London — In a surprising move, online voice-chat outfit Skype is taking on the world — well, at least the U.K. and Ireland — with its latest initiative of a new Wi-Fi network. If you are residing in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, you will soon be able to access free WiFi through cafés, restaurants, hotels and shops, courtesy of Skype and wireless provider Wicoms.
Skype has endorsed an agreement with London-based branded hotspot provider Wicoms for Free Skype WiFi, which will allow Skype users to log in to any participating location across the U.K. and Ireland to browse the Web, use social media, access and send emails, shop, and more. The service will be rolling out to participating High Street venues and businesses, providing free public Internet access.
Explaining the initiative, the company executive said, “We believe that Internet access should be available to everyone in a simple and affordable way,” Skype Access program manager Shadi Mahassel said in a statement.
Moving forward, the Free Skype WiFi service will come at no cost to users, if not to the businesses and venues running the hotspots — these will need to pay a monthly fee to Wicoms.
After associating with Wicoms, businesses will get a dedicated router and Skype hotspot service for them to distribute via their own network and offer to customers. The new WiFi network initiative, which will be available to all Skype users across UK and Ireland and can easily be accessed using the free Skype WiFi app.
“Our association with Wicoms enhances our ability to make Skype universally accessible and expands on our Wi-Fi strategy, which today provides paid Wi-Fi access at over one million locations worldwide,” Mahassel said in a statement on Monday.
The deal is part of the Skype Access program, which usually involves people paying for connectivity by the minute. With this initiative, users can simply go into these businesses and log in with their Skype ID via the Skype WiFi application. If they do not have a Skype ID, they will be prompted to register using their e-mail address.
Admittedly, the prime objective behind this incentive is that it will allow high-street businesses to compete with online retailers by providing ways for them to interact with potential customers, and therefore increase its number of sales, by offering free WiFi to customers.
Coincidently, according to a recent YouGov survey conducted by Wicoms, over 50 percent of 18-34 year olds would be more likely to buy something from a store there and then if they received a discount or voucher on their phone when they entered the premises.
Besides, according to Wicoms managing director Owen Geddes (formerly with The Cloud), this will help “brick-and-mortar retailers effectively compete with online retailers”.
“By [providing] Free Skype WiFi on-premise, business owners and high street retailers can open a dialogue with potential customers and encourage sales conversion with the power of the mobile phone,” Geddes said.
On the other hand, free access to WiFi is not a new phenomenon, but it is certainly underused at present. However, use of mobile devices to accomplish daily activities is on the rise, and Skype wants to get in on the ground floor.
Free Skype WiFi is available to businesses and venues in different packages, starting at £9.99 ($16) a month plus VAT for the service, plus a further £49 ($79) for the router, although that equipment will come free if they sign up during October. The package will also come with a “detailed analytical dashboard” so merchants can analyze data usage on their networks.