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Find Wi-Fi hotspots using interactive maps on iPhone and other mobile devices
Friday, 23rd November 2007
Multimap and The Cloud working together to provide hotspot locator for all mobile devices
Multimap, one of the world’s leading online mapping and location-based services providers, today announced the implementation of its Storefinder4Mobile service for The Cloud, Europe’s leading wireless broadband provider. Users of The Cloud’s network are now able to find their nearest Wi-Fi hotspot with ease, and identify its exact location on an interactive map on their mobile phones.
Users simply text “CLOUD” to 82085 to receive a message with their nearest Cloud hotspot. If they text “CLOUD” a second time, they will receive a map of the area, as well as a list of three other nearby Cloud hotspots. Multimap’s Storefinder4Mobile service automatically finds the user’s location; alternatively, the user can append a postcode to the text message (e.g., txt “cloud ec4a2dy” to 82085) to over-ride the locator, or to find a hotspot in another area. Users are charged £1 for the first text message; the subsequent message is charged at standard network rates.
iPhone users have their own dedicated shortcode to find The Cloud’s hotspots. By texting “IPHONE” to 82085 they’ll receive a message with the nearest Cloud hotspot. iPhone users visiting Cloud hotspots can surf the web with Safari, download music straight to their phones from the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store and use other online applications.
The Cloud offers sophisticated Wi-Fi coverage at thousands of locations across Europe, including airports, hotels and railway stations throughout the UK, Germany, the Nordics and The Netherlands. In addition, The Cloud operates large scale networks in Canary Wharf, Amsterdam, Stuttgart and in nine other UK cities including Manchester and Edinburgh.
Owen Geddes, Group Director of Business Development at The Cloud, commented, “We are thrilled that Multimap will be providing our users with a new and simple way to find our hotspots while they’re out and about. Demand for internet access on the move is growing exponentially and users want easy access from laptops, mobiles and multimedia devices like the iPod touch. This new service will mean it is even easier for anyone to find their local Cloud hotspot whilst on the go.”
Michael Lightfoot, Head of Business Development at Multimap, commented, “We are proud to partner with The Cloud, one of the most forward-thinking providers of wireless broadband in Europe. Multimap’s Storefinder4Mobile service is an excellent resource for The Cloud’s users, who can now find the nearest Cloud hotspot simply by sending a text message. The service is the perfect complement for The Cloud’s existing wireless offerings, and should help to bring even more users to their hotspots.”
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About Multimap
Multimap is one of the world’s leading providers of mapping and location-based services. The company delivers more online maps, point-to-point driving directions and geo-spatial ("where's my nearest?") searches to more companies than any other supplier in Europe. All services are offered on multiple platforms including mobile, PDA, and now via our highly-functional API (Application Programming Interface).
The public website, www.multimap.com, provides a range of free, useful services to assist with everyday life. Key features include street-level maps of Europe, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia; road maps of the world; door-to-door travel directions; aerial photographs; links to location information; and services such as hotel, restaurant and entertainment booking. The public site attracts over 10 million unique users, registers more than 180 million page impressions every month, and is one of the top 10 most visited websites in the UK. Multimap recently featured in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 league table of fastest-growing unquoted UK companies across all sectors.
About The Cloud
The Cloud is Europe’s leading, independent Wi-Fi network, providing mobile wireless broadband through thousands of locations across the UK, Nordics, Germany and The Netherlands. The Cloud provides an open platform and allows providers such as ISPs, mobile operators, gaming, VOIP and broadband companies to provide Wi-Fi experiences to their customers. Launched in 2003, The Cloud actively partners with Vonage, O2, BT, Vodafone, Skype, iPass, Telenor, Nintendo and Intel, among others, to facilitate the growth of an open platform wireless broadband services across Europe. The Cloud’s investors include 3i, Accel and Provider Venture Partners. The Cloud has been selected as a Technology Pioneer at The World Economic Forum and as a Red Herring Top 100 Company.