GOWEX launches “We2” in New York City: the new Social Wi-Fi
· GOWEX, a company which is leading the way in the creation of Wireless Smart Cities® in capital cities including New York, Paris, Dublin, Madrid and Buenos Aires, has created “We2”: the new Social Wi-Fi
· Launching on 15th December as part of NYC Wireless Corridors Challenge, We2 will increase the coverage of free Wi-Fi in the city, and will create new strategic alliances with telecommunications operators
New York, 30 th October 2013-. GOWEX (GOW-MAB, ALGOW-NYSE Alternext, LGWXY-OTC market), a leading provider in the creation of Wireless Smart Cities®, today announced its plans to launch the new Social Wi-Fi network, known as We2, in New York City. Working in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corp., GOWEX has created an advanced Wi-Fi network that offers a free, high-quality user experience, defined by We2 as a new social interactive platform for the benefit of local businesses and consumers.
How does We2 work?
We2 will work by harnessing the global presence of Wi-Fi by turning “private” hotspots – such as those found in shops and restaurants – into public hotspots, which can be accessed for free by users registered on the We2 network. The We2 network will also include access to GOWEX’s hotspots in around 80 cities worldwide. Users accessing the We2 network through We2 App, will also be able to see other We2 users on the network, creating “ad hoc” localised relationships.
For telecommunications operators, We2 will represent the most effective way to make their Wi-Fi networks profitable. GOWEX created We2 with the aim of integrating all the operators into a Cooperative Platform: any operator interested in We2 will be able to be part of it and benefit from its advantages: product differentiation, cost savings and new sources of income.
By creating a partnership model, We2 provides multiple benefits for operators: it will save them money and capacity by providing an alternative for cellular data offloading; it will expand connectivity options for their subscribers, thus encouraging greater loyalty, and; it will create new revenue opportunities by, for example, facilitating advertising and communications activities between retailers and customers.
The successful GOWEX group business model (based on deploying and moneitizing global wireless smart cities through advertising, data offloading and premium users) will be expanded to 300 Wireless Smart Cities before 2020.
Launch of We2 in New York
We2 will be launched in New York on 15th December, in line with the agreement recently signed by GOWEX with New York City. This agreement will expand the Wi-Fi network in the streets of the city and deliver smart services to all players – from business stores to the public on the street.
The initiative backed, by the NYC Economic Development Corporation as part of the Bloomberg Administration’s efforts to further the position New York as a “Technology Hub”, will see GOWEX building We2-equipped Wi-Fi networks in several key corridors in Manhattan, Queens and Bronx, adding to the more than 2,000 outdoor access points the company has been operating in the city.
“Our partnership with GOWEX will bring a pioneering approach to free Wi-Fi, providing additional tools for New Yorkers to participate in the innovation economy,” said NYCEDC President Kyle Kimball. “We2 brings a fresh set of opportunities for residents and businesses in New York, enabling retailers to offer free WiFi while introducing simple, localized manners of interaction between retailers and users.”
GOWEX Wireless Smart Cities®
GOWEX’s Wireless Smart City® in New York is modelled on their other major cities around the world such as San Francisco, the Paris transport system, the most emblematic streets of Dublin, the squares of Buenos Aires, buses and franchises of Barcelona and the entire Public Transport Fleet in Madrid etc.
Jenaro Garcia, CEO of GOWEX, explained that “We2 is GOWEX’s strategy for boosting the growth of our Wireless Smart Cities® in the global environment, bringing benefits to telecommunications operators and focusing on Smart Citizens“.
Carlos Gomez Vendrell, CEO of We2, added that “With We2, GOWEX grows and further strengthens its scalability, with a differential proposal of mass consumption which makes it the strategic partner of the telecoms operator”.
About GOWEX (GOW-MAB, ALGOW-NYSE Alternext, LGWXY –LGWXY-OTC Market)
GOWEX has been operating in the telecommunications sector for 14 years and is currently leader in the creation of WiFi Cities, providing Free and Premium WiFi connectivity on the streets and on public transport. The company’s reach currently extends to around 80 cities both nationally and internationally, thanks to agreements with public administrations, franchises, operators, associations and transportation companies.
In 2010 GOWEX become the first and only Spanish SME to achieve a “dual listing”, on both the MAB (GOW) and Nyse-Alternext (ALGOW) stock exchanges. The company’s overall turnover reached 114 million in 2012, which represents a 71% increase compared with 2011. In December 2012 GOWEX successfully finalised a capital increase in which it raised almost 18 million Euros, adding 1,528,404 new shares to the market. In February 2012, the SEC approved the launch of an ADR programme (American Depositary Receipt) allowing the Group to be quoted on the OTC market in the United States.
With offices in Madrid, Paris, Dubai, London, Buenos Aires, Shanghai and Costa Rica, GOWEX develops a sustainable business model in its WiFi network, based on the efficiency and technical quality of its patented platforms: the Roaming Platform, which allows users to be freely connected in all cities, and the Advertising and Geo-localized Content Platform, which allows a financing system by means of advertising and marketing agreements.
In 2011 GOWEX joined the Wireless Broadband Alliance and was awarded with the Internet Day’s prize for “Best Company”. In 2012 Ernst &Young awarded the prize for Entrepreneur of the Year in the category of Innovation to Jenaro García, CEO of GOWEX.
