Two weeks ago we wrote about Spanish startup Fon Technology ambitious goal of creating a global network of shared hotspots [1], and the company has just raised another $13.1 million in funding for its plan. Among the investors are Google, Skype, Index Ventures and Sequoia Capital Operations (Index and Sequoia invested €18 million in FON in February 2006). The new investors were not named.
Fon's approach to Internet access offers routers that allow WiFi users to share their broadband Internet connections with others in exchange for being able to use these other users' connections for free when they are away from home. The company says it has doubled the number of WiFi APs since the beginning of the year to about 120,000, and the that Foneros community is now 320,000 member strong.
For more on Fon's plans:
- see Jeremy Kirk's Computerworld report [2]
- and Fon's website [3]
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercewifi.com/story/google-skype-invest-21m-in-fon/2006-02-08
[2] http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyId=16&articleId=9012658&intsrc=hm_topic
[3] http://www.fon.com/en/