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Home > WiFi iPass Inc. is celebrating a major landmark for the Wi-Fi industry as the first company to count over 10,000 active hotspots as part of its worldwide network. iPass, a provider of services that simply and securely connect enterprise mobile workers to their corporate network, exceeded its goal to have 10,000 active Wi-Fi hotspots in its Global Broadband Roaming network by the end of the second quarter 2004. As of the end of June, the company tallied more than 11,179 hotspots in 33 countries around the globe. "This is a significant milestone in the Wi-Fi industry," said John Yunker of Byte Level Research. "Connecting so many diverse Wi-Fi networks around the globe is no small feat and iPass has made it look easy. As more and more business travelers embrace Wi-Fi, they will seek out those networks with the widest coverage; iPass is clearly a leader in this regard." It's equally important that the 39 different networks that comprise these
hotspots have been tested and certified by iPass as Enterprise Ready and can
be accessed by iPass customers today.
iPass communicates the size of the Wi-Fi component of its virtual network
statistics based on the number of venues with active hotspots accessible by
iPass customers. While some companies also count hotspots that are under
contract or 'expected' or count numerous access points within a single venue
each as a distinct hotspot location, iPass historically only announced a far
more meaningful number -- live hotspots accessible by iPass customers.
Reflecting on an Industry Milestone
Reaching 10,000 hotspots is a landmark for the industry that took 27
months to achieve and required negotiating agreements with well over 100
network providers. iPass' experience in creating a broad and deep global dial
footprint served it well in this endeavor. In building its Wi-Fi network
capability, iPass celebrated numerous industry firsts, including:
March 2002: iPass turns up the first hotspots in its virtual network
(from the Wayport and Concourse networks).
June 2002: iPass releases Generic Interface Specification, which has
become the de facto industry standard for client-based
authentication to a Wi-Fi network.
Oct. 2002: iPass formalizes "Enterprise Ready" testing and
certification program for all networks, including Wi-Fi
and Ethernet, to ensure availability, throughout, uptime
and interoperability with VPNs, personal firewalls and
anti virus software.
April 2003: iPass is first to surpass 1000 active hotspots in service.
June 2003: iPass delivers iPassConnect 3.0, which includes auto-
detection and auto-configuration of Wi-Fi hotspots making
Wi-Fi as easy to use as dial-up access, and is the first
connectivity client to natively support 802.1x.
Sept. 2003: iPass is first to surpass 2,500 active hotspots in
service.
Jan. 2004: iPass integrates T-Mobile HotSpot in the US and is first
company to surpass 7,500 active hotspots in service.
Feb. 2004: iPass signs 100th Wi-Fi roaming agreement.
June 2004: iPass demonstrates 802.1x and GIS hotspot access with
Intel and the Singapore IDA at CommunicAsia 2004.
June 2004: iPass first company to surpass 10,000 active hotspots.
Coverage Where It's Needed Most
iPass connectivity and policy enforcement services are now available at
11,179 hotspots in 33 countries. The iPass network now includes hotspots in
North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Oceana and Africa. iPass Wi-Fi
service is accessible in a wide range of business-oriented venues, including
more than 2,900 hotels in 26 countries, 37 convention centers in 13 countries,
and 89 airports in 19 countries including 49 of the world's busiest 100 (as
measured by passenger volume).
"It doesn't matter if we have 100,000 hotspots if they're not in places
where our customers need them," said Anurag Lal, vice president of business
development at iPass. "iPass remains focused on adding venues where
enterprise business travelers and mobile employees can use our service to be
productive when they're away from the office. iPass is helping evolve the
concept of what is a 'business-oriented' venue. Now any convenient location
that offers Wi-Fi can be business-oriented."
Using these hotspots is easy with the award-winning iPassConnect(TM)
universal client, which requires only a single username and password to
integrate access to dozens of Wi-Fi networks along with GSM, 2.5G, dial and
other connectivity options as well as a user's VPN and endpoint security
systems. It's just as simple for enterprises to track and pay for the
service, since they receive a single detailed bill and usage reporting for all
of their users.
iPass has more than 75 additional providers representing another 12,000 or
more hotspots that are not yet integrated into the iPass Global Broadband
Roaming network. Before becoming active in the iPass service each Wi-Fi
service provider must be certified by iPass as Enterprise Ready by passing a
rigorous testing regimen to ensure service availability, as well as
interoperability with policy and security tools, such as virtual private
networks, personal firewalls and virus protection.
More Than Just Wi-Fi
iPass offers its customers six different connectivity options in more than
150 countries. In addition to Wi-Fi, iPass also operates one of the largest
footprints of wired broadband (Ethernet) service at more than 1,500 hotels
worldwide, as well as dial-up Internet, ISDN, GSM and PHS (a 2.5 G service in
Asia).
About iPass
iPass Inc. delivers enterprises simple, secure and manageable connectivity
services for mobile workers as they move between office, home, and remote
locations. iPass combines its global network of dial-up, Ethernet and the
world's largest Wi-Fi footprint with support for campus wireless LANs and home
broadband connections to deliver a unified and comprehensive solution. The
award-winning iPassConnect(TM) user interface, centralized management, leading
security features and powerful policy enforcement make iPass services the
choice of hundreds of Global 2000 corporations including General Motors,
Hershey's Foods and Underwriters Laboratories. Founded in 1996, iPass is
headquartered in Redwood Shores, Calif., with offices throughout North
America, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information visit http://www.ipass.com
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