The problem is that the high-speed HSDPA services launched by mobile operators in the past 18 months employ a per-megabyte pricing model or enforce monthly data caps, and these policies can prevent surfers from downloading or streaming large files such as movies, video clips and business documents.

With the latest laptops and top-end mobile phones coming Wi-Fi-enabled, FON appears to be in a strong position to beat anything the mobile operators can come up with. Moreover, established hotspot providers cannot hope to compete on price. Emerging high-speed technologies like WiMAX will require huge investment, and the costs will inevitably be passed on to the consumer. FON’s future appears to be as bright as Alcobendas’ sun-dazzled streets.

Relatively unknown outside of Spain, Varsavsky, who has played a part in Spain’s economic resurgence – recent conquistadors include Grupo Ferrovial buying British Airport Authorities, Banco Santander acquiring UK bank Abbey National for £8.5bn (€12.5bn), and Telefónica nabbing UK mobile operator O2 for £17.7bn – is eager to bang the drum for his adopted country. “In terms of market capitalisation, Telefónica is bigger than Deutsche Telekom and BT. It’s the biggest operator in Europe,” he says proudly, conjuring up the latest figures on his screen to prove the point.

He pauses to think of more examples, and soon enough they are coming thick and fast. “Since the early 1990s, Spain’s GDP per capita has grown from 45% of that of Germany to over 83%. Even the Spanish fashion houses are bigger than their famous Italian equivalents. Mango and Zara are more valuable than Ferragamo. Amancio Ortega has made more than £12bn from his business ventures, making him one of the top ten richest men in the world, but he is unheard of outside Spain. Much of the world is oblivious to this success. They think we’re slack. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Moreover, Varsavsky believes that, as far as the high-tech industry goes, comparisons between the US and Europe can be unhelpful. “It’s not so much about the US as it is about Silicon Valley,” he explains. “It’s a clustering of the best universities, like Stanford, combined with sharp financiers and open immigration laws. With technology start-ups Europe has a higher mean success, but Silicon Valley has more success at the higher end – the YouTubes of the world. It has the most understanding and nurturing investors, but remember, something like 53% of entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley are European anyway. Some of our venture capital investors wanted FON to relocate out there, but we declined. I told them that we wanted to stay in Madrid. The truth is, it doesn’t matter where you are based any more.”