iPass brings Wi-Fi to the masses

Wi-Fi provider iPass announced this week that its network now includes more than 2,500 hotspots and 1,000 Ethernet venues with locations in 24 countries.

The iPass Global Broadband Roaming (GBR) network has hotspots at airports, hotels and conference centres, and Ethernet connections in hotels.

"Wi-Fi's potential for improved productivity by workers away from the office is significant," said Jon Russo, vice president of marketing at iPass.

"But the travelling workforce is often at work in hotel rooms, which is why iPass has worked equally hard at including Ethernet services in over 1,000 hotels.

"While we are beginning to see the enterprise realise the compelling aspects of wireless broadband, it is equally important to fill in the gaps in availability of this still nascent technology with other connectivity options such as Ethernet, dialup and ISDN."

The GBR network is part of the company's virtual network that includes over 20,000 access points woven together from approximately 275 networks in over 150 countries.

Robin Gareiss, principal research analyst at Nemertes Research, said: "There are a few reasons why IT executives are delaying company-wide Wi-Fi adoption for their mobile employees.

"These include the lack of roaming and single-source billing arrangements, and the absence of a consistent, security-enabled connection interface. iPass has taken a giant step in helping companies resolve these concerns."