Austria’s largest cable operator UPC Austria will offer its customers the possibility to surf the net for free using other customers’ Wi-Fi networks.
Following the trial in Graz, the company will gradually set up an additional hotspot on its whole base of installed UPC Wi-Fi modems across Austria from October 19, 2015.
Following registration for Wi-Free at customer service portal My UPC, customers can use all hotspots of other UPC Austria customers in Austria and further 6 million hotspots of customers of UPC sister companies in Europe free of charge.
Wi-Free is based on a second wireless network. The separate network is independent of the customer’s home network and activated through a software update. The bandwidth (downstream: 10Mbps, upstream 2Mbps) will be provided additionally and doesn’t influence the bandwidth of the customer’s private hotspot.
Wi-Free is already available in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic and Ireland. All 475,000 internet customers of UPC Austria can use Wi-Free following registration. Customers not wanting to be part of the Austria-wide network can deregister from the service at My UPC any time.
