The other shoe dropped today when Boingo Wireless announced an agreement to access Wayport’s entire North American network of Wi-Fi hotspots, including over 9,000 WiFi-enabled McDonald’s US restaurants.
Boingo combines over 100,000 locations from more than 150 leading Wi-Fi operators, like Wayport that serves Starbucks and McDonalds, into one worldwide network. Boingo users can connect to any of these locations with a single Boingo account using Boingo’s free Wi-Fi client software, which combines more than 660 network names into one “Boingo Wireless” network to simplify identifying and connecting to commercial Wi-Fi networks.
Wayport is a neutral host, enabling wireless carriers, ILECs, ISPs, device manufacturers and aggregators like Boingo to offer their own branded Wi-Fi experience.
The agreement between Boingo and Wayport has been extended for three years and customers will be able to begin using Boingo service at over 9,000 Wayport enabled McDonald’s restaurants immediately.
Boingo Wireless has two basic rates; WiFi connections for laptops cost $21.95 month while connections to handheld devices cost only $7.95/month. Additional charges may apply at some premium international locations. Boingo Mobile is currently available for devices running Windows Mobile 6.0, Windows Mobile 5.0, Symbian S60 3rd Edition, and Linux. With the Belkin Wi-Fi Phone for Skype, you can now make Skype calls at any Boingo Wireless hot spot.
Last week Starbucks Added AT&T to their Wi-Fi hotspots and dropped T-Mobile (although current T-Mobile users can continue to connect). Boingo has roaming agreements with AT&T.
Customers using the AT&T branded service will be able to purchase tiered WiFi access. For a two-hour period, customers will pay $3.99 per session. Monthly membership costs $19.99 per month, and will include access to any of AT&T’s 70,000 hot spots in 89 countries around the world. But Starbucks Card holders who buy products at least once a month, can receive 2 hours access a day for free.
Of course many local, regional and even national coffee chains already offer free Wi-Fi. Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee, reportedly the second-largest coffee chain nationwide with about 500 stores, automatically grants one free hour of Wi-Fi to any patron. When that expires, customers buy something more than $1.50 to get an access code granting unlimited usage the rest of the day.
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