LONDON—Wi-Fi network operator The Cloud announced the launch of its Ultra Wi-Fi offering, an all-you-can-eat plan that offers Wi-Fi access in 9 U.K. cities and about 7,000 hotspots throughout the country.
Bobby Sarin, The Cloud’s chief operating officer said the Ultra Wi-Fi service gives mobile Internet users a, “realistic alternative to mobile data solutions from cellular operators.”
The company said it is switching on its city hotzones in Manchester, Birmingham, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham and Oxford, along with the London boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Camden and Islington. In addition, the company said it expects its London hotzone to be operational by September.
The network also includes hotzones The Cloud has established in several airports, train stations, coffee houses, cafés and hotels, as well as more than 4,000 pubs, the company said.
In late April, The Cloud announced it was partnering with Vonage Holdings Corp. to offer mobile Voice over Internet Protocol calling to Vonage subscribers. The plan offers users the capability of automatically coming online without having to log in as they enter Wi-Fi coverage, but since Wi-Fi currently lacks the ability to hand off calls between hot spots, calls are dropped when coverage is lost, forcing users to revert to a traditional mobile phone.
The Vonage service includes unlimited Internet voice service for U.K. consumers, which cost $14.25 a month plus equipment rental. Handsets that support the offering include the UTStarcom F1000 and will be available directly from Vonage.
