Neuf Boxes become part of the Neuf WiFi community

Neuf Cegetel is rolling out the largest network of multi access WiFi Hotspots in France

PARIS — From today, Neuf Cegetel will gradually make its users’ Neuf Boxes part of the Neuf WiFi community. The Neuf WiFi community has initially been set up through networks that were developed by Ozone, FON, Adaël, Manche Telecom, SNCF (the French railway company), etc. From now on, Neuf Boxes will become multi access WiFi Hotspots, ie accessible by all Neuf Cegetel broadband and TWIN™ customers, who will enjoy free and unlimited data and voice access when within range of a WiFi Neuf Box.

Initially, latest-model Neuf Boxes (NB4) will become part of the community, they will be joined by most of the installed base by the end of the year. From this summer on, several hundred thousand Neuf Boxes will become WiFi Hotspots.

A year after launching the Neuf WiFi community, Neuf Cegetel is taking a major step forward by integrating its Neuf Boxes. This will create the largest multi-access community network of WiFi Hotspots in France. Neuf Cegetel believes that the large-scale development of WiFi will go further than the traditional telco business model, based on building proprietary networks. The Group is deliberately taking a community- and partnership-based approach in order to promote the rapid roll-out of these new networks. In line with this approach, Neuf Cegetel now also offers its customers the opportunity to become members of its partner FON’s community, thereby enjoying worldwide WiFi coverage (see below and today’s FON press release).

More services for Neuf users

These new Hotspots will give all Neuf broadband customers free unlimited internet access via WiFi connections, which they can access very simply by using their Neuf user IDs. Neuf Cegetel users on the move will be able to use any WiFi device (e.g. laptop, PDA, smartphone) to connect to a WiFi Neuf Box, and to use the most common internet applications, i.e. web browsing and email.

TWIN™ customers will also enjoy all the benefits of TWIN™ when connecting to a WiFi Hotspot: unlimited calls 24/7 to fixed lines in France and more than 50 destinations worldwide, and unlimited free access to the internet and to mobile multimedia services (live access to 20 TV and radio channels).

A transparent and secure evolution

The integration of Neuf Boxes into the Neuf WiFi community allows users to provide part of their unused bandwidth to other Neuf broadband and TWIN™ users in a secure manner. Neuf Box owners will continue to enjoy the same service quality as before for their own usage. Broadband and TWIN™ users will access Neuf Box WiFi Hotspots by using their Neuf user IDs.
The “Neuf WiFi Community” function is activated by default on the user’s Neuf Box, and does not require the user to change any settings. However, users who do not wish to take part in the Neuf WiFi community can deactivate the function via their Neuf Box’s settings management interface.

The Neuf WiFi community

Neuf Cegetel has set up the Neuf WiFi community in order to extend the fixed broadband model – where access is abundant and cheap – into the mobile domain.

The Neuf WiFi community was introduced more than a year ago with the launch of the market’s first GSM/WiFi telephone. It kept growing through new partnerships (with entities such as SNCF, ADAEL, Manche Télécom and FON) and various other projects. These include Neuf Cegetel’s involvement in the Quartier Numérique project to provide WiFi coverage for the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, improved WiFi Hotspot coverage in certain SNCF train stations, the introduction of WiFi to the TGV Est train line, and support of the “Paris Plages” operation, (see today’s press release).

Neuf Cegetel recently acquired Ozone, which was initially its partner in developing the Neuf WiFi community. This move strengthens Neuf Cegetel’s expertise in WiFi networks and provides Ozone with the resources to develop its model of a pervasive urban network based on a contribution basis.

Through its partnership with FON, which has been in place for more than a year, the Neuf WiFi community is global for TWIN™ users, who can use more than 150,000 Hotspots in and outside France. All users joining the Neuf WiFi community can now also join the FON community by activating the “Neuf WiFi FON” function directly on their Neuf Box’s settings management interface. Neuf users who activate the FON option become “Foneros”, and can enjoy free internet access, anywhere in the world, around a FON Hotspot.

By integrating Neuf Boxes into the Neuf WiFi community and by continuing to develop partnerships, Neuf Cegetel confirms its ambitions in the deployment of a mobile community-based Internet network, and in fixed-mobile convergence.