Comcast Cable and Liberty Global have confirmed an agreement to allow users to access each other’s Wi-Fi networks, creating an international Wi-Fi access agreement that will give many Xfinity Internet and Liberty Global internet customers access to millions of new Wi-Fi access points in various countries by 2015. This first-of-its-kind international partnership highlights Comcast’s and Liberty Global’s shared leadership in Wi-Fi innovation and deployment.

Comcast has more than three million Xfinity WiFi hotspots in the US, while Liberty Global has more than 2.5 million Wi-Fi home spots under the Wi-Free and WifiSpots names in various countries in Europe, such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Poland and Switzerland. Both companies continue to grow their Wi-Fi footprints aggressively.

For both Comcast and Liberty Global, out-of-home Wi-Fi is an important internet service benefit that allows customers to stay connected to high-speed broadband service. This agreement gives many of the 11 million Americans visiting Europe and the 12 million Europeans visiting the US each year a free alternative to cellular data roaming. Just as important, it reflects the global benefits of Wi-Fi innovation. All over the world, consumers are using the same technology, same devices, and same spectrum to access Wi-Fi. Now, two of the leaders from across continents are working together to create an interoperable global-scale service.

“This is our first step in bringing global Wi-Fi connectivity to our customers,” said Tom Nagel, Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Comcast Cable. “We are excited to be working with Liberty Global and see this partnership as a great opportunity to further expand our Wi-Fi footprint and offer fast and secure wireless broadband service to our customers, not only while they are here in the United States, but also while they are travelling overseas.”

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