Irish Wi-Fi network provider Bitbuzz has signed up its 5,000th customer. It became the first Irish network to release usage statistics for its services, it claimed yesterday, recording a 35pc month-on-month growth in traffic for each of the past 18 months.
Shane Deasy, managing director of Bitbuzz, commented: “Each of the firm’s hotspots is now used on average about 3.5 times per day. 3.5 logins per day is well ahead of European averages and significantly better than numbers reported by Wi-Fi providers in mainland Europe and Scandinavia, where the Wi-Fi market is considered more mature.”
Bitbuzz recently announced major deals to provide Wi-Fi services to a number of international players including Vodafone Ireland and Boingo, attracting Irish and international users to its network of hotspots.
Users in a Bitbuzz hotspot now have the widest range of payment options in Ireland, including billing to their Vodafone mobile phone bill; using a subscription to Boingo or another Bitbuzz roaming partner; premium rate SMS; and a wide range of credit card and paper voucher options. Bitbuzz recently introduced new 30-day products from €8.50 (inc Vat).
“The Irish Wi-Fi market continues to exceed expectations,” says Deasy. “Each month we see an average of 35pc growth. People in Ireland have an insatiable appetite for high-speed, reliable and secure internet access wherever they are.”
By John Kennedy