Virgin Media has announced its buying Arqiva WiFi, giving it instant access to 31,000 Wi-Fi access points around the UK, and substantially adding to its out of home offer.
Arqiva has built a network of Wi-Fi hotspots across restaurants, banks, motorway service stations, airports and almost 100,000 hotel rooms.
Virgin Media will use the acquisition to build on its existing outdoor Wi-Fi network which includes the much touted London Underground Wi-Fi service. It will be a part of Virgin Media Business.
“Millions of homes and businesses across the country already rely on Virgin Media for ultrafast broadband,” said Peter Kelly, managing director of Virgin Media Business. “By complementing our existing offer with the acquisition of one of the UK’s biggest and best public Wi-Fi providers we’ll soon be able to expand the same high-quality connectivity outdoors.”
Earlier this year the cablenet said it would open up its domestic Wi-Fi units to other subscribers.