The two companies said that from July onwards, Vodafone subscribers will be able to access The Cloud’s 1,000 hotspots, which it gained through an acquisition earlier this year. The Cloud also has some 5,000 hotspots in the UK and a small network in Sweden.
Frank Roevekamp, the managing director of Dusseldorf-based Vodafone Germany, said the deal complements his company’s 3G mobile data service portfolio, and the group as a whole has been offering data cards with 2.5G/3G and WiFi connectivity for use in laptops for several months now. The tie-up with The Cloud saves it the investment in building out its own hotspot network, as well as enabling it to catch up more quickly with arch-rival T-Mobile, which has been building its T-Zone hotspot network with parent Deutsche Telekom for over a year.
