BSkyB confirmed its £50 million buyout of The Cloud last week and it looks as if city workers in the Square Mile are going to be the first surfers to benefit from the deal, with a 15 minutes per day free scheme set to go live on 1 February.

It's not clear if The Cloud already had plans for its gratis-browsing (it has a similar deal going in Glasgow) or whether Sky has rushed the move through in response to O2's announcement last week that it will be offering up free public Wi-Fi hotspots - but what we do know is everybody with a Wi-Fi enabled device will be able to use the network for 15 minutes every day.

A spokesman from The Cloud said: "It is expected that more than 350,000 City workers will be able to take advantage of the free 15 minutes."

Stuart Fraser, policy chairman at the City of London Corporation said: "When it was launched in 2007, city-wide Wi-Fi coverage significantly enhanced the Square Mile as a place to do business, providing substantial benefits not only for City workers but also for visitors and residents alike.

"Offering all users 15 minutes of free Wi-Fi coverage every day, The Cloud’s latest initiative will provide a greater range of connectivity options for all users within the City."

Many people already get free access to The Cloud as part of their mobile deals, although it isn't yet known how Sky's takeover may affect the network partnerships going forward.