High Speed WiFi Meets High Speed Thrills: Alton Towers Resort Rolls Out Free WiFi to Theme Park Guests With The Cloud

LONDON, July 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Alton Towers Resort, the UK's number one theme park and one of the UK's most popular destinations for family fun and adrenalin-pumping rides, has signed a deal with WiFi provider The Cloud to deliver free, totally unlimited WiFi access across the 500- acre theme park in Staffordshire.

Due to go live this summer, the WiFi will allow theme park goers to access the internet between thrill seeking escapades on one of Alton Towers' 50 world-class rides and attractions. Visitors will be able to access Facebook and Twitter to update their friends on the fun they're having and even upload videos and photos instantly, instead of waiting until they're home. They can also check emails, surf the web and access the Alton Towers Resort App, which is jam-packed full of useful features, fun facts and challenging games.

Over the past year we have seen an exponential rise in the availability of WiFi enabled devices, and an increased interest from consumers who want to share and connect online wherever and whenever possible.  Smartphone use covers all locations, with 85% using it on the go and 64% in a store*. The Cloud has seen usage on its own network increase at an unprecedented pace in the last two years, having witnessed its unique user base doubling since the start of the year and the total number of sessions tripling, highlighting the real demand for WiFi hotspots in public places around the UK.

Katherine Duckworth, head of consumer marketing at the Alton Towers Resort comments, "The rapid growth in the use of smartphones and tablets has fundamentally changed how many of us use the internet and has increased people's demand for internet access wherever they are, which is why we want to offer free WiFi access to guests of Alton Towers Resort. The Resort is all about having fun and creating lasting memories, which people naturally want to tell their friends about on social networks and even share photos and videos throughout their day with us. The new WiFi offering lets them do all this and more, making it a more personal and interactive experience."

Vince Russell, managing director of The Cloud, said: "The roll-out at Alton Towers Resort is a very important deal for The Cloud. Not only does this put our WiFi at the heart of one of the UK's most popular tourist attractions, but along with the London Eye it is the second Merlin Entertainments' venue to roll-out WiFi with The Cloud this year. We look forward to delivering our fast, reliable internet access to the millions of visitors each attraction sees every year and enhancing their overall customer experience on the day of their visit."

The Cloud, a BSkyB company, now has more than 10,000 hotspots around the UK. An estimated 4m people every day pass through The Cloud network by visiting one of its partners, including major outlets like Greggs, PizzaExpress, Caffè Nero, Eat, Pret and Wagamama, as well as First Great Western and Network Rail stations.

About The Cloud

• The Cloud (http://www.thecloud.co.uk) builds and operates Wi-Fi networks across the UK and Europe to provide the mobile media experience that consumers want. The service delivers simple, fast, reliable and cost effective broadband to millions of Wi-Fi enabled smartphones, laptops and entertainment devices.
• The Cloud has exclusive commercial partnerships with retail, leisure, hotels, sports, transport, and entertainment and content partners to deliver its longer-term vision of a connected society.
• The Cloud connects almost a million devices to its Wi-Fi network each month, including Nintendo 3DS users and at locations such as the Emirates Stadium, Silverstone Race Track, the City of London, Wetherspoon, PizzaExpress, Pret, Caffe Nero, Eat, pubs, leisure facilities, restaurants and mainline stations.  
• The Cloud is a BSkyB Company.
• In April, BSkyB announced that Sky Broadband customers can now quickly and easily access free, unlimited and high-speed WiFi at thousands of public places across the UK through new Sky "WiFi Hotspots from The Cloud". The service is available at no extra charge to all Sky Broadband Unlimited, Sky Fibre Unlimited and Sky Connect customers, who are eligible to take unlimited broadband with them whilst out and about through seamless access to The Cloud's network of hotspots. A free "Sky Cloud WiFi" is available for iOS and Android devices and, once downloaded and registered, will allow people to automatically connect their smartphone or tablet to the internet without having to log-in ever again.

MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS is the leading name in location-based, family entertainment, and has seen the most successful and dynamic growth of any company in the sector over the last five years. Europe's Number 1 and the world's second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates 89 attractions, seven hotels/two holiday villages in 19 countries and across four continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its 46 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and more than 17,000 employees. Among Merlin's attractions are  - SEA LIFE, Madame Tussauds, LEGOLAND, The EDF Energy London Eye, Dungeons, Gardaland, LEGOLAND Discovery Centres, Alton Towers Resort, Warwick Castle, THORPE PARK, Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Blackpool Tower, Heide Park, Sydney Aquarium, WILD LIFE Sydney, Sydney Tower Eye and SKYWALK, Siam Ocean World and Busan Aquarium.

All brands which are distinctive, challenging and innovative - and which have great potential for growth in the future. Visit http://www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information.

*Source = Our Mobile Planet: UK, Understanding the mobile consumer, May 2012