Global Wi-Fi provider Fon is teaming up with the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership to provide free Internet service for the public across selected areas in Downtown Brooklyn.
As a part of the deal, Fon will help the borough incorporate the free wireless hot spots from public to private residential spaces. The company will also partner with several communications firms to make sure its new initiative is successful.
As a part of the kickoff to the free Wi-Fi, Fon is giving 1,000 of its routers to residents across Downtown Brooklyn to help with coverage at the sidewalk level.
“We look forward to lighting up Downtown Brooklyn with free Wi-Fi and connecting the residents and merchants for an even greater sense of community,” said Martin Varsavsky, chief executive officer of Fon, in a prepared statement. “The three-prong community Wi-Fi approach showcases how crowd-sourced efforts can lead to a sustainable and ubiquitous free Wi-Fi network.”
Fon is one of the largest providers of Wi-Fi hot spots across the globe with more than 12 million Wi-Fi hot spots. The deal in Brooklyn helps Fon expand its business ventures in the United States since the company’s primary business is in Europe and Asia.
The company’s Wi-Fi hot spots have grown about 50 percent over the past year. Fon provides its service to more than 1,000 cities across the globe. About 10 percent of Fon’s business is residential consumers.
