The Cloud
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This article is about the European public free access Wi-Fi company. For other uses, see The Cloud (disambiguation).
| Industry | Public access Wi-Fi |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | St Albans, Hertfordshire, England |
| Number of locations | 7,000 |
| Area served | Europe |
| Key people | Steve Nicholson, CEO and Chairman |
| Employees | 100 |
| Parent | BSkyB |
| Website | www.thecloud.net |
The Cloud, a BSkyB subsidiary, is a provider of public access Wi-Fi hotspots in Europe.[1] It has services operating across 7,000 locations with 22,000 Wi-Fi network access points in 12 European countries.[2] The Cloud has offices in London, Munich, and Stockholm.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| Jan 2003 | The Cloud is founded |
| Mar 2003 | The Cloud's network begins roll-out |
| Apr 2003 | BT Openzone becomes the first Service Provider on the Cloud network |
| May 2003 | Network reaches 1000 sites |
| Dec 2003 | The Cloud wins the Brainheart European Wi-Fi Award 2003 |
| Jan 2005 | Roll out begins in Nordics |
| Sep 2004 | Integrated WLAN and 3G service launched for 02 |
| Feb 2005 | Airnyx acquired in Germany |
| May 2005 | Roll out begins in Germany |
| July 2005 | Net Chek-In acquired in Germany |
| Sept 2005 | Exilan acquired |
| Dec 2005 | The World Economic Forum Announces New Class of Technology Pioneers for 2006: The Cloud Networks Selected |
| Dec 2005 | Canova Wireless acquired in the UK |
| Apr 2006 | iPass joins the network |
| Sep 2006 | Telenor partners with The Cloud Nordics |
| Jan 2007 | Steve Nicholson joins the Cloud as CEO |
| Oct 2007 | McDonald’s takes free Wi-Fi mainstream with The Cloud |
| Jan 2008 | Acquisition of hotel Wi-Fi specialist GANAG in Germany |
| Oct 2008 | €15 million funding round from Ferd Ventures, existing investors and GP Bullhound |
| Dec 2008 | Roll out new user centric service platform |
| Jun 2009 | The Company moves its UK Headquarters to St Albans |
| Sep 2009 | Cloud network locator launched for the iPhone |
| Oct 2009 | Launch of new Palm Pre mobile smartphone with the Cloud / O2 |
| Jan 2010 | Naunton Dickins joins the company as UK Managing Director |
| Jan 2010 | FastConnect is launched to make Wi-Fi universally simple |
| Jan 2011 | Acquired by BSkyB[3] |
| Aug 2011 | The Cloud becomes exclusive free hotspot provider for Telefónica Germany [4] |
| Feb 2012 | Telefónica O2 UK discontinues free access to The Cloud for customers on unlimited Wi-Fi contracts |
[edit] Corporate affairs
[edit] CEOs
- 2003 – 2007: George Polk
- 2007 – present: Steve Nicholson
[edit] References
- ^ "About Us". The Cloud. http://www.thecloud.net/about-us. Retrieved 2010-05-30.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Company Information". The Cloud. http://www.thecloud.net/page/35/about-us/about/the-cloud-company-information. Retrieved 2010-05-30.[dead link]
- ^ "The Cloud to become part of the BSkyB Group". UK: The Cloud / BSkyB. January 2011. http://thecloud.net/about-us/News-and-PR/The%20Cloud%20Says/The%20Cloud%20to%20become%20part%20of%20the%20BSkyB%20Group.aspx. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ o2 starts offering The Cloud Wi-Fi to business customers, retrieved on September 12, 2011
