Business News

Bitbuzz announce substantial growth so far in 2013

By Business & Finance
31 July 2013

Wi-Fi network operator Bitbuzz has announced operating figures for the six months to the end of June revealing significant growth in subscriber numbers.

Bitbuzz had a total of 1,514,540 registered users compared to 858,200 at the end of June 2012, representing a substantial increase of 76%.

Key highlights:

  • Registered users: 1,514,540, an increase of 76%
  • Hotspots: 466, an increase of 13%
  • Logins: 50,000 per month,  an increase of 37%
  • Data downloads: 363Mb, an increase of 7%
  • Hotel bedrooms: 11,500, an increase of 15%

The increase in registered users can in part be attributed to the expansion of Bitbuzz Freedom, the company’s recently launched complimentary outdoor Wi-Fi product, to Cork, Killarney and central locations in Dublin. The take-up of the service has been very encouraging and the company plans to expand the service further over the coming months. Bitbuzz is now the largest outdoor Wi-Fi network in the country.

The total number of Bitbuzz Wi-Fi hotspots at the end of June 2013 was 466. At the end of June 2012 Bitbuzz had 411 hotspots, a year-on-year increase of 13%. The business has seen steady growth in its UK business in the first half of the year, which accounts for a number of the new hotspots and the service is now available in over 11,500 hotel bedrooms throughout Ireland and Britain.

There has been further growth in the total number of logins per month for Bitbuzz, which now exceed 550,000, 37% more than the 400,000 logins recorded at the end of June 2012. Bitbuzz continues to achieve over 10,000 logins per day. The average data downloaded per month per user has also continued to rise and is now at 363mb.

Shane Deasy, managing director of Bitbuzz said of the figures: “We are very pleased with our performance for 2013 so far.  We attribute the positive operational figures in part to the continued growth of our UK business, but also to the ever increasing number of smartphones and tablets in Ireland. Smartphone ownership has become ubiquitous and now accounts for a substantial proportion of our Wi-Fi traffic. The Bitbuzz Freedom product is a direct response to the growth in smartphone usage, as it specifically targets smartphone users who want to stay connected at all times.”

Operational highlights for the first six months included providing Bitbuzz Wi-Fi for the G8 Summit at the Lough Erne Resort; launching Wi-Fi across all Fáilte Ireland tourist information offices; partnering with new properties including Buttercrane Shopping Centre, Tune Hotels in the UK, Andras Hotels in Northern Ireland and Smyths of Haddington Road; introducing a new login system through Facebook and Twitter; and launching Bitbuzz Freedom in Cork and Killarney.