Subject: [NEXTEL-1] AT&T, Sprint pilot airport Wi-Fi venture

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2004 13:25:28 -0400

AT&T, Sprint pilot airport Wi-Fi venture
Last modified: April 19, 2004, 9:07 AM PDT
By Matt Hines
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

update AT&T Wireless and Sprint on Monday announced a new Wi-Fi hot-spot 
roaming pact for several U.S. airports.

Under the deal, customers of each of the wireless service providers'
Wi-Fi 
services will be allowed access to both companies' networks at Denver 
International, Kansas City International, Philadelphia International, 
Raleigh-Durham International and Salt Lake City International.

While the agreement marks the first Wi-Fi roaming pact established
between 
Sprint's PCS group and AT&T Wireless, both companies have been actively 
pursuing partnership agreements to expand the number of access points 
available to their customers, especially for people traveling by air.
Wi-Fi 
networks provide wireless connectivity to the Internet, e-mail and 
corporate networks via mobile devices such as cell phones, pagers and 
laptop computers.

In February, AT&T Wireless announced a similar bandwidth exchange with 
rival T-Mobile for the Denver, Philadelphia and San Francisco airports. 
Sprint most recently struck a deal with Wi-Fi specialists Concourse 
Communications Group to provide access to networks at airports in a
number 
of markets, including Detroit, Minneapolis and New York.

According to Wes Dittmer, general manager of Wi-Fi services at Sprint, 
partnerships like the one with AT&T remain the most attractive option
for 
vendors looking to increase wireless Internet availability in popular 
locations. Many well-traveled areas like airports allow only one Wi-Fi 
provider to set up a network on their premises.

"There's a real need for open roaming right now as each of these venue 
owners is picking only one Wi-Fi vendor, and the inability to provide 
services at someplace like an airport really shrinks the larger market 
opportunity," Dittmer said. "We're going to continue to aggressively
pursue 
these kind of opportunities."

He said Sprint hopes to rapidly increase the reach of its Wi-Fi services 
through additional partnerships and network expansion. The company plans
to 
grow its current total of 2,200 available hot spots to more than 10,000 
access points this year alone. Because vendors are being forced to use
each 
other's networks to establish coverage, pricing, rather than overall 
functionality, will become a significant differentiator.

"As awareness of availability grows with more roaming deals, pricing
will 
become an important part of the bigger picture," Dittmer said. "Right
now, 
people see any kind of access and they're willing to pay for it. But as
the 
market matures, I think flat pricing plans and bundling of Wi-Fi will 
become popular."

Under the terms of the agreement, customers will be able to access both 
Sprint's and AT&T Wireless' Wi-Fi services using their existing user IDs 
and passwords. The two wireless carriers said they will complete network 
integration efforts and begin offering the roaming services to customers
as 
soon as possible.

In a recent survey of U.S. cities that offer wireless Internet 
connectivity, the San Francisco Bay Area surpassed all other regions in 
terms of coverage. It was followed by the Portland, Ore.-Vancouver,
Wash., 
area; Orange County, Calif.; Washington, D.C.; Austin, Texas; Seattle; 
Bergen, N.J.; Middlesex, N.J.; San Diego; and Denver.

Another study, published in February, indicated that the number of
people 
seeking access through Wi-Fi hot spots globally is likely to triple this 
year, with total usage poised to rise to 30 million people, up from 9.3 
million last year.

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-5194443.html

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