EarthLink will resell Boingo Wireless' wireless Internet service, which allows users to access the Internet at broadband speeds through a network of IEEE 802.11b wireless LANs that Boingo coordinates, EarthLink announced Tuesday.
EarthLink customers with a laptop PC, an 802.11b (also known as Wi-Fi) network card, and software developed by Boingo will be able to access the EarthLink Wireless High Speed service in airports and hotels around the U.S. at speeds up to 11M bit/sec. EarthLink customers can sign up for the service here.
The Boingo software searches for "hot spots," or areas where the Wi-Fi network card can link up to a wireless LAN, and also includes a database where users can search for the nearest hot spot.
"Earthlink wants to be able to provide one-stop shopping for Internet services to our customers," which led it to partner with Boingo to offer what it calls the missing piece of its Internet offerings, said Rajan Shah, director of marketing for EarthLink Everywhere. "This will give us a competitive advantage over other ISPs," he said.
EarthLink, based in Atlanta, has about 4.9 million subscribers. It offers dial-up access and partners to offer high-speed Internet services and wireless e-mail for handheld devices, serving both consumers and businesses. Its founder, Sky Dayton, left EarthLink in December to found Boingo, based in Santa Monica, Calif.
Boingo's wireless access plan utilizes a nationwide network of wireless access points built through partnerships with other Wi-Fi providers such as Wayport, and Surf and Sip. Boingo does not have its own physical network, but it coordinates network traffic among its partners.
EarthLink's service will be priced under Boingo's current wireless service plan, using "connect days," defined as unlimited sessions and traffic at a single location during a 24-hour period. The service costs $7.95 per connect day, $24.95 for 10 connect days each month, or $74.95 per month for unlimited access to the network of wireless LANs.
There will be no initial discount for EarthLink customers, said Salpy Bilanjian, senior product manager for Earthlink Everywhere. The advantage in getting the Boingo service through EarthLink would be that EarthLink can offer a variety of Internet access services -- wireless, broadband, regular dial-up -- saving customers from having to secure each service from individual vendors, according to EarthLink.
Boingo is holding its own in the market for wireless access among competitors AirPath Wireless and Gric Communications, said Amy Cravens, industry analyst for Instat/MDR in Scottsdale, Ariz. The big challenge for providers is convincing businesses to standardize on a Wi-Fi service for their users, she said.
Also, security concerns for Wi-Fi networking are widespread, due mainly to the ease with which transmissions can be intercepted, Cravens said.
Wireless service providers such as Boingo need to design their systems to work with the wireless access cards from Cisco and Lucent Technologies, among others. It can be difficult for a company like Boingo, which pulls together several different operators, to make its service compatible with proprietary security technology and still offer universal access, she said.
The EarthLink service currently only works on laptops equipped with wireless cards from Cisco, Agere Systems, and D-Link, and the Windows operating system, said Bilanjian.
A personal VPN, which allows users to securely connect to a corporate network over the Internet, will be a $30 optional offering providing an additional layer of security for concerned users, said Bilanjian.
Locations supported right now by the service include airports in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; Austin-Bergstrom, Texas; San Jose; and Seattle-Tacoma, Wash. They also include hotels owned by Hilton, Marriott International, Four Seasons Hotels, and Wyndham International. Traveling surfers will be able to log on at airports in Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., over the next few weeks, Earthlink said.
The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.
RELATED LINKS
