Almost six million people signed up for the service last year, which is free for everyone to use at hotspots found in more than 10,000 locations
O2 Wi-Fi has signed up 10 million customers, less than three years since launching its first hotspot in April 2011. The operator says this makes it the UK’s fastest growing Wi-Fi operator as measured by growth in registered users.
More than half of these customers signed up to the service last year, with 500,000 new registrations per month, or one in every six seconds. This equates to almost six million subscribers signing up in 2013.
Customers only need to sign up to the free-for-all-service once before using it at any of O2 Wi-Fi’s network of 10,000 hotspots across the UK.
Partners include McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Toni&Guy, Costa Coffee, and the Fullers, All Bar One and O’Neills pub chains, as well as major landmark locations and outdoor districts such as The O2, Bluewater, the Central London boroughs of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea, and Canary Wharf.
The operator said that its “free for everyone” user model has driven the growth, with around half of subscribers not owning an O2 contract.
It added that Wi-Fi users who have an O2 device are up to 10 times more likely to take O2 digital services such as O2 Tracks and TU Go, and five times more likely to engage with offers and digital loyalty programmes, like Priority Moments.
O2 MD for commerce Gavin Franks said: “When we started our Wi-Fi business in 2011, we set ambitious goals. We promised to change the wifi industry and have the biggest user base in the industry. Signing up 10 million customers is a significant landmark milestone for us and shows the scale we’ve achieved since launching.
“Now we’re on a mission to work closer with venues to help them connect deeper with users, from promotion with our partner Weve, to compelling retail offers through Priority, mobile payment capabilities such as Charge to Mobile and broader data analytics from Smart Steps.”
