers] are less worried about who owns the infrastructure and naturally more interested in a service that works effectively. Partnering with The Cloud enables us to extend our high quality service to thousands more locations in an instant," he said.

Users can access the new hotspots using the operator's Business Everywhere mobile data card service, which uses a single card to locate the Wi-Fi, HSDPA, 3G, EDGE, GPRS and 2G networks on offer and determine which is the fastest connection available.

Orange plans to bundle Wi-Fi connectivity in some of its Business Everywhere plans so that users have the flexibility they need with such a service both in the UK and further a field.

"The reach of our Wi-Fi coverage is critical but the user experience is what really counts. Business Everywhere gives our customers a convenient, user friendly way of accessing our partners' Wi-Fi networks and our other high-speed, mobile data networks," added Keyworth.

In addition to the deal with The Cloud, Orange already has Wi-Fi contracts with BT Openzone, France Telecom and WeRoam.

Owen Geddes, director of business development at The Cloud, added: "Orange's commitment to Wi-Fi demonstrates the importance of this technology to business customers who need fast, convenient access wherever they are. We're delighted that Orange will now be able to offer Wi-Fi connectivity through The Cloud's unparalleled UK footprint which includes train stations, hotels, airports and major sporting venues."