Ziggo wants to work with UPC to Ziggo customers to surf the internet via hotspots of UPC customers, and vice versa. This are the two providers in conclave. Also with Casema to be interviewed, so there is an almost nationwide network would be created.
According to spokesman Gradus Vos at Ziggo, it is in line with expectations that the providers comply. Then, customers of UPC internet via hotspots from Ziggo, and vice versa. When that will happen, however, is not yet known. UPC was already known that the company was working on offering hotspot functionality; Zeelandnet does not at this time. If the providers work together, it is possible to to a nearly nationwide network. In each area, there is only one kabelprovider active; UPC and Ziggo are by far the largest providers.
During a press conference Pieter Vervoort, vice president of the consumententak of Ziggo, announced that the kabelaar hopes in August a million Ziggo hotspots active. In that calculation is the expected increase in the number of customers taken into account. The first will be the provider of 65,000 hotspots enable in The Hague; a week later, the area of the seat of government. Utrecht and North Holland are in June on the turn, followed by Noord-Brabant, Limburg and Twente. Previously held the provider had a trial in Groningen. The hotspots do not make use of the Fon network, where a lot of foreign providers to participate.
If the hotspot functionality is rolled out, users with a maximum of two devices at the same time make use of someone else’s network. There is no limit on the number of devices that is logged, if there is only a maximum of two at a time. After the sign-in will automatically recognize the device Ziggo hotspots when these are found; to identify at someone else’s hotspot is not necessary. The functionality is opt-out: default is enabled, but customers can the functionality wish to switch off. That does, however, have the consequence that they are not in the hotspots of other customers can.
Each hotspot can twenty ‘guests’ to login. They will at least 1Mbps per person assigned. There are no restrictions on the use of the hotspot; all internet services are to use. Only the live-tv-apps of Ziggo are not to be used on hotspots of other customers, because the tv-stations that currently do not allow. “But we want to be happy,” says Vervoort.
The network for guests is completely separate from that of the customers, promises the provider. The provider argues that the test in Groningen no negative impact on the performance of the home networks of the users. “One of the requirements that we had for the roll-out of the functionality is that there is no negative impact,” said spokesman Fox. “From the test in Groningen shows that there’s not.” The traffic on the guest network is directly through a vpn tunnel to a central gateway sent. Herman Weerman, senior product developer at Ziggo, says that the networks at the microcode level are separated from each other. “We have the firmware adjusted by the manufacturers,” says Weatherman. That has one and a half years.
The tests in Groningen shows, according to Ziggo that even walking and cycling, the maintenance of a connection is working properly. In Groningen has 25 percent of the 18,000 Ziggo customers use a hotspot from a other Ziggo customers. According to the provider, approximately 1 percent of local customers, the functionality is disabled.
The provider says further in the coming year to be more active, to want to be on the mobile area. The company is considering, amongst other things, femtocells have to offer. In what form that will happen, and in cooperation with any provider that is, the provider does not say. Probably happens in co-operation with Vodafone; the provider gave to its initial public offering of a virtual provider on the Vodafone network. Initially wanted to Ziggo itself a mobile operator, but saw it later anyway.