O2 And Fluidata Ink Multi-Million Deal To Boost Wi-Fi Network

O2 and Fluidata have signed a multi-million pound contract to provide additional resilience and extend coverage on O2’s Wi-Fi network in the UK. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The service will use the Fluidata Service Exchange Platform providing last mile connectivity to underpin O2 Wi-Fi hotspots across the UK. O2 needed the extra resilience as more and more data travels over the company’s Wi-Fi network.

Extended reach

O2 will use Fluidata’s Service Exchange Platform in order to extend the reach of its O2 Wi-Fi services in the UK. The Service Exchange Platform interconnects through 10 datacentres across the UK.

Fluidata will provide space in its new datacentre facility in Manchester, doubling datacentre capacity for O2 Wi-Fi. The Telecity Joule House datacentre, which opened in 2013 as part of a network upgrade for Fluidata, has 3.5 Megawatt capacity and 2N power resilience, and is capable of providing up to 20 Kilowatts per rack.

The Service Exchange Platform aggregates connections across 16 of the major carriers (including O2), and links more than 50 ISPs through the platform. This means that service providers such as O2 don’t have to build into new areas, but can use the combined networks of other providers on the platform, reaching new customers in previously inaccessible areas.

Fluidata MD Piers Daniell said that geographic diversity and resilience is critical to a network’s future.

“O2 is using state-of-the-art technology and failover services to make sure it gives customers the best possible service,” he said.

“Our Service Exchange Platform means that ISPs can offer a service to consumers in areas previously beyond their reach. It’s good news for businesses and consumers, as they have a wider choice of networks. O2 Wifi is deploying a uniform and free service for all its consumers so it needs to be able to deploy hotspots wherever customers demand them,” said Daniell.