Stmt re Wi-Fi Provider HubHop
January 15 2004 - 12:34PM
UK Regulatory
RNS Number:3003U
Koninklijke KPN NV
15 January 2004
KPN sole owner of Wi-Fi-provider HubHop
With the takeover of the remaining 49% of the shares KPN has become the sole
owner of Wi-Fi provider HubHop. In May last year KPN had already acquired a
majority share (51%) in the company which is market leader in the exploitation
of hotspots in the Netherlands. Hotspots offer a fast wireless Internet
connection in a public environment.
KPN Hotspots
KPN will market the HubHop hotspots under the name "KPN Hotspots". At the close
of 2003 there were more than one hundred hotspots operational in the hotels and
restaurants of the Van de Valk group, public libraries, in various bars and in a
number of widely visited plazas. KPN intends to expand the number of hotspots to
650 locations this year.
New hotspot location at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht
The first expansion will be in the exhibition and congress centre in Utrecht,
the Jaarbeurs. A contract has been signed this week. The Jaarbeurs complex,
which pulls about 4.5 million visitors per year, will be fitted out with about
70 Access Points providing full wireless Internet coverage in all halls and in
the entire Jaarbeurs conference centre from 1 April 2004. All visitors with
their own laptop or PDA can then access the Internet using the high speed
connection. Also eight Internet terminals will be placed.
KPN expects that the various telecommunications techniques such as ADSL, GPRS,
UMTS and Wi-Fi will increasingly be used in combinations. The takeover of the
remaining HubHop shares fits in with KPN's mission to always provide the best
connection for its customers, wherever they are. KPN will also sell access to
its hotspots in conjunction with existing products. KPN'S subsidiary Planet
Internet offers access to hotspots in combination with an ADSL subscription. A
trial is also underway in which the mobile product Internet Everywhere (GPRS) is
being offered in a package in together with hotspot access.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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