MCI
Adds Broadband Wireless 'Hot Spots' to Remote Access Solution
Through Wayport
MCI announced that customers can now access corporate networks,
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and the Internet via wireless
high-speed connections at more than 600 U.S. locations including
hotels, airports and select San Francisco- San Jose area McDonald's
restaurants through a roaming partnership with Wayport.
Beginning today, McDonald's will begin offering wireless services
as part of a pilot via Wayport's Wi-Fi network at select San
Francisco Bay area restaurants. McDonald's wireless restaurants will
be added to MCI's list of remote access locations later this month.
"With the addition of Wayport's 'hot spots' to MCI's ever growing
number of dial-up POPs, customers can now access MCI's world-class
global Internet backbone while waiting for an airplane, staying in a
hotel or enjoying a Big Mac at McDonald's," said Ralph Montfort, MCI
director of Access Services. "These 'road warriors' on the go will
be able to connect using Wi-Fi, Dial or Ethernet, without having to
worry about third party security, billing or software compatibility
because MCI takes care of it all through one customer interface."
By including wireless access points into MCI's Corporate Dial
solution, customers benefit from a seamless solution to launch a VPN
client, authenticate access and establish secure connections to
corporate networks in an un-tethered environment. In addition, MCI
Corporate Dial customers have one supplier for technical support,
dedicated customer service and a consolidated bill for all wireless
and dial up access charges.
Combined with enhanced Service Level Agreements, MCI's advanced
remote access suite helps businesses reduce connectivity costs while
supporting higher levels of productivity for traveling and remote
workers. Through a single point of entry, administrators can easily
create and modify user groups, configure multiple product sets, set
user passwords and prohibit more costly connections.
Click here for full MCI HotSpot
story!
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This Week's Wi-Fi HotSpot News:
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Gartner Analysts Project More Than 71,000 Public
Wireless LAN Hot Spots in 2003 |
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The number of public wireless LAN (WLAN) hot spots has
risen from just over 1,200 in 2001 to more than 71,000 in
2003, but there are still not enough hot spot locations to
meet user needs, according to Gartner Inc.
The number of WLAN hot spot users is forecast to reach 9.3
million users worldwide in 2003, up from 2.5 million users in
2002. North America will account for 4.7 million users in
2003, followed by Asia/Pacific with 2.7 million users and
Europe with 1.7 million WLAN hot spot users.
"With just 2.5 million hot spot users in 2002, the vast
majority of these (91 percent) were infrequent uses attracted
by opportunities to use a service just once or twice, often
free of charge," said Ian Keene, vice president in Gartner's
telecommunications group. "Many more hot spot locations are
needed if user numbers are to rise greatly."
Retail outlets such as coffee shops, gas stations and
restaurants, were the leading locations for public WLAN hot
spots in 2002 and it will continue to lead the industry
through Gartner's forecast period (see Table 1). Retail
outlets are projected to account for more than 70 percent of
all hot spots in 2003.
Click here for full Gartner Wi-Fi
Research story!
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AT&T Executes Next Phase of Wi-Fi Broadband
Wireless Strategy |
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Corporation is First to Use GRIC's New Global Wi-Fi Roaming
Service to Support Business Customers
AT&T will begin offering remote wireless access to its
industry-leading virtual private network services from more
than 2,000 access points in at least 20 countries in the
fourth quarter, making it even easier for travelers to
seamlessly access their secure corporate networks from hotels
and airports worldwide.
This is the next phase of AT&T's commitment to deliver
global innovative solutions, such as Wi-Fi access, at scale
for businesses and consumers. AT&T is the first carrier to
adopt a new Wi-Fi (802.11b) access service from GRIC
Communications Inc. of Milipitas, Calif.
"We are on the brink of a technology revolution with
Wi-Fi," said Betsy Bernard, AT&T president. "AT&T is
committed to delivering services for businesses and consumers
that set the benchmark for reliability, ease- of-use and
security in integrating wired and wireless networks."
Click here for the full AT&T Wi-Fi
story!
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McDonald's Brings High-Speed Wireless Access to 75
Restaurants in the San Francisco Bay
Area |
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Beginning today, many McDonald's restaurants around the Bay
area will give customers another great reason to connect with
the Golden Arches -- by providing high-speed wireless access
(known as Wi-Fi) for wireless-enabled notebook computers and
handheld devices.
McDonald's is the first quick service restaurant to offer
high-speed wireless access in a major market. The new Wi-Fi
service will be available at approximately 75 McDonald's
restaurants around the Bay area with the majority going "live"
today.
Participating McDonald's restaurants are located in both
urban and suburban settings from San Rafael to San Jose and
from Pleasanton to Half Moon Bay. McDonald's is leveraging its
many convenient locations for the growing number of Wi-Fi
users in the Bay area, including thousands of mobile
professionals, business travelers, and students between home
and school who increasingly need to connect to work, family
and friends while on-the-go.
Click here for full McDonald's Wi-Fi
Story!
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ALL ABOARD! - Bell Canada Extends Wi-Fi HotSpots to VIA
Rail Canada Trains |
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For the first time in North America, mobile WLAN Internet
connectivity is available on a pilot basis to train passengers
Bell Canada announced the extension of the AccessZone Wi-Fi
hotspot pilot service to select VIA Rail train cars. During
the four month pilot which starts today, Bell Canada will
equip select VIA 1 train cars with wireless Internet access
that will provide free wireless local area network ("WLAN"),
based on the 802.11b Wi-Fi technology standard, for VIA 1
passengers traveling between Montréal and Toronto. This
provides mobile professionals, business travelers and
consumers with 802.11b enabled laptops or handheld devices
another convenient option to wirelessly access the Internet,
e-mail and corporate networks while traveling on the train.
Click here for the full Bell Canada VIA
Rail story!
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News |
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HotSpot News, click on the link below.
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HotSpot News
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