Sky’s unlimited broadband users will get free unlimited WiFi across 10,000 The Cloud hotspots from mid-April.
Subscribers will be able to automatically login using an app for iOS and Android devices instead of going through their wireless settings and entering passwords at every hotspot.
The login app will be extended to other devices and operating systems, starting with Windows 7, and subscribers can register up to six devices per household.
The Cloud will be extending its coverage to seven new Network Rail stations in Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Glasgow Central, London Cannon Street and London Bridge, and increasing its coverage at nine other major stations.
Lyssa McGowan, director of communications products at Sky, said: “Whether it’s to go on Facebook, watch favourite TV shows with Sky Go, catch up on the news or send an email, our customers can now enjoy high quality, reliable and unlimited broadband whether it’s at home or when out and about.
“WiFi Hotspots from The Cloud now gives millions of Sky customers quick and easy one-touch access whenever they want to be online. And by ensuring our hotspots are located where our customers need them most, they know they’ll never be far from a high speed connection.
“With a one-off registration process, they’ll automatically connect to the network, which takes all the usual hassle out of connecting to WiFi.”
Sky added that unlike BT’s Openzone network, which includes its own customers’ routers through the BT FON network, all of The Cloud’s hotspots are fully optimised for high-bandwidth and multiple users.
In addition to Sky’s unlimited broadband customers, The Cloud will still be open to Sky Broadband Everyday Lite and non-Sky users, but at the terms set by the venue operator.
This can vary from a free hour in Caffe Nero, after which you have to log in again, to 15 minutes free in the City of London before you have to pay.
Sky’s The Cloud app includes a free hotspot finder which displays venues on Google Maps and gives directions to get there.
The Cloud is also now live in the UK’s largest free WiFi zone, covering 67-acres at King’s Cross in London that includes the new University of the Arts London, up to 2,000 homes, 10 major public spaces and and 20 historic buildings.
Other venues hosting The Cloud include JD Wetherspoons, Pizza Express, Pret A Manger, Eat, First Great Western stations, Greggs, Mamas & Papas and Marks & Spencer.
London Overground’s 56 stations are due to be added this summer and it’s being upgraded at Edinburgh Waverley, London Liverpool Street, London Fenchurch Street, London Charing Cross, London Waterloo, London Victoria, Gatwick Airport, London Paddington and London King’s Cross.
UPDATE 11/06/12: The Cloud announces support for 5GHz WiFi N at up to 450Mbps.
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