Fon Wireless

As of 2016, Fon website indicated it had branch offices in the United States, UK, Japan and Brazil. Its investors included Atomico Ventures, Google, Index Ventures, Sequoia Capital Skype, Qualcomm Ventures, Coral Group and telecom partners BT Group and Deutsche Telekom. {{Update inline|date=September 2024}} .{{cite news|url=http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/05/technology/fon_fortune/?cnn=yes|work=cnn|date=2006-02-06|access-date=2024-09-02|title=Wi-Fi sharing about to get investment}} {{cite web |url=https://corp.fon.com/en/who-we-are |title=Who we are |work=Fon |accessdate=2024-09-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331095900/https://corp.fon.com/en/who-we-are |archivedate=2014-03-31 }}{{cite web|url=https://fon.com/wifi-community-network/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106225736/https://fon.com/wifi-community-network/|date=2016-11-10|archive-date=2016-11-06|access-date=2024-09-02|title=Building a WiFi community network since 2006 (see: investor Logos) }}

Originally, the company intended to create a network for Wi-Fi access wherever customers went. To become a Fon member, users had to buy a special router called “Fonera”. With this router, they agreed to share a part of their bandwidth as a second Wi-Fi signal, in exchange for the right to use other Fon members' hotspots. To achieve this, Fon operated a system of dual access wireless networks. In 2007, Fon's development model shifted to encompass ISPs, and it began to work on creating Wi-Fi community networks with British Telecom (BT) and SFR. {{citation needed|date=September 2024}} In November 2007, Fon deployed its first Wi-Fi rollout and continued using this foundation with more telco partners in the years to come.

{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Since its initial involvement with ISPs, Fon continued to expand its network through partnerships with local Internet service providers in countries such as Germany, Greece, Japan, and Brazil among others. {{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

In 2016 the company evolved to also include premium networks such as airports, hotels, convention centers, public spaces. {{citation needed|date=September 2024}} Fon also has a technology to allow providers to deliver services to their own customers. {{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

In 2020, Deutsche Telekom announced that it would be discontinuing its hotspot sharing service, citing the discontinuation of Fon's service, which had been the underlying platform for the product.{{cite web|url=https://www.golem.de/news/privater-hotspot-telekom-schafft-wlan-to-go-im-heimrouter-ab-2011-152476.html |title=Telekom schafft WLAN To Go im Heimrouter ab|language=de|trans-title=German Telekom discontinue "wlan to go" in residential routers|trans-quote=In long-term view our partner Fon will shutdown there service, said a speaker from the german "Deutsche Telekom".|quote="Unser Partner Fon wird den Service perspektivisch einstellen, sagt ein Telekom Sprecher|date=2020-11-20|access-date=2021-01-19}}

In the following three years, all partnerships (for "Fon Wi-Fi Community") were terminated. {{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

The Fonera routers are end-of-life products. {{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Fon initially operated with a software that could be downloaded for compatible routers, mainly Linksys routers. The firmware for this service was based on OpenWrt. The firmware had been customized specifically for use in the Fon Community, allowing consumers to share their broadband connection and to connect to other Fon Spots around the world. {{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Fon firmware creates two different Wi-Fi signals: one private and one public.{{cite web|url=http://corp.fon.com/en/this-is-fon/safe-and-secure/ |title=Fon - The Global WiFi Network providing WiFi access through hotspots |work=Fon |accessdate=7 December 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117101244/http://corp.fon.com/en/this-is-fon/safe-and-secure/ |archivedate=17 November 2012 }}

• Private ('MYPLACE'): encrypted and intended for the owner's private use. Only the Fon Spot owner can access the internal network, computers and files.{{Citation needed|date=July 2016}}
• Public ('FON_FREE_INTERNET'): un-encrypted or open, but username and password protected so allowing only registered Fon users to access the Fon Wi-Fi community network, but they cannot access the consumer's private network.

The new 2014 Fonera SIMPL, introduced in February 2014, includes Facebook integration. The owner of the Fonera SIMPL may register their own Facebook account with the device. Once this is done, any user that is a 'Facebook Friend' of the owner is granted access to that Fonera (only).{{cite web|url=https://shop.fon.com/en/product/fonera-1|title=Geolocalization - Fon|publisher=|accessdate=7 December 2015}}

The 'Fonera Business' takes Facebook integration further by offering free WiFi to customers of a business who are asked to 'Like' the Facebook page for the business in order to gain free WiFi access.https://shop.fon.com/en/products/business-wifi{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In early 2018, Fon's online shop was closed.{{cite web|title="manufacture and sale of Foneras has been discontinued"; I have an old Fonera. Where can I find support documentation?|url=http://support.fon.com/hc/en-us/articles/206015992-I-have-an-old-Fonera-Where-can-I-find-support-documentation-|accessdate=2019-01-01|language=en-US|archive-date=2019-01-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102050631/https://support.fon.com/hc/en-us/articles/206015992-I-have-an-old-Fonera-Where-can-I-find-support-documentation-|url-status=dead}}

Fon claims to have the largest Wi-Fi network in the world, with over 20 million hotspots as of June 2016.{{cite press release |url = http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120226005026/en/Fon-Announces-Generation-Fonera-Simpl-EAP-Optimized |agency = Business Wire |publisher = Fon |title = Fon announces next generation Fonera Simpl with EAP optimized for mobile devices |date = 26 February 2012 }}{{cite web|url=http://blog.fon.com/en/archivo/fon/fon-7-million-hotspots.html|title=Fon - Blog to keep you updated about the WiFi ecosystem|work=Fon|accessdate=7 December 2015}}

Since 2020, most Fon partnerships had ended or entered a terminating phase.

Partners integrate FON-Wifi in the firmware of the existing customer routers (CPE). Only a few partners sold "Fonera" routers, but with their own company login credentials.

File:Telstra WiFi Hotspot on Public Telephone.jpg

• 2008: Awarded “Most Innovative Wireless Broadband Company” for its partnership with BT at the Wireless Broadband Innovation Awards 2008.
• 2013: “Best Next Generation Wi-Fi Device/ Application Award” at the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA)’s WiFi Industry Awards 2013 for the new “Fonera: a social WiFi router”.
• 2014: “Best WiFi Innovation Service”{{Cite news|url=https://fon.com/gramofon-wins-wba-award-for-best-wifi-innovation-service/|title=Gramofon wins "Best WiFi Innovation Service" award - Fon|date=2014-10-13|newspaper=Fon|language=en-US|access-date=2016-10-18}} at the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA)’s WiFi Industry Awards 2014 for the Wifi Music-Player "Gramofon".
• 2014: First European operator to be certified with as a “Premier” participant, the highest level of the Wireless Broadband Alliance's Interoperability Compliance Program (ICP).

• Express Wi-Fi
• Guifi.net
• Meraki
• Eduroam, a similar partnership between universities around the world. Eduroam allows students and staff from participating institutions to connect to hotspots at other participating colleges and universities.

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|FON}}

• {{Official website|http://www.fon.com}}

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Category:Wi-Fi providers

Category:Telecommunications companies of Spain

Category:Custom firmware