UPC Romania latest to launch Wi-Free service

Liberty Global-owned cable operator UPC Romania has launched a ‘Wi-Free’ service, providing customers with free WiFi access outside their homes.

The company said that the service, which works by partitioning the WiFi clouds of individual subscriber homes, will deliver internet access from “hundreds of thousands of hotspots in Romania and millions of other access points in Europe” covered by Liberty Global networks. Coverage in the US will soon also be available thanks to Liberty Global’s agreement with Comcast.

UPC Romania said that about 57% of its customers currently have WiFi, double the proportion last year.

“Customers want to be connected anywhere, anytime, on any device. UPC is continuously innovating to offer both connectivity and entertainment,” said Robert Redeleanu, chief marketing officer.

“UPC Wi-Free is a global product that is revolutionising the experience of our customers. It provides easy, free and un limited access to hundreds of thousands of hotspots in Romania. Importantly, with Wi-Free, our customers will have have Wi-Fi and internet abroad in Europe there are already millions of Wi-Free UPC hotspots, with their number increasing every day.”