14.12.2011 11:36:03 CET

After the Hotspot, the Homespot

Half a million extra free WiFi locations

Mechelen, December 14, 2011. Internet customers of Telenet will soon be able to surf for free on Smartphone, laptop or tablet at the homes of friends or relatives as Telenet begins to roll out its homespots. Some 15,000 customers in Ghent will be the first to make use of this new WiFi network. After evaluation, Telenet will roll out its homespots. At least half a million new free WiFi locations should be available by the end of next year.


Test project
Telenet will start the launch of homespots with a large-scale test project in Ghent. Step by step the modems of 15,000 customers will be updated. The new wireless Telenet modem is configured in such a way that it is accessible to other Internet customers besides the customer's own network. A software update causes the modem to transmit two signals: one for private use and another for public use. This enables Telenet customers who have a wireless Internet modem of Telenet to log into the WiFi network at the homes of friends or relatives with their own Telenet login and password. The users in Ghent will try out the new Internet service until the end of January. After evaluation, Telenet will roll out the service across the rest of its network.


Homespots, hotspots and 3G
Homespots are a complement to the Telenet hotspot network, the wireless WiFi network that has been around since 2003. Via the wireless homespot and hotspotnetwork the customer has access to Wi-Free: the free wireless internetservice Telenet provides for its internet customers. With Wi-Free, the Telenet Internet subscription reaches further than the customer's home. Internet customers can already log into 1200 public hotspots in Belgium and Luxembourg without charge. With the homespots, another half a million free WiFi locations are created where Internet customers who have the new Telenet modem can have free and safe access to high-speed wireless Internet. And if the customer is not near a homespot or hotspot, he can have mobile Internet access by 3G.


Safety
When logging into a homespot, Internet customers connect to a separate public WiFi signal. The use of this public signal is linked entirely to the Telenet account of the logged-in customer. Access to the modem can thus be safely granted. Furthermore, friends or relatives no longer have to exchange login details when they want to surf at someone's home.


The customer decides
Telenet opens up the homespot service to its customers. Customers will be notified personally. Customers who prefer not to open up the public WiFi signal of their modem can simply disable this option at My Telenet () or via the direct mail they will receive. Customers who decide not to share their WiFi will not be able to use the homespots of other customers.

Click on the link below to read the full press release.

The Telenet homespot service is available to Telenet customers who have a Homegateway 2.0 and 3.0.

Press release