The French WLAN infrastructure company gains more than 17,500 hotspots in Germany
Managed WLAN infrastructure company Wifirst Group, which operates throughout Europe has acquired Berlin-based Hotsplots to boost its stationary and mobile WLAN hotspot solutions portfolio. Hotsplots currently has more than 17,500 hotspot locations in Germany.
Wifirst – which currently exceeds €100m annual recurring revenue – is French wi-fi royalty. The company was identified as one of the 40 most promising French technology companies in 2023 by the French Ministry of Economy. Founded in 2002, the company specialises in providing managed wi-fi infrastructure for businesses. Its clients include Accor, Crous, the Ministry of the Armed Forces, Les Mousquetaires, Norauto and Barrière to name a few.
The group claims to be one of the pioneers of the “as a service” connectivity model. The company now has a 300-strong team and is active in 30 countries. In addition to its headquarters in Paris, Wifirst branches in London, Barcelona, Milan and Berlin.
“The integration of Hotsplots into the Wifirst Group is a strategic step that enables us to both strengthen our geographical presence and open up additional market segments in Europe,” said Wifirst founder and CEO Marc Taieb (above). “Hotsplots specific expertise in embedded WLAN technology helps us in particular.”
He added: “We fell in love with both the teams and the quality of the technology developed by Hotsplots. I see this acquisition as an opportunity for us to work together to build a European player in wi-fi infrastructures that will be very strong on the global market with new wireless product offerings.”
Hotsplots managing director Sascha Schaub said the deal “opens up new opportunities for us to participate in large and largest national and international tenders and projects.”
Hotsplots made its mark in Germany with its modular technology platform and embedded WLAN solutions for buses, trains, cities and municipalities, clinics and care facilities as well as the hospitality industry. It developed its own router and server software enabling it to maximise performance while maintaining security. In 2023 it received a European patent for its optimized protocol and bandwidth management while using different Internet connections in parallel.
The deal, thought to be in the region of €30m is backed by Wifirst’s historic investors Capza, Amundi, Bpifrance and Socadif. Taieb suggested the company wants to expand its mobile service offerings.