Fon tops 1 million subs mark

Do-it-yourself global wifi network Fon claims to have recently passed the 1 million member milestone.

The open wifi champion, which was established in Spain, said it now has more than 400,000 registered Fon hotspots in over 150 countries.

The concept behind Fon is based on the idea that anybody with a broadband subscription can join the network by purchasing a Fon router. This router then enables members to share their internet connection with the Fon community and roam on all member hotspots for ‘free’ in return.

Fon’s ‘social routing’ business plan is modelled on Aliens, Linus’s and Bills. Linus users let other Fon subscribers access the internet over their wifi connection in exchange for free access on any other Fon hotspot around the world. Bills charge for access at their hotspots and share the revenues with Fon, while Aliens are basically roaming users that pay to access Fon hotspots.

Several high profile companies, such as BT in the UK, Neuf Cegetel in France, Comstar in Russia, and ZON in Portugal have also partnered with the grassroots movement, embedding Fon sharing functionality in their own wifi routers.