Wifi firm Bitbuzz has best year on record

Bitbuzz — the Irish-owned wifi company — recorded its best year on record in 2013, with an 81% increase in registered users, to 2.08m and a near 70% rise in log-ins, to 811,944.

The Dublin-headquartered company — which also has offices in Belfast and London — closed the year with 480 wifi hotspots under its operatorship, up by 12% on the previous year. The company’s busiest day of the year was Aug 8, when 23,426 log-ins were measured, mainly due to a significant increase in tourists during the period.

The strong performance was helped by a number of factors such as its continuing product development roll-out, particularly its on-street wifi service, Bitbuzz Freedom, which launched in Dublin, Cork, and Killarney and is set for further expansion this year.

A combination of changing customer habits and the continued development of the handheld device market was another factor in the positive performance.

“We are very pleased with the significant progress we have made across our business — in both Ireland and the UK — in 2013. We have been able to respond to the ever-increasing opportunity presented by the demand for instant, mobile, wifi with new service innovations. The specific response to these innovations and the general response to our service has contributed to the significant growth of our business,” said managing director Shane Deasy.

“In terms of 2014, our aim is to continue to rollout the Bitbuzz Freedom product across the regions of Ireland and to continue to grow our presence in hotels, restaurants, and cafes throughout Ireland and the UK by offering revenue generating solutions.”

Last year also saw Bitbuzz increase its corporate client roster, with the likes of Musgrave, KC Peaches, Applegreen, Harvey Nichols, Toni & Guy, Insomnia, and the Fitzwilliam and Shelbourne hotels signing contracts.